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Proper Pond Maintanence
Fish Pond maintenance just like any other garden maintenance varies from season to season. There’s different things you want to do in the spring and summer fall into prepare for winter.
The onset of spring is the time to clean your pond for a good season start. If the water is really dirty you may actually have to remove the fish drain the pond and fill it up again. In most cases, however you only need to remove about half the water and add some fresh.
Also remove any leaves needles, sticks or other debris that a fallen into the pond. Take this time to change the filter out and clean it. Treat the pond for parasites and in any other chemicals that are needed per your water tests. Cut off any dead parts from your plants and add a fertilizer that Is safer ponds to feed your deep water plants.
Refrain from feeding your fish until the temperature is steadily above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Over the winter your fish are in somewhat of a dormant state and they will not be able to properly digest their regular food until they have warmed up a bit. In fact you may want to start them off by using a wheat germ -based food in the early parts of spring. Also when it gets a bit warmer, you might consider some foods with antibiotics specially added to them for a couple of weeks to give them a little boost In preventing illness.
In the summer you should get into a regular pond maintenance routine to keep your pond in tiptop shape. Start feeding your fish a high-protein food and test the water regularly for PH, nitrites, nitrates and ammonia. maintaining good water quality is the key to healthy fish. If your water quality is poor, change out 25 to 50% of it. Adding some oxygenating plants will help bring the oxygen level up as well as discourage algae from growing. Also in the summer look at cleaning the filter and pomp and fertilize in your pond plants with a pond safe fertilizer.
Fall is the time to prepare your pond and its inhabitants for winter. When the temperature is low fish cannot digest foods easily so as temps go down, you’ll need to reduce the amount of fish food you put in the pond. Once the temperature gets below 50°F stop feeding the fish altogether until spring comes around again.
Take this time to trim off any dead pieces of plants that are in your pond and remove anything that looks like it’s dying off as you don’t want any of this stuff rotting under the water over the winter. If your pond is in a wooded area, consider getting a cover so that when the leaves fall they don’t fall into the pond. If some to get into the pond be sure to remove them as they will decompose over the winter and cause bad water quality which will harm your fish.
In the winter you’ll want to keep the pond from freezing solid as toxic gases can build up under the ice. If the water gets below 40°F you you need to get rid of the pump that is at the bottom of the pond as it will circulate all the pond water and make the water at the bottom too cold for your fish to survive. Put a recirculation comp on the top of the pond which will help the pond from freezing completely and will also add oxygen into the water. You might also consider a pond heater deicer which can also help at oxygen and release the toxic gases.
Before winter sets In remember to remove the filter mats from your filters and skimmer so that they don’t freeze over. You could also think about calling the pond so that predators to not make a meal out of your fish. Winter can be a tough time to find food and animals are looking for an easy meal that they can get.
Now your pond is secure for the winter months and ready for spring when you can start your maintenance regime all over again! |
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