Tag Archives: fish

Readying Your Pond to Look Great in the Spring

Water gardening is not a low maintenance hobby. It requires diligence, vigilance and constant care or it can really become quite messy looking.  How it will look and small all summer has a lot to do with how well you start caring for it in the Spring.

 

Make sure you have a pond thermometer ready in the pond.  Winter is officially over when the pond water reaches fifty degress. This also means that it is now time to “wake up” any wintering fish in the pond by feeding them.

 

As soon as strong sunlight starts hitting the pond it is then time to feed with friendly bacteria called Anacharis.  This organic material eats up any algae growth.  The rule is to use one bunch of anarchis for each square foot of pond surface area in the pond.

 

It is also the time to increase the water circulation by turning on the filters and pumps.  You may want to start slow so that you do not distress your fish. If it is just an ornamental pond then turn up the pump full blast. If you have an ultraviolet sterilizer, turn it on once you are sure your mechanical and biological filters are working properly.

 

If there is any debris on the surface of the pond clean this using a pond skimmer or a rake.  A Mini Vac can also be used to remove debris and sludge from the top of the pond

 

If the danger of frost has passed, Spring is the time to plant new water lilies, Repot and divide any clumps of bulbs if necessary.  Raise any submerged pots to the pond surface. Add new floating plants such as water lettuce or water hyacinth in the Spring as well.

 

If the pond seems really dirty you might find it necessary to replace the water in the pond and refill it with fresh water. Replace as little of the water as you can, as changing as little as ten percent of it can upset the balance of life in your pond. You can easily remove this water with a Shop Vac. This step is only recommended if you have a real problem on your hands because this kind of readjustment almost invariably causes one element or another to die off in your pond. You should also add a dechlorinator to the new water to get rid of chlorine and seed it with new bacteria once you have refilled the pond again.

 

Aerated Ponds Look Pristine

Aeration simply means adding oxygen to the water by keeping it moving and free flowing through your pond’s circulatory system. This is vital for the health of our koi and also just a great way to keep your pond looking great.

 

Koi ponds and plants (including all forms of algae), organic life and of course the koi fish themselves consume oxygen. Koi are rather special in that they need a considerable supply of oxygen in the water for their survival and well-being. The more algae and bacteria that are in the water the less oxygen there is for fish.

 

There are lots of things in your pond that are competing with your fish for oxygen. Plant life consumes oxygen during the night and gives off carbon dioxide. This process is reversed during the day. The more organic stuff that is in the pond (fish, plants, decaying material) the higher the oxygen demand of the entire ecosystem. Decaying organic matter also uses oxygen as it is converted into waste and the ‘dirtier’ the pond. This means the more trees your pond is situated under, the higher the requirement for oxygen.  The warmer the weather is the less oxygen there is in your pond.

 

Waterfalls, and air pumps can supply oxygen. Waterfalls are extremely efficient when it comes to providing good aeration but many ponds just don’t have them. Many people turn these water features off at night, which during a summer night is just when the koi need to be aerated the most.

 

There are several ways to aerate your pond but the most common ways are to install a water pump with an airstone, a commercial aerator such as a bead stone pump or a waterfall.

 

Airstones are ceramic, synthetic or natural stones through which air is blown by an air pump. These stones are characterized by hundreds of tiny holes, which create bubbles in your pond system. This allows more oxygen to circulate through your pond’s ecosystem.

 

You can also buy Plexiglas tubes that sit on the bottom of the pond and funnel oxygenated bubbles up towards the ponds surface. These commercial aerators are offered in both battery operated and outlet operated versions.

 

An external pond filter or waterfall tank can be positioned against the shallow edge of the pool to create a waterfalls.  Just make sure that the waterflow flows to just a trickle as too much water hurts the koi.