Seasonal Pond Care

Spring Pond Care (March, April, May)

Pond fish are at there most vunerable in the early spring. Day and night tempratures fluctuate considerable, so keep the pond (if you have one) on at night to reduce the effects of wind chill. Do not switch on venturis or waterfalls yet, but, if pump turnover has been reduced in winter, restore it to full flow rate through sub-surface returns only. On milder days, sections of your pond cover may be removed to allow the sunlight to warm the pond fish's water. When the temperature reaches around 10 degrees C pathogens begin to multiply and parasites are more active, but your pond fish immune systems will be dormant. Pond fish in un heated ponds should not be fed until ambient temperatures stabilises around 12-14 degrees.

They can be fed with sinking wheatgerm pellets - feed once, early in the day, to give them time to digest the meal before nightfall. Gradually wean them on to wheat germ floaters and then onto a staple pellet. watch for any abnormal swimming or feeding behaviour and bowl any suspect pond fish for inspection, but remember that many pond remodies are ineffective at low temperature's, any sick fish will have to be treated individually in a indoor hospital facility. Dosing the whole pond will only hinder the filters recovery, so put this off untill late spring.

Feeding in itself puts a loading on biological filters, which may take time to kick in — for the safety and future health of the Pond fish help the filters along with either a liquid or bran-based bacterial preparation. Now is also the time to ensure your filters and pipework are sludge-free and that all your equipment is in good order. Check the lamps in UV units,  valves for smooth operation and cartridges on tapwater purifiers. Are your test kits past their sell-by date, and do you have emergency pump spares? Has frost loosened any rocks or edging slabs, and do your filter covers need a fresh coat of wood preservative?

Test the pond water for ammonia and nitrite, (this is essential for the keeping of pond fish) and, if necessary conduct large partial water changes to restore acceptable parameters. Zeolite in the filter is a good temporary ammonia-remover, but cannot be used in conjunction with salt. Winter water changes tend (wrongly) to be infrequent, and rainfall may have topped up the pond. Rainwater does not have the buffering capacity of the mains supply, so regular pH testing is especially important at this time.

Summer Pond Care (June, July, August)

Owners of heated ponds should not switch off the boiler but adjust the thermostat to maintain a constant 70 degrees F. The rest of us can step up the feeding regime and begin to offer higher-protein growth foods. Perhaps purchase of an automatic feeder would be wise for those working away from home, so that Koi can dine little and often without subjecting the pond to ammonia surges.

As water warms, dissolved oxygen content falls but the fishes’ oxygen demand rises. Activate surface skimmers and aeration devices in pond and filtei and keep any waterfalls or cascades running, especially at night. Dissolved oxygen measuring equipment is a sensible investment. Ensure shading is in place over any pergolas, and consider how blanetweed should be tackled. It is best to tackle the problem before it takes hold, as otherwise time that could be spent enjoying your pond fish will be taken up removing the cloggine algae — sometimes on a daily b2.  Good reports also come from barley straw or lavedar stalks, while a well-planted vegetable filter will take up well-planted vegetable filter will take up nitrates.

The jury is out on electronic blanketweed controllers, which work well for some, but not all, Koi keepers.  Koi will flock-spawn in summer, generating a lot of organic material visible as a bubbly surface scum; large water changes are then called for, and pond fish must be checked for damage caused during the chase. Any suspected health problem must be investigated swiftly, for pathogens are multiplying fast. Invest in a microscope and learn how to take and interpret mucus scrapes — sometimes protozoan parasites are very selective about their hosts, so that one or two Koi will become heavily infested while others remain clear. If you take a summer break, your pond fish will happily survive on natural food items, but it is best to have a knowledgeable person visit regularly to check that pumps and filter are working as they should. Leave the telephone number of your vet or fish health specialist, and a note authorising any treatment that may be necessary while you are away.

Autumn Pond Care (September, October, November)

Climatic changes mean that early autumn can see the highest air temperatures of the year. Continue feeding a high-protein diet until the first cool spell, then reverse the spring feeding regime so that, by the time the food is tailed off, the Koi are on sinking wheatgerm.

Pond Fish in heated ponds are fed as normal.  A skimmer, if fitted, will deal with falling leaves, but netting off the larger debris reduces the workload on skimmer baskets. Pay particular attention to vacuuming and/or purging of bottom drains and filter settlement chambers so that the pond is largely free of organic matter. Trim the dying leaves and stems of any marginal plants. A pre-winter cleaning of the biomedia (rinsing in pond water only) may be called for; but Continue to feed a high protein diet until the first cold spell. This should be done in stages so that thebiomass is not affected.

Although the best-quality Koi are exported in late autumn, do not contemplate buying any unless you have a heated pond to receive them.  Before the temperature falls to 12 degrees C (54 degrees F) is a good time to medicate he pond against parasites if appropriate, and check that no fish has unhealed wounds, as tissue regeneration will soon cease. Sick pond fish will go into winter in a weakened state and, if they do not succumb then, they will be especially vulnerable the following Spring.

If you have any young pond fish resulting from a summer spawning, these must be brought inside for their first winter, as should any fish under 6 ins bought earlier in the year. An autumn bonus is that your Koi will be showing their best colours in the cooling water.

Winter Pond Care (December, January, February)

In ponds without supplementary heat, turn off or divert all aeration devices and make ready the pond cover. Giving Koi a short ‘natural’ winter is advocated by some, so the cover need not be installed until January. Resist the urge to feed the fish on warm days. To save on fuel bills, heated ponds should by now have their covers in place leave small area open to the air so that gaseous exchange can take place.

To what degree you heat determines how the pondfish are managed. It is very dangerous to maintain an ambient water temperature around 50 degrees F, as the pond fish will be vulnerable to disease and use up energy reserves in active swimming. So either heat to 64 degrees F and feed them for the rest of the year, or use the combination of cover and a low temperature setting to keep the water at 45 degrees F  minimum for as long as the pond fish are getting no food. After a month or so, the temperature can be slowly raised and feeding resumed.