well, I lost my pump over the winter here in Indiana, but didn't lose any fish. So, as spring arrives over the next few weeks what should I be doing to clear out the pond??? Do I do a complete water change, and I brought in a few of my above water plats and the algae just took off and little snails appeared in the containers. is it okay for them to be there and is it safe to assume they are also in my pond??? And finally, is it normal for big algae blooms to appear in the pond this early? Sorry for all the questions, but it is my first spring. thanks for any and all responses.
spring cleaning, for the first time!
- Thread starter nigil
- Start date
String algae is normal in the spring. I think everyone gets it. I just keep mine under control by reaching in and ripping out the dense areas. My large Koi love it. The water stays clear even with it.
Spring cleaning is good, make sure you don't kill your bio filter and don't try to remove all the stuff growing in there. It is a pond, not a swimming pool or decorative fountain.
Spring cleaning is good, make sure you don't kill your bio filter and don't try to remove all the stuff growing in there. It is a pond, not a swimming pool or decorative fountain.
When you get the new pump up ,,try to get out what ever you can with a net. Stir it around and and net it some more , then try to filter out the winter mess.. on a nice day a water change wont hurt
Camper Man
Pond Curator
I accomplish my first water change by shop-vac-ing whatever winter-muck and leaves have gathered on the pond floor. This exercise will remove 5 to 10 percent of my pond's water volume.
I would not change more than 10 - 25 percent of the pond's water volume at a time, especially if your water source is chlorinated.
I would not change more than 10 - 25 percent of the pond's water volume at a time, especially if your water source is chlorinated.
It is better to perform several small water changes. And you should do them now, no reason to wait until spring when the water temps warm and the Aeromonas bacteria takes hold. Get out as much gunk and leaves as you can now. Add dechlor as appropriate and later when the water temps rise, you can add some bacteria (unless you have the cold weather bacteria on hand).
Hey, I'm from Indiana too. Honestly, I take a 10 gal aquarium and put the old pond water in it. Then the fish go in, My gold fish actually disappear, Tha's how nasty mine gets. Then I get a bucket. I bucket out most of it. This takes a while, considering my pond is about 10x4x3 1/2. Then I scrub the liner with a plastic bristeled brush. I then fill it with new water and put my treatment stuff in. This is mostly barley extract. Then I let it warm up for one day. Then the fish go in. For me, it is a total of about 10-12 hrs, depending if my family "helps". My fish are 19 cent goldfish that are about 3 yrs old. So, they can deal with it.
I did my first spring cleaning in my big pond this year. I used the tub that I use for my "skippy" filter. I took out all the filter material, filled it with water and then put all my fish in it. Then I just let my pump run until all the water was out. Then I used a broom and dust pan and scooped out all the junk. Then I filled it back up, put in all the treatments, started up the pump and put the fish back with the old water. Then added all the material back to my "skippy" tub and started it up. I got a little of the old pea soup back, but added a little algae killer and my pond has been crystal clear ever since.