How to Prepare a Garden Pond For The Open Season?

Answer 1

As somewhat of a luxury, garden ponds, either fish or plant, have become popular over the years. Ponds can remain beautiful and enjoyable for years to come with a little maintenance. Consider to following steps to prepare your pond for its first spring running.

• Step 1: Consider the outside temperature. Once all the snow and ice has melted and the temperature is staying around 40 degrees Fahrenheit for about a week or so, you can start the cleanup process of your garden pond.

• Step 2: Rid the pond of leaves and debris. Upon closing the pond for the winter season a pond net should’ve been placed over the pond in order to keep it free of leaves and debris. Remaining leaves or debris should be skimmed with a net or vacuumed out with a pond vacuum. Use a pool or pond brush to remove any remaining algae from the walls and bottom of the pond.

• Step 3: Clean up aquatic plants. Remove any dead plants or branches from the pond, pruning back any overgrown areas. Fertilize any pond plants in later April or early May.

• Step 4: Replace old pond water with fresh. If the pond has only minimal sludge, debris and leaves, you can replace 1/4 of the old water with fresh water. When the pond water is overrun by sludge, debris and leaves, even after initial cleanup, replace the entire pond water with fresh water. During a complete water change, use a fish net to gather any fish and place them into a temporary aquarium using old water from the surface of the pond. An aerator or should be placed in the temporary aquarium to oxygenate the water.

• Step 5: Connect the pond filter and pump. The skimmer pads or filter should be rinsed before starting the pump. Replace the filter or skimmer pads if they have been damaged over the winter.

• Step 6: Test the ponds water quality. Using a home kit, test the ammonia and nitrites to be sure they read at zero. A reading of higher than zero indicates another 1/4 water change should be completed. A good pH range should fall between the indicator on the test kit, adding pH increase or decrease products as directed until it reaches a safe pH level. Fish require water with salinity of approximately 0.1%; pond salt should be added to achieve this level.

• Step 7: Add a sludge breakdown product to the pond water. Re-colonize bacteria using a bacteria building product; natural bacteria will benefit your filtering system. When the pond water temperature maintains over 60 degrees Fahrenheit, add a sludge remover product more regularly.

• Step 8: Replace the ultraviolet bulb and clean the light cover. The bacteria should be given the chance to colonize for 48 hours prior to the light being turned on.

• Step 9: Replace any fish castles or hiding rocks prior to refilling the pond. These fish accessories should be cleaned free of algae and rinsed thoroughly before placing them back in the pond.

• Step10: Replace and feed the fish. Ensure fresh water is within 2 degrees of the original pond water and a water conditioner before replacing the fish. When the pond water is consistently between at 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you can begin feeding the pond fish weekly and every couple of days when the temperature is over 65 degrees. Consult the professionals where you bought your pond fish on the appropriate feed.

Garden ponds are a beautiful addition in creating a magnificent garden. Garden pond water, plants and fish should be cared for throughout the open season. Preparing your pond for the open season by replacing overrun water with sludge and debris and reaching the designated ammonia and nitrite zones will keep your fish or plants healthy and enabling you to enjoy the ponds tranquility throughout the season.