A Spring Care Guide for Your Pond or Water Garden

You made it! Spring is here! But before you get too excited, remember, this is the hardest time of year for your Fish, Turtles and Frogs. Spring Pond care is the most important care you give your pond all year.

WHY? Air and water temperatures fluctuate wildly. Your pond inhabitants, especially your koi, don't like that. With the rise in temperatures, the bad bacteria in your pond will start to grow VERY rapidly.

Bacteria

The bad bacteria grows at much lower temperatures than the good bacteria. So the bad bacteria becomes well developed before the immune systems of your pond inhabitants kick in. A 3/4 water change at this time, will significantly reduce the bad bacteria, giving your fishs' immune system a chance to catch up. (Be sure to chlorinate the water, if you have city water.)

Barley Straw Ball - No more GREEN Pond!

Adding a Barley Straw Ball at this time will also get a jump on killing any algae blooms that will start to form as water temperatures increase. The floating, refillable Original Barley Ball, is the most effective and cost efficient way to keep your pond from turning pea soup green. Follow instructions in brochure to achieve a Crystal Clear pond all year long. No one can enjoy a GREEN pond!

Feeding

Your pond inhabitants have not been eating during the winter and thier digestive systems are not ready for high protien foods. Start them out on a wheat germ based food. Koi LOVE Cheerios and it's a good starter food. Koi do have a sweet tooth, and they particularly like Honey Nut Cheerios. When water temps reach 55 degrees and above, you can begin feeding a staple food slightly higher in protein. WARNING: Don't feed food left over from last season, once opened the foods nutrients deteriorate. Bad food can cause systemic infections. Don't buy more than a two month supply of food at one time and keep it sealed.

System Check

Are your pumps working ok? Is the filter clean? Make sure your pumps are working correctly. Make sure your filter is clean and now is the time to add bacterial boosting supplements to your biological filter. With no fish waste to process during the winter, the nitrifying bacterial has been significantly reduced. Now that your fish are eating again, you want that nitrifying bacterial count built back up.

Water Check

Test the water for ammonia. The fish are producing ammonia again and it sometimes takes weeks before the bacteria can convert poisonous nitrate into less harmful nitrate. Until the filter is working at full bacterial capacity, you may want to do 3/4 water changes to keep all your pond inhabitants healthy. (Be sure to chlorinate water if using city water) Remember to always do a 10% weekly water change, all year long, this will keep your pond water naturally producing the good bacteria.

Inhabitants Check

Check the health of all your pond inhabitants. Are they eating ok? Any open wounds? Ulcers? Take care of any problems now, before they get worse. Now is the perfect time to treat the entire pond with ProFormC and praziquantel to kill and prevent parasites.

Plant Check

Check the health of your pond Plants. Need re-potting?, Need fertilizer? Need Pruning? Now is the time to add more Water Hyacinths, Water Lettuce and Water lilies. Fertilize your water lilies monthly with a tab type fertilizer.

A little extra hard work now, will make your pond much more healthy and remain Crystal Clear all year long!