Turning a hobby into a business sounds like an ideal way to make a living but making the dream become a reality is a different matter. There is always the problem of transforming what had been an ideal way to relax from the stresses and strains of working life into something you have to make a living from.

Questions then arise: Do you really know enough to make it work and how can that knowledge be turned into a viable business?

David Dubois has an interest in aquatics which stretches back to boyhood when he kept goldfish in tanks and fished from the riverbanks near his Wantage home.

And, after being made redundant last year from his job as a chemist with ExxonMobil, he is using his knowledge of chemicals to help with pond management.

Now Mr Dubois, 44, has drawn on this pool of skills to set up Denchworth Ponds and Garden Services, which he sees as career progression as much as pursuing a dream.

He said: “I like to think that my unique selling point is that I have a lot of experience of ponds and gardening from a personal point of view.

“Also my background in chemistry and pharmaceuticals lends itself to the water issues people come across.”

In his own garden he has learned by experience: “In common with most people, I built my pond too small,” he admitted.

So now a key recommendation is not to skimp on size when planning a pond, and the other key element is the quality of the water.

Mr Dubois explained: “The larger the area of water, the easier it is to keep it clear. The holy grail for pondkeepers is ‘gin-clear’ water.”

But this can be difficult to achieve and he recommends installing the biggest affordable filtering system which will make long-term maintenance easier.

“The more electrically-efficient your pond equipment is, the better, because it will make it more economical in the long-run and any extra set-up costs will be recouped within a couple of years.”

And this is a key requirement for those keeping fish.

“You cannot over-filter water. Some of my clients have expensive fish and they want the best for them,” he added.

Although he does not himself hold a licence to deal in selling fish, he can refer his clients to specialist suppliers.

Having created a number of new ponds last year, working in gardens over a radius of up to 30 miles, Mr Dubois has already built four this spring.

He added: “I have also done a lot of maintenance on some very impressive ponds — it has been a real pleasure to work on them,” he added.

In the build-up to the winter months there was preparation work placing netting over ponds to keep out falling leaves, and ensuring filtration systems were in good working order.

In the spring, the fish may need specialist attention, as the less robust can be seriously affected by the sudden changes in temperature caused by a frost, followed by sunshine at midday.

Fish should be watched carefully, he advised.

“Although they can tolerate relatively poor conditions, they cannot tolerate major swings in temperature,” he said.

Mr Dubois has isolation tanks where fish can be treated and kept indoors for a while, if necessary. Or he can close off a small area of a pond where they can be separated and treated.

Having set up the business in Denchworth, near Wantage, last year, it was during his first self-employed winter that Mr Dubois developed his flexible approach to business.

Working with contacts in other businesses, he turned his hand to building, roofing and thatching. The thatching is a skill which he particularly enjoys.

At this time of year, however, he can concentrate on building up his own company, as well as enjoying his own pond, which he particularly likes to visit on a summer evening.

Here, he and his partner Jacqueline Kirby have concentrated on creating an environment that is welcoming to wildlife.

“We have found that ‘shallow beaches,’ areas of shingle and gravel at the pond margins, help to attract dragonfly and damselfly larvae and other invertebrates,” he said.

That has resulted in some fantastic specimens of dragonfly in particular, which he has been able to photograph.

Mr Dubois added: “Although they are attracted to any water, it has to be a large enough area for them to choose for breeding. They won’t enter a small space.”

Other techniques include avoiding steep sides which can be a hazard for small wildlife. Sloping sides, or a type of ramp for creatures to access the water more easily, are valuable as a means of escape.

Marginal plants, as well as enhancing a pond, provide what Mr Dubois describes as ‘vegetable filtration’, for they contribute to keeping the water clear by feeding on some excess nutrients.

In this International Year of Biodiversity and with the charity Pond Conservation having last year launched its Million Ponds Project to create an extensive network of new ponds across the UK, Denchworth Ponds and Garden Services has also hit that other key requirement of a start-up business — being in the right place at the right time.

Name: Denchworth Ponds and Garden Services Established: 2009 Owner: David Dubois Number of staff: One Annual turnover: Confidential

Contact: 01235 867024 Web: www.denchworth-ponds.co.uk