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By Brett Fogle
Doing a full pond cleaning during the colder winter months can be
very stressful on your fish. However, if the pond is really
dirty and full of 'muck' - then you may want to consider it
because all of the decaying organic matter in the pond can cause
problems if the pond ices over, and this begins to de-gas and
rot.
So, I think the best solution, and what we used to do for our
clients was do a partial Fall pond cleaning.
Here's how to do it:
First, get a container that will hold roughly 100 gallons or so,
or up to half of your pond volume (bigger is better). Then take
a pump with a hose, and pump out the relativel 'clean' water from
your pond by holding the pump just beneath the water surface.
Keep as much of the 'old' pond water as you can. Then, catch
your fish (if possible) and place them into the holding tank of
their own (clean) water.
Koi Photo by Kimberly Vetrano
Then you can either net out your leaves and dispose of them,
along with any muck that you can get out also. Alternatively,
you can then pump out the remaining water and do a thorough clean
out, including vacuuming out the pond with a large wet/dry vac
(this works great!).
Then refill the pond back up to the level it was at before
disposing of the water, de-chlorinate the water, and adjust the
pH to match that of the 'old' water in your holding tank. At
this point, start pumping new water from the pond into your
holding tub, and then pumping the mixture back into the pond. Do
this for 15-20 minutes until the new water mixture matches that
in the pond - and then pump the remaining water back into your
pond while netting your fish back in as well.
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But it's very important not to expose your fish to new water
conditions too quickly as differences in temperature and pH can
cause extreme stress to your fish, affect the immune system, and
even cause shock or fish death. So always be careful when
changing water.
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Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including
MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He
also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
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More articles on creating and maintaining beautiful garden ponds
See Also...
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5 Simple Steps To Dividing Your Hardy Water Lilies
If you missed the springtime window of opportunity to divide your hardy
water lilies, don't worry, it's not too late. Although springtime is
the best time, you've actually got the entire normal growing season to
get it done.
The reason for dividing your water lilies is that they eventually run
out of room in their existing pots and need more room for the roots to
spread out so the plant can flourish. Not only is this relatively easy
to do, but you end up with more plants as a bonus!
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Building Liner Ponds
Surprisingly enough, it is usually in mid-summer that many
gardeners begin to think about installing a small pond or
water garden. Ponds don't need to be weeded or watered, and
they can supply exuberant color in the form of water lilies
and bog plants.
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