- Test your pond weekly and test immediately if you suspect any fish maladies, such as finding them lying at the bottom of the pond or gasping for oxygen at the surface.
- We recommend a 25% water change monthly if you have many Koi or large fish in your pond. If you have chlorine in your water, spray the water into your pond and add a de-chlorinator such as Vanish Plus. Spraying water over the surface of the pond puts the chlorine gas under pressure and dissipates it. Chlorine can harm not only fish but your beneficial bacteria as well.
- Follow the label directions on your beneficial bacteria (Clear Pond, Microbe-Lift or Biological Clarifier) and add it as directed. Turn off your UV lights for 24 hours after adding your bacteria to prevent killing it.
- Feed your fish a quality, nutritionally balanced food. As the temperature of the pond increases, so does a fish’s activity. A high protein summer food, such as Microbe-Lift Legacy Summer Foods or Blue Ridge Food, will give them the nutrients they need to thrive. A good rule of thumb, as to how much you should feed them, is no more than they can consume within a few minutes. If there is any remaining, remove it with a net.
- If you are going away, use Fish Feeder Blocks. This works much better than asking a well-meaning friend to feed them, who might decide more is better, and give them so much that when you come home they are either dead or sick.
- Feed your plants, with plant tabs, especially your lilies once a month, to keep them looking their best and so that they will continue to bloom. Cut back or remove any decaying leaves before they fall to the bottom of the pond.
- Resolve cloudy water problems or suspended particles by using RapiClear, Accu Clear or Simply Clear, A flocculent will clump suspended particles together and either bring them to the surface or drop them to the bottom of the pond where your bacteria will consume them. Simply Clear is both a bacteria and flocculent.
- Prevent losing oxygen in your water by moving your water. Plants respire at night by consuming oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide so that is when there is the lowest level of oxygen in the pond. It is important to run your pump during the night to add oxygen back into the water and during very hot days. We also recommend using an air pump to add dissolved oxygen to the pond,
- Control algae problems when they appear or take preventative measures. Stringy algae are not a bad thing but if it gets unsightly or out of control it is best to use Pond Balance or Algae D-Solv. Algae D-Solv or Microbial Algae Clean are good for suspended algae (single celled algae). In addition, we do not suggest using Algae D-Solv in temperatures 85 degrees Fahrenheit or above because warm water has the lowest concentration of oxygen! We recommend oxygenating plants such as hornwort to prevent green pond as they compete with algae for the same nutrients. Barley Pellets or Bales can be used as a preventive measure when placed in the flow of water. Surface coverage is another great way to reduce algae. The less sunlight algae are exposed to, the less it can grow. Your pond should ideally have about 70% of its surface covered to reduce algae growth. Water Hyacinths, Water Lilies, and Floating Island Planters are all great ways to provide surface coverage.