Febuary / March/

FILTER MAINTENANCE

Spring has come early so dont be caught out you must start thinking about what you need to replace with your equipment. Filters can be cleaned out and filter parts, media and ultra violet tubes replaced. Also as the water temperature starts to rise all the nasties in the pond wake up and start to thrive once more, so a dose of general medication like TETRA MEDIFIN will not go amiss. The Filter Bacteria can now be kickstarted into life with one of the Fresh Start or Bio Start Products.

POND CLEANING

Cleaning the pond is made very easy by the pond vacs that we sell from £19.95. All at discount prices.
POND CLEANING EQUIPMENT.

When the sludge is cleaned out of the pond, water is taken out as well and a partial water change is done automatically leading us nicely on tour next topic.

POND WATER

Sometimes during the summer months we forget to do our quarter water changes monthly. The result of this is that the PH will probably have dropped. The PH should be between 7.5 and 8.5. If you have already done a partial water change following the cleaning above, check the PH and adjust if necessary with PH adjuster. If you haven’t do one now. If you need to change more than a quarter you will need to add some dechlorinator.
Other tests that can be done at this time are GH ( General Hardness), KH ( Potassium Hardness), NO2 ( Nitrite), NO3 ( Nitrate), and NH3 ( Ammonia.)

THE FISH AND FEEDING.

As the water temperature starts to increase the fishes metabolism starts to increase and they now can absorb food with higher protein levels. 50 degrees fahreneit (10 degrees Celcius) is the temperature when you need to change your fish food from WINTER POND FISH FOOD to SPRING AND SUMMER FOOD. . Any food that is not eaten within five minutes should be netted off the surface. A pond thermometer is useful at this time and in spring to monitor temperature

FIT AN AIR PUMP

If you haven't bought an air pump for your pond yet, now might be a good time. During the Summer months the extra going in the pond will help the bacteria in your filter work more effectively. At this time of the year it will help maintain the gaseous exchanges. They are easy to install and if you put it in a warm place it will help maintain the temperature in the pond as well as oxygenating the water.
POND AIR PUMPS

A p r i l / May

Partially empty the pond (15 – 20%) and top back up introducing the appropriate dose of dechlorinator and pond tonic salt. It is also a good idea to give your pond a treatment of an all round cure to help the fish as they come out of the restful winter period and are feeling weak and likely to catch anything that’s lurking around in the pond. If the pond temperature is above 9 degrees C, then you can start to feed the fish normal food again and come of the winter feed (wheat germ sticks). However don’t use a high protein food yet as the fishes digestive system will not be able to cope, this leads to constipation. Divide up overcrowded marginal plants and re fertilize the baskets. If you took out your pond pump and disconnected the filter then now is the ideal time to start them back up again. Turn on your UV after making sure that you have changed the bulb and cleaned the quartz sleeve. If the weather is warm you can now introduce new fish into you pond. Add the new fish a few at a time so as not to upset the natural balance in your pond.

This is the time to begin planting! Take advise from your local aquatic center about which plants to introduce to give colour throughout the summer.

S U M M E R

J u n e

This is the peak of the pond planting season. Lillie’s and marginal plants can be planted right up to September. Keep your eye on the pond filter it may need cleaning.

J u l y

This is the month your pond will look its best. Feed both your fish and your plants at this time. Use a good quality fish food high in protein.

A u g u s t

Put you feet up, have a cup of tea and enjoy your pond. You have earned a rest.

A U T U M N

September / October.

Now is the time we need to start to think about putting our pond to bed for the winter.

THE FISH AND FEEDING.

As the water temperature starts to drop the fishes metabolism starts to slow down and they now can’t absorb food with higher protein levels. 50 degrees fahreneit (10 degrees Celcius) is the temperature when you need to change your fish food to WINTER POND FISH FOOD. This Winter Food can be fed whenever the fish are active. Any food that is not eaten within five minutes should be netted off the surface. A pond thermometer is useful at this time and in spring to monitor temperature

THE POND

At this time of year any plants in the pond start to die back and there is often a buildup of sludge in the bottom of the pond. Pond plants that have died back need to be removed with a scoop net or something similar. Any plants that are past their sell by date should be removed now as well as, as much blanket weed as possible. Leaving plant debris in the water over the winter will adversely affect the water quality which will in turn affect the heath of the fish.

Cleaning the pond is made very easy by the pond vacs that we sell from £19.95. All at discount prices.
POND CLEANING EQUIPMENT.

When the sludge is cleaned out of the pond, water is taken out as well and a partial water change is done automatically leading us nicely on tour next topic.

POND WATER

CHECK THE EQUIPMENT

To work effectively, pumps and filters should should be well maintained. Pumps should be stripped, impellors removed and cleaned. Sponges should be cleaned regularly and replaced periodically. Sponges should be washed in pond water so not to kill essential bacteria.
Tap water should be used to clean the pump and filter thoroughly, detergents must never be used. Ultra Violet Steralisers can also be switched off and cleaned thoroughly.
The quartz glass sleeve should be removed and cleaned. The UV lamp should be replaced in spring.

FIT AN AIR PUMP

PROTECTING THE POND

Placing a cover or a Pool Cover Net over the pond will prevent leaves and other debris from blowing into the water. The net will also protect the fish from preditors like herons and cats.

POND COVER NETS

STOPPING THE POND FREEZING OVER

To ensure that the fish don't suffocate due to lack of oxygen , or die due to rotting plants poisoning the water something should be done to prevent the surface of the water freezing over. A sheet of clear plastic over one end will sometimes be enough but if winters are like the winter of 10/11 then the only real answer is a pond heater.
Although they are called pond heaters a more accurate title would be ice melter. They are heater supported by a float and they are placed in the pond at this time of the year in readiness for when the frosts come. All that then needs to be done is to switch them on.

LIGHTING UP THE POND AND GARDEN

It is very nice to look out of your window on these cold dark winter nights and see the garden and pond lit up. They are easy to install and use very little electricity. There are underwater lights as well as lights to illuminate trees and shrubs around the garden. They are low voltage and therefore very safe. They also make very good presents.

WINTER

November/December/Jan. Having done all that you can to make sure that the water, equipment and fish are all OK, all that needs to be done is to check the pond and fish at least once per day, and feed the fish with wheatgerm sticks when they seem active.
You can continue to run the filter/UV and pump throughout the winter but be carefull during freezing weather. A lot of people insulate the filter to stop it freezing up, but there is the possibility of the quartz sleeve in the UV cracking or even the cannister if it is a pressurised filter. Switching off the pump emptying the filter and UV is often the wisest course iuf we have another winter like 10/11.

Switch on the Pond Heater when there is the threat of frost.