Learning how to maintain your ponds is simple when you remember these all-important steps:
Protect your fish. If you have any fish in your pond, they need to be removed safely and carefully before you can begin cleaning. When removing the fish, make sure to use water from the existing pond in order to fill up the holding tank. This will keep the fish in an environment that they are used to. It is also important to oxygenate both the new and old pond (if you are changing ponds completely) before moving the fish, preferably 24 hours in advance.
- Adding new water. If you need to add new water to your pond, you will first need to treat it. The treating of this water will include introducing it to a starter bacteria, oxygen supplement and Biokick. This will help to prepare the water for the fish. It is important to remember that the water needs to be exposed to these three elements for at least a day before you can add your fish into the new pond.
- Getting rid of chlorine. Municipal water has traces of chlorine in it, which is harmful to your fish and to the foliage within your pond. It is necessary to get rid of the chlorine completely. Unfortunately, this is not possible if you are only using the three above mentioned supplements. Instead, you can also use a holding tank and place the water inside it. This water can be kept in the tank for over a week which should get rid of all of the existing chlorine. If the tank is exposed to sunlight and you pump air into the tank, you could get rid of all the chlorine within 24 hours.
- Clean out the debris. During the cleaning process, you should make sure to get rid of any debris or foreign objects that are in the pond. Remember to remove the fish first before doing this! There are a variety of different cleaning tools that you can use so as to get rid of the debris. If it is natural debris, you can place it in your garden to decompose. Any foreign objects, however, should be thrown away in the appropriate manner. If you are using a pond vacuum cleaner like the Oase Pondvac, you will be able to clean out foreign objects quicker and safer. You can even use the Pondvac with the fish inside the pond, provided that you keep the suction nozzle away from the fish.
- Put in new plants. Once your pond is clean, it is a good idea to add some new plants. Plants are natural bio-filters which will absorb harmful substances like nitrates and ammonia. It will also introduce healthy substances back into the water like oxygen which fish need for survival.
Once the pond is clean, you can take the new water from the pond and place it into the holding tank. This will make it easier for the fish to get used to the new water temperature - which will hopefully prevent any deaths! Fish are more sensitive to the environment than you might think and, even if you do follow the pond maintenance rules, it is not guaranteed that they will all survive.
