03/20/2021
Spring has arrived and Fish will be officially FOR SALE on weekends by appointment only starting April 3rd.
Follow these tips to get your pond ready!
Keep a close eye on water temperature as a measure of how much you can feed your fish! Fish should be fed very little, if at all, until the water temperature is at least 50 deg F. Colder water temperatures will prevent your Biofilter from working, meaning that ammonia and other waste is accumulating in your pond. If you do feed, a Wheat Germ product is best until water temperatures reach 60 deg F.
Start weekly water changes. Because your Biological Filter is slow to work in colder temperatures, toxic fish waste and organic matter accumulate all winter. Fish can not handle any sudden change in their environment, even if it is from poor quality water to good quality water, so you have to introduce clean water gradually until they are accustomed to it. You can help keep your fish healthy by starting weekly water changes of 10-20%, then gradually increase it from there. Make sure that you add a water conditioner such as Seachem's Safe to eliminate any chloramine and other chemicals. I add a Koi clay supplement with my weekly water changes to help buffer the water against sudden changes in pH and provide additional minerals the fish need to grow. This is especially important to do if you plan on introducing new fish this spring since your old water can shock, make them sick, or even kill them if it is too different from where they came from!
Vacuum your pond and clean your mechanical filter, but DO NOT clean your biological filter. The bacteria in your biological filter are just starting to grow as your water warms, so leaving them alone so that they can do their job is best. Remove rotting leaves and debris to help prevent Carbon Dioxide and Methane producing bacteria from growing. Adding a bacterial supplement along with Koi Clay to help your biofilter start up again is beneficial too.
Change out your UV bulbs. After about 1 year of full-time use, UV lights start to lose their strength or tend to burn out altogether. The UV system is especially helpful in spring for preventing algae blooms and parasites that can take advantage of a weak biofilter.
Apply anti-parasite pond treatments such as Praziquantel and Diflubenzuran in spring and fall. This will keep opportunistic parasites from taking advantage of your fish's weak immune system and as they come back from their winter slumber. Two effective anti-parasite treatments which are safe for your fish, plants, and insects in your pond include Praziquantel and Diflubenzuron. Since they only kill adult parasites, they will need to be applied several weeks in a row to allow eggs to hatch and larvae to be affected.
