12 Steps – To Get Your Pond Up And Running In The Spring
By Nanette Winowiecki, Pond Place, Your Source for Pond Supplies in Michigan

Once the snow has disappeared, the ice melted in your pond, and the temperatures have been consistently above 40°F for a week or more, it’s time to open up your pond and garden pond water features for the spring. Below are 12 steps to lead you through the clean-up process.

Step 1.
Rake up and dispose of leaves in the area surrounding your pond and remove the pond netting used to prevent the leaves from entering the pond.

Step 2.
Use a skimmer net or pond vacuum to remove debris from the pond. A long handled brush is also helpful in removing string algae.

Step 3.
Clean up your water plants, cutting back dead debris and bringing pots that were placed in deeper levels to over winter to their proper location. If water plants are overgrown, spring is an excellent time to divide and repot, with the exception of early blooming plants such as Iris’s. Aquatic pots, planting soil and fertilizer will be needed to repot existing plants. Begin fertilizing with aquatic plants in late April or early May.

Step 4a.
If your pond has minimal debris and sludge build-up, perform a 25% water change. Note: Before adding new water, be sure to add a water conditioner that will remove chlorine and chloramines from city water, detoxify heavy metals in well water, and reduce fish stress by adding essential electrolytes, replacing the fishes slime coat.

Step 4b.
If your pond has significant sludge and debris (1”or more) after the initial skimming and vacuuming, you should perform a complete water change.

• Prior to performing a complete water change set up a temporary tank for your fish using water from the ponds surface (do not pull water from the sludge laden bottom that may contain significant toxic gases). Add an aerator or pump to the tank to add oxygen to the water. The tank should be set in the shade and covered to prevent the fish from jumping out and predators from getting in. Do not feed the fish while they are in the temporary tank. Prior to returning the fish to the newly cleaned pond add a water conditioner to remove chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. Also, if the temperature of the new pond water is more than 2ºF different than that of temporary tank, the fish should be placed in plastic bags with water from the temporary tank and floated in the pond for 10 to 30 minutes prior to release. The floating time will vary based on the temperature difference: if the difference is 5ºF or more, replace 25% of the water in the bag with pond water every 10 minutes until the temperature of the bag water is within 2ºF of the pond water. When releasing the fish into the pond, carefully net the fish out of the bag and dispose of the bag water on the ground.
  
• When cleaning the sludge from the pond bottom a pond or wet/dry vacuum can be very helpful. Be sure to set the vacuum outside the pond for easy empting.

Step 5.
Reconnect your pump and filter. If the filter or skimmer pads were not cleaned in the fall, they should be rinsed prior to restarting your pump. Do not over clean your filter pads or use any form of soap, or bleach on the pads. If pads are badly worn or torn they should be replaced. If new pads need to be purchased, consider upgrading to the new “Matala” pads. Matala is easier to clean and lasts longer than the traditional filter pads.

Step 6.
Test your water quality using an at home pond test kit. The Ammonia and Nitrites levels should read zero. If higher than zero, an additional 25% water change should be done until the levels are reduced. pH should be between 6.5 & 8.5. If the pH is outside this range add pH Up or pH Down and pH Buffer according to the directions on the container. If you have fish in your pond, the salinity should be between .1% and .25%. To achieve a salinity of .1% (assuming your current salinity is 0%) add 1 pound of Pond Salt per hundred gallons of water. Pond salt is 100% pure salt, contains no additives and is in large crystal form for slow release.

Step 7.
Add a Spring Cold Water Cleaning Bacteria to breakdown remaining sludge and a Start-Up Bacteria to re-colonize beneficial bacteria in your bio-filter; and Liquid Barley Straw Extract to help keep your pond water clean and clear.

Step 8.
If you have an Ultraviolet (UV) Light Clarifier or Sterilizer to prevent green water, replace the bulb and clean the quartz sleeve that covers the bulb. However, do not turn the UV unit on until the bacteria have had 48 hours to colonize.

Step 9.
Prepare for The Return Of The Heron by placing fishing line around the edge of your pond, netting the pond, installing a Koi Castle to provide a safe area in the pond for fish to hide or installing a motion detection device (ScareCrow) to scare away predators.

Step 10.
You can begin feeding your fish when water temperatures remain at 50°F or higher. Use a Pond Thermometer to test the waters temperature. From 50 to 65°F, feed fish once weekly and at 65°F and above, feed fish every other day with a Spring Fish Food that is wheat germ based and contains vitamin C and immune stimulants for optimum fish health, or a higher end koi food that has additional additives such as: high levels of spirulina and montmarillonite clay for color enhancement, beta glucan that stimulates immune systems to prevent disease and infections and added vitamin C.

Step 11.
To keep your pond clear and healthy, and to breakdown sludge and debris throughout the season add an all season Beneficial Bacteria and Liquid Barley Straw Extract on a regular basis; and once the water temperatures are consistently 60°F or higher, begin adding a Sludge Remover which is available in a liquid, granular or pellet form. If your pond has green or brown water a Water Clarifier to quickly clear up murky water caused by floating organic and inorganic particles by pulling these floating particles together and settling them to the bottom. If this is an ongoing problem look at adding an UltraViolet Light.

Step 12.
Enjoy the beauty and tranquility your pond brings you each day!

Spring Pond Cleaning Check List

Below are items and pond supplies needed to prepare for your pond spring-cleaning:

• Skimmer Net
• Long Handled Brush
• Pond Vacuum
• Wet/Dry Vacuum/Shop Vacuum
• Replacement Filter or Skimmer Mats or “New” Matala Mats
• Pond Water Test Kit (Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, Salt & Phosphate)
  • Master Liquid Test Kit
  • Aquarium Pharmaceutical Phosphate Test Kit
• Water Conditioner – form removal of chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals
  • EasyPro 6 in 1 Water Conditioner
• pH Down or pH Up
• pH Buffer – To Maintain pH Level After Adjusting
• Pond Salt – 100% Pure Salt in Large Crystal Form, NO Additives or Iodine
• Liquid Barley Straw Extract
• Start-Up Biological Filter Bacteria
  • MicrobeLift Gel or AP BioFilter Booster
• All Seasons Beneficial Bacteria
• Cold Water Sludge Remover Bacteria
  • MicrobeLift Spring Summer Cleaner
• Water Clarifier – To Clump Particulates in the Water
  • EasyPro Water Clarifier
• Pond Thermometer – To Test Pond Water Temperature
• Spring Pond Fish Food or Enhanced Koi Fish Food
• UV Light Bulb Replacement
• Fishing Line and Stakes, Pond Netting, Koi Castle or ScareCrow
• Temporary Fish Tank, Small Pump or Aerator and Cover for Tank
• Koi Sock Net
• Aquatic Pots, Aquatic Planting Soil, Aquatic Plant Fertilizer

Preventing a Green Water Algae Bloom?

Each season most ponds will experience a green water algae bloom, which will cause your pond water to turn green and cloudy. This is part of a natural cycle caused by an excess of certain trace minerals, nutrients and sunlight.

The following suggestions can avoid or minimize a green water algae blooms this season:

• Establish a good biological balance in your pond by adding Easy Pro “All Seasons” Liquid Pond Bacteria on a regular basis.
• Check for high nitrate levels, which can cause green water algae, using the Pond Care Master Liquid Test Kit. If the level of nitrate is high a 25% water change should be performed.
• Use of lots of plants to deprive the algae of light and nutrients. To do this, plants should cover a minimum of 2/3rds of the water surface, if the pond is in full sun. Generally, if you have the proper water plant level and the nitrates are in the correct range, the green water algae will clear naturally in a week or two, provided and you are adding bacteria to your pond on a regular basis.
• To speed up the clearing process:
  • Add EasyPro Water Clarifier which will clump the algae bloom particles and allow them to be removed by your filter or,
  • Install an Ultraviolet (UV) Light to your pond system to clear the green water algae

For most people who are plagued with Green Water Algae, we find the UV Light is the best option to keep your pond water crystal clear throughout the summer. The purchase of a UV light does require an upfront investment, but in the long run it is cheaper than the chemical approach and requires minimal labor once installed.

Controlling String ALGAE!

String algae are fibrous green strands of algae, which can grow out of control if not kept in check. Excessive growth of the string algae removes the oxygen that fish need from the pond water. There is a five-step process for the treatment of string algae:

Step 1. Physically remove as much of the string algae as possible to minimize the amount of decay. A long handled brush can make this job easier.

Step 2. Use an algaecide to kill off the string algae you were not able to physically remove. A liquid algaecide such as Algae Fix is good for treating algae in the pond. When treating algae on waterfall or stream rocks it is recommended that you turnoff the pump, place an aerator in the pond to provide oxygen for the fish, sprinkle a granular algaecide such as GreenClean or AlgaeOff on the rocks and let it set 30 to 60 minutes. Turn your pump back on and have a net ready to catch the algae running into your pond.

Step 3. Add EasyPro Liquid Barley Extract on a regular basis to keep your pond clear and clear. EasyPro Liquid Barley Extract starts working immediately and is easier to use and less messy than the barley bales or barley pellets.

Step 4. Test the pH and Phosphorus content of the pond water using the Pond Care Master Test Kit and Phosphate Test Kit. High pH and Phosphorus are the leading causes of string algae.

• If the pH is high, use Sodium Bi-Phosphate followed by a pH stabilizer, such as Crystal Clear Buffer.
• If Phosphorus content is high, use Microbe-Lift Phosphate Remover.

Step 5. Use EasyPro Sludge Remover, Bacta-Pur Sludgebuster or Microbe-Lift Sludge Away to breakdown the remaining organic matter from dead algae.

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