With Spring in full swing so is the risk of your pond being out of control and the likely possibility of an algae bloom. Avoid all of those headaches and enjoy your pond with a couple simple tips.

Make sure you pH level is in check - make sure it is between 6.8 and 8.2. if it isn’t you at greater risk and so are your fish, plus if your pH is not set right your expensive water treatments will have little to no effect.

Next, it is always important to add good bacteria to you pond. For small water gardens (under 6,000 gallons) I like liquid bacteria. For larger ponds I recommend the 8 ounce water soluble bags called Pond Vive. Your should be adding bacteria to your pond every 2-3 weeks during the months that your water is over 55 degrees F.

The same goes for algae treatments. Why wait until you have an algae boom. I recommend treating your water gardens and smaller ponds with AlgaeFix or Algaway every 2 weeks during the high sunlight months. These simple treatments will save you from wasting a long precious Saturday or Sunday cleaning your pond.
Another alternative to algaecide is a UV light that bursts and kills the algae spores as the water flows past the light bulb. Give us a call and we can set you up with one that is great for your application.
Also now that your water is over 55F you should be feeding your fish regularly. Not too much, otherwise it is waste and that could lead to any overload of nutrients in your pond.
Enjoy the weather.
Thanks,
Paul

Related posts:

1. Spring Clean-Up… Done Right!
2. Is your pond going yet?
3. Aeration Pond Tips to Maximize the Potential of Your Pond

Do your spring cleaning  and pond preperation correctly in 13 steps - it could save you having big troubles later this year.

Step 1. Before you start on the pond, make sure the surrounding landscape is cleared and blown off so debris does not go into your pond.

Step 2. Remove the pond netting if it is still on your pond. Let it dry then pack it away until fall.

Step3. Pick the leaves and debris from your streams, pond rocks and any floating piles of leaves or sunken piles at the bottom with your dip net.

Step 4. Clean your skimmer, aqua falls, filters, aeration system, UV sleeve, etc… of debris and rinse them being careful not to damage anything. Replace \ Add as necessary.

Step 5. Get your pump ready – hopefully you stored your submersible pump in a bucket of water where it could not freeze – this keeps the seals moist. DO NOT PLUG IN PUMP – with a tool, give the impeller a few rotations as they can stick at times, clean the inlet of debris.

Step 6. It is a good practice in smaller ponds and water gardens – those under 1,500 gallons to do a 25% water exchange .  You can check this by checking your Ammonia and Nitrates, if they read higher than zero change your water by 25% and check it again. Make sure to set your water level correctly. About an inch from the top of the skimmer opening.

Step 7. Install your pump and plug it in and let the water flow! Once all of your streams are full of water check the water height again at the skimmer, set it for one inch below the top of the skimmer throat.

Step 8. Now that your pump is working this is the best time to finish skimming your pond with a dip net and getting the debris off your pond bottom allowing the skimmer and filter to do their jobs. If you have a lot of debris going into the filter or skimmer you will need to empty the skimmer debis net or clean the filter frequently as needed.

Step 9. Walk around your pond, skimmers and spillways making sure you don’t see any wet spots where the water is escaping the pond liner.

Step 10. Now it is time to test your water. Check your pH first, it should be between 6.8 and 8.2. If your pH is off you will need to get it corrected quickly or it could cause serious harm to you fish and cause other water problems. If you have fish your salinity should be between .1% and .25%. You can browse our site for the products you need to get your water “in-check” or give us a call.

Step 11. Adding water treatments – Other than setting your pH & Salinity you should not add other chemicals or water treatments to your pond until your water temperature gets above 50F, otherwise they do not work at their intended strength & when it gets warmer the dosage may spike throwing your water our of control. Same goes for feeding fish, do not feed them below 50F and until water is warmer make sure you feed them very little. If you use a shade product like Aquashade – you can add that at any time.

Step 12. Assuming your water is up to temperature you should add good bacteria to your pond. Pond Vive or EasyPro All Season bacteria are good choices. As warmer weather and more sun penetrates the pond you should also add some Agaway or Algaefix as a preventative to “Algae Blooms”. Be sure to stick with the bacteria and algae treatments throughout the warmer months to avoid trouble with your pond. Some preventative treatments will save you from having issues during the summer.

Step 13. Good Job – your pond is ready for the season, sit back and enjoy it. I like a enjoy a Twisted Tea while sitting on the deck and feeding my koi with the kids.

If you have any specific questions, problems or if we can help you at all – please feel free to contact us

Thanks,

Paul Cole

Related posts:

1. Is your pond going yet?
2. Spring is in Swing!
3. Understanding Filtration