Spring Maintenance
Spring Maintenance is a time you will come to love. You won’t think of it as work or as a chore. Spring Maintenance will be something you look forward to. Pond keeping is a very relaxing hobby. The sound of running water has natural soothing effects. In China, the water garden became a way to display wealth and power. Families created smaller scale gardens on their property and incorporated the emperor’s design elements. One interesting aspect of the Chinese garden is the attempt to capture the essence of the mountains with elaborate rock work. The Japanese perfected the art of manipulating plants and fish into forms that enhanced their natural beauty. Spring time is when you pond comes back to life. Spring time is a time of awaking, of beauty, and freshness. Your Chinese pond changes through the seasons, so will your challenges in keeping it healthy. A healthy, thriving pond is a living entity in balance with nature. It is essential to appreciate why a natural pond is the perfect model for you own backyard pond, and what is likely to happen if you deviate from that ideal, that is what makes spring maintenance so important. When your Chinese pond water is warming up, the climate is subject to fluctuations that can prove stressful to your fish, whose immune systems are not fully working yet. Checking your ponds ammonia and nitrite is very important during spring maintenance. The increase in fish metabolism coupled with regular feeding can lead to a rapid increase in these toxins. In addition, plant matter that has died during the winter will decompose as the water temperature increases. Biological Koi pond filters take time to establish again after the winter and are thus less effective at dealing with increased biological activity. If you detect ammonia or nitrite levels, carry out a partial water change. Remember to add a dechlorinator if using tap water. Zeolite can be added to remove ammonia, although this should be seen as a short-term measure. And do not use Zeolite if you will be adding salt to your Koi garden pond. If nitrite levels rise, reduce feeding until the Koi pond filter is mature enough to cope with the additional biological requirements. If you took care of your pond through the winter season then the transition to the summer season should go smoothly and easily. The first thing you need to do is test your water levels before your fish start eating. If the reading is not where it is supposed to be make the necessary steps to get it ready for your fish. It is imperative to go into the beginning of spring and through the summer months with a clean pond. As your pond water starts to rise in temperature toward 50 degrees F you will want to clean your pump (your fish will start eating soon, and will soon need the pump) check out all the moving parts to ensure they are clean and in working order. It will not be long before your fish will need this so go ahead (after it is clean) and turn your pump on, check to see that the flow is good through the Koi pond filters. Try and remove most of the algae by hand, then add a natural scum treatment to kill the rest. You may need to repot some of your plants or add gravel to the tops. Use a pond vacuum to clean away any silt and leaf matter that settled in your pond over winter, doing this will also reduce the risk of your pump getting blocked. If you have an ultraviolet clarifier system you will need to turn it on now during spring maintenance. Make sure and clean you sleeve and replace the bulb.
It is a good idea to add a general broad-spectrum treatment for fish in early spring to protect them while their immune systems are low. Your Koi fish are beginning to awake and move around. Once your pond temperature reaches 50 degrees F you can start feeding your fish, but sparingly and feed them in the early morning. When you start feeding your fish offer them a low-protein wheat germ-based food that is easy to digest. You fish will also start back developing their immunities. While feeding your fish check that they are swimming around and feeding normally. Also look and check to see if their fins are intact and look for signs of fungus. Provide shelter for your fish until your plants grow back. Fish will feed more and grow vigorously as soon as the water temperature reaches 57 degrees F. This is the time to wean them off their low temperature food onto a higher-protein growth food. If you have been thinking about draining your pond, during spring maintenance is the only time I recommend you do it. Make sure your fish are not spawning before you start. Fish and plants will cope with a clean out far better in early spring than at other times of the year. Draining your pond gives you a good chance to get a good look at your fish.
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