Routine Maintenance
It's easy to keep your pond looking great if you set it and stocked it properly. As with any part of your landscape, some maintenance is needed. Once every three to four weeks during the pond season, make a 15% to 25% water change. The pond will accumulate a large amount of dissolved organics and natural acid that reduce water quality and disrupt the pond's natural balance. Remember Mother Nature's "natural" ponds have a constant flow of new water and a constant "dirty" water outflow. Performing a water change will reduce the build-up of these and other pollutants. Always treat your tap water a PondCare water conditioner such as Stress Coat® whenever adding water to your pond.
All garden ponds accumulate organic matter from the time they are first filled with water. Organic matter is naturally produced from dead plants, algae, as well as uneaten fish food and waste. This organic build-up slowly decays, creating toxic hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and nitrite. Such decay removes oxygen from your water and lowers the pH. It also provides an excellent breeding ground for many fish diseases. PondCare® Pond Zyme® Plus is an enzymatic cleaner containing a concentrated formula of fast-acting strains of beneficial bacteria that create and maintain sparkling clean water gardens and koi ponds. Pond Zyme Plus immediately begins breaking down fish waste and dead algae that cause cloudy water, sludge build-up, and debris that clogs pumps and filters. Pond Zyme Plus also digests leaves and grass clippings that may enter your pond.
Through enzymatic action, Pond Zyme Plus reduces pond maintenance and keeps pond water clean and clear. Cleaner water means healthier fish and a more beautiful pond. Pond Zyme Plus is a100% natural product, safe for all pond fish, plants and wildlife. We recommend the use of Pond Zyme Plus with Accu-ClearÒ, a two-step approach for incomparable pond cleanliness.
You will need to check your filter routinely to make sure that it is running at peak efficiency. Make sure that the PondCare Polyester Pre-Filter Pads (or the pads that came with your filter) are clean so that they can give maximum water filtration. Secondly, remember to clean or change pads frequently during the pond season to maintain a clear pond. When cleaning your filter pads, don't use a garden hose, as this will kill any beneficial bacterial on the pads. Use a bucket of your pond water to rinse off the pads. Just don't dump the dirty water back into the pond!
A proper maintenance program will keep your pond is top shape and allow you to have countless hours of enjoyment and satisfaction. Your plants and fish will reach their maximum potential and provide you with a showpiece for all to enjoy. Remember that old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Spring Start Up/Re-establishing a Pond
Winter is a hard time for both the fish and plants. Many different materials may have been blown into your pond over the cold winter months. Most of the debris that found their way into the pond did not decay because of the cold water temperatures. Spring is the correct time to clean and inspect your pond. As water temperature approaches 42º F (6ºC), your fish will start to eat. (See section on Proper Feeding.) At this time, you should make a 15% to 25% pond water change over several consecutive days to eliminate the substances that are polluting your pond. After you have removed some of your pond water, remove dead leaves and debris that may have accumulated in the pond.
Resume filtering water through the filtration system and add PondCare BioFilter Booster to improve the development of the biological filter and keep your pond naturally balanced. Use Polyester Pre-Filter Pads and Activated Carbon Coated Filter Pads in the filtration system to remove particles and to clear the water. Ammonia and nitrite levels should be tested at least weekly. If you get an ammonia or nitrite spike follow the directions on your PondCare Test Kit to solve the problem.
When doing spring start-up water changes don't forget you need to eliminate the toxic substances found within tap water. See the section on "Adding Water To The Pond" for information on turning tap water into pond water. Fish also need electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, chloride, and calcium to maintain proper health. Pond Salt provides all the essential electrolytes fish need to survive. The level of salt that you add to the pond water is very low. You are not turning your pond into "salty ocean" water.
For planted ponds the level of salt is just 0.1% (1/10 of 1 %) and for fish-only ponds the rate is just 0.2% (2/10 of 1%) This easy natural and inexpensive step is beneficial to your fish. As the salt stays in your pond when water evaporates, but is removed when you pump out water for water changes; use a PondCare Salt Level Test Kit to keep proper level of salt in the pond. After a long cold winter, pond fish are very susceptible to diseases. Use PondCare® Stress Coat to restore the natural slime coating that helps fight off disease. The protective coating of Aloe Vera found in Stress Coat will also promote healing of damaged skin. PondCare® MelaFix®, an all-natural antibacterial remedy for the treatment of koi and goldfish diseases, will treat bacterial infections, ulcers and open wounds that may develop on your fish after a rough winter or anytime throughout the year. MelaFix will also rapidly repair damaged fins and treat fin and tail rot. MelaFix should be used anytime you introduce new fish into your pond.
MelaFix uses the antibacterial power of Melaleuca (Tea Tree) extract for the treatment of bacterial infections. Healing and tissue re-growth can often be seen within four days of treatment. MelaFix is safe for snails and other invertebrates, safe for aquatic plants, domestic animals and other wildlife, and will not harm the biological filter.
After winter, re-establishing your aquatic plants in the pond requires that the necessary nutrients for growth and flowering are made available. PondCare® Aquatic Plant Food Tablets will provide these necessary nutrients to potted plants such as Water Lilies and Lotus by the addition of tablets to the soil in their pots. PondCare® Aquatic Plant Stimulant is formulated with the most important elements for pond plant growth and flowering. Floating plants with no soil, such as Water Hyacinths, Water Lettuce, and Elodea will flourish with Aquatic Plant Stimulant. All of your aquatic plants will produce more blooms and achieve their greatest potential when you use Aquatic Plant Stimulant on a regular basis.
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