As water temperatures start to warm and fish begin to swim, it's time to do your spring maintenance for your pond or water garden.
Spring maintenance includes cleaning the pond, checking your water quality, adding beneficial bacteria and adding the necessary water conditioners if needed.
Instructions for ponds that have been cared for during the autumn and winter
If you kept your pond clean during the autumn and winter, your spring maintenance will be very simple.
Clean the pond's water surface and bottom of any debris such as leaves, twigs, dead plants, etc. This can be accomplished using a fish net with a handle or pond vacuum.
Also, clean the filter, waterfall and streams.
Check your water quality for ph, buffer, nitrates and nitrites. If you have fish in your pond and the ph is very high or very low, adjust it gradually over the course of a few days. Drastic swings in ph can kill your fish especially Koi.
Next, add a good beneficial bacteria to help start up the beneficial bacteria in the pond.
If you have a UV clarifier, change the UV bulb at least once per year.
Connect your pumps, UV clarifiers, start pumps and check for leaks.
Instructions for ponds that have not been cared for during the autumn and winter
If the pond has a tremendous amount of leaves or muck in it because you did not cover it with a net in autumn, you may need to drain it in order to clean it properly. Only do this as a last option. Changing the water is very stressful to the fish and will eliminate all of the beneficial bacteria.
If you need to drain a pond that has fish, get a large container to use as a temporary pond for the fish. Keep the container in the shade so the water does not heat up. Fill the container with water from your pond. Catch the fish with a fish net and place them into the container. Put a net over the container to keep the fish from jumping out.
Drain the pond using a sump pump connected to a backwash hose. Clean the pond by removing all the leaves and debris from the bottom of the pond. Hose off the rocks, sides and bottom of the pond to loosen all the dirt. Continue using the sump pump until the water is clean. Also clean the filter, waterfalls and streams.
Start filling up the pond with fresh water. While filling up the pond, drain about 10% of the water from the container where the fish are being kept. Then add fresh water to the container. Continue doing this while the pond is being filled. This is so the water temperature will gradually adjust to the temperature of the new water being added to the pond. Drastic water temperature changes can also kill the fish.
While the water is filling up in the pond, you will need to add a chlorine and metal neutralizer to the water. Chlorine from tap water and metals such as copper and lead from pipes can kill the fish.
By relocating the fish and changing the water you are putting the fish under much stress. Because of this, you should add a water conditioner to increase the slime coat on the fish. This should definitely be done if you have Koi.
Check the pond water ph level. Make sure it is as close as possible to the existing water that the fish are in. Adjust the ph level if needed using a ph plus or ph minus water conditioner.
Next, add a good beneficial bacteria to help start up the beneficial bacteria in the pond. It will take about 6 to 8 weeks for the bacteria to colonize.
If you have a UV clarifier, change the UV bulb at least once per year.
If you don't have a UV clarifier, you may want to add a water conditioner to control algae blooms until the bacteria colonizes.
Once the water temperature and ph is similar between the pond and the container, you can add the fish back into the pond.
Connect your pumps, UV clarifiers, start pumps and check for leaks.
The easiest way to keep pond water clear, algae free and keep your fish healthy is by keeping your pond clean all year long. If you don't keep it clean all year long, following the above procedure will help eliminate algae blooms in the spring and keep your fish healthy.
