unclenedsfishfactory.com

Spring fish pond care

We suggest a big water change and leaf/algae cleaning
every spring (also again in the fall)

disconnect your pump from your filter and pump the water out,
being careful not to catch a fish, sticks, or gravel in the intake...
muck and algae will pass right through.

When doing a very large water change, you want to be careful about drastic chemistry and temperature changes...
most importantly with koi (goldfish are tougher)

If you're re-filling with the garden hose using city water,
we suggest using a dechlornating solution such as Novaqua or Aquatan,
(you don't really need water conditioner if you're using your own well water).
Also, you want to be a little cautious about the temperature.
If the pond your changing is already 65 degrees F,
and you change it 90% with 51 degrees F ground water,
this can sometimes cause stress to your Koi.
If your only mixing valve for warm water is on an indoor faucet with an aerator,
we sell a 'python' faucet adaptor,
which will enable you to hook up a garden hose to your warm water.
Speaking of temperature, you also don't want to fill the pond with water that's too warm
...within 5 degrees F of the old water is acceptable.
Also, if your only doing a small water change, say 25%,
you don't need to worry too much about the temperature of the water because it will mix.

After a good size water change and mucking-out with a net or broom,
we suggest putting in a fresh barley straw mini-bale
(we're expecting these Wednesday afternoon, April10).
Barley straw is very popular as an algae inhibitor.
Rinse or replace the filter foams, and hook the pump and filter back up.
When running a filter, it is important to run it all the time,
if you don't run it 24/7, the filter bacteria could die,
making a smelly mess.

When your pond water is consistently above 55 degrees F,
you can start feeding lightly with spring & fall formula foods.
When the water is consistently above 65 degrees you can start feeding higher protein and color foods, including freeze dried krill.

As with any aquatic system,
the most important thing
is too avoid accidental poisonings.
All kinds of products like
carwash, herbicides, insecticides, lawn fertilizer, & you name it
can kill your fish.
Make sure none of these chemicals can get into your pond water, equipment or food.