Fall Pond Cleaning
Doing a full pond cleaning during the colder winter months can be very stressful on your fish. However, if the pond is really dirty and full of 'muck' - then you may want to consider it because all of the decaying organic matter in the pond can cause problems if the pond ices over, and this begins to de-gas and rot.
So, I think the best solution, and what we used to do for our clients was do a partial Fall pond cleaning.
Here's how to do it:
First, get a container that will hold roughly 100 gallons or so, or up to half of your pond volume (bigger is better). Then take a pump with a hose, and pump out the relativel 'clean' water from your pond by holding the pump just beneath the water surface. Keep as much of the 'old' pond water as you can. Then, catch your fish (if possible) and place them into the holding tank of their own (clean) water.
Then you can either net out your leaves and dispose of them, along with any muck that you can get out also. Alternatively, you can then pump out the remaining water and do a thorough clean out, including vacuuming out the pond with a large wet/dry vac (this works great!).
Then refill the pond back up to the level it was at before disposing of the water, de-chlorinate the water, and adjust the pH to match that of the 'old' water in your holding tank. At this point, start pumping new water from the pond into your holding tub, and then pumping the mixture back into the pond. Do this for 15-20 minutes until the new water mixture matches that in the pond - and then pump the remaining water back into your pond while netting your fish back in as well.
But it's very important not to expose your fish to new water conditions too quickly as differences in temperature and pH can cause extreme stress to your fish, affect the immune system, and even cause shock or fish death. So always be careful when changing water.
**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including
MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He
also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************
Latest News
Sign up for landscaping, garden classes now Mirror, MI - Michael Saint, a certified master gardener and owner of Good Earth landscape Institute, will show you how to turn a neglected entrance, courtyard or side ... |
Green Thumb: White House garden exhibit comes to Collierville Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN - The lecture series includes: Wednesday, 11 am -- Landscaping for Small Spaces with garden designer Tom Pellett. Jan. 22, 11 am -- The Bee Friendly Garden ... |
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds San Jose Mercury News, USA - Everything from design, home improvement, décor, home entertainment, landscaping, gardening, and much, much more will be on display at this event. ... Seeds: Budding gardeners can take home a seedling |
Gardening angel spruces up shop Contra Costa Times, CA - That could have happened here, but thanks to a gardening angel, it didn't. Mitchell wrote to Kevin Davis of CLS Landscape Management Inc. in Chino and told ... |
Gardening: Florida’s snowfall weed Marconews, FL - Eileen Ward and her husband, Peter, own and operate Greensward of Marco Inc., a lawn maintenance and landscaping company. Besides completing horticultural ... |
Not your run-of-the-mill garden-variety dispute Naperville Sun, IL - Option 1A calls for the development of two multi-purpose athletic fields, parking, landscaping and trail areas in the southern portion of the West Street ... |
In the Garden: Resolutions for a gardening year Peninsula Gateway, WA - 30 for a seminar at the Tacoma Home and Garden Show (www.otshows.com/THS), “Edible landscaping with veggies and herbs.” In garden design, I see more yards ... |
Green stuff San Francisco Chronicle, USA - Aerin Moore discusses "How to Create a Beautiful Garden: Landscaping Techniques." 1 pm Tues. Public Safety Bldg., Alex Clark Room, 880 Tennent Ave., Pinole. ... |
Gardening Calendar, updated Jan 7 TCPalm, FL - "Florida Native Landscaping": University of Florida/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center; 2199 S. Rock Road, Fort Pierce; 4-7 pm, ... |
Horrocks honored for hitting the half-century benchmark Sentinel-Standard, MI - John Horrocks' farm specialized in travel gardening, but with Jack Horrocks creating the new business, the garden operation became a landscaping and nursery ... |
Resources
-
Sorry there are no resources available at this time