Your garden pond in the spring time
Your garden pond in the spring time is one of the most exciting times of the year.
The cold weather has finally started to take a turn for the better and with the chances of snow and frost diminishing; the natural world starts to switch back on. The fish will start to become more active and all the plants will start to grow on their way to full summer glory. Below are some key points from All Things Aquatic and product recommendations.
Fish Feeding
Once the temperature begins to rise regularly back above 8’C and the fish start becoming more active you can start to feed them. Use wheatgerm based food as their digestive system cannot cope with high protein foods early season. You can keep an eye on the temperature easily with a pond thermometer. Remember however that all the food should be eaten within two minutes. If it is not you are over feeding the fish and need to cut back on the food quantity.
Visit https://allthingsaquatic.co.uk/collections/winter-pond-foods
Equipment: Cleaning and Maintenance
It is generally a good idea to service your pump, filter and pond. Your pump should be stripped and cleaned. Your filter will need a clean (not with tap water or a pressure washer) just with pond water. Any bacteria on the sponges and or media need to be retained as the pond wakes up. It is also time to renew your UV Bulb.
Despite your best efforts over the winter to keep out any dead organic material such as leaves, you will undoubtedly have a build-up of sludge and debris in the bottom of the pond. This is the perfect time to vacuum the pond and ensure it is all clear for the start of the summer. This will help you avoid problems with blanketweed and green water as it will reduce the chances of a chemical imbalance in the water. Bacteria balls are a great boost the pond in spring, along with Blanketweed treatment or preventers. Visit https://allthingsaquatic.co.uk/collections/blanketweed-treatments-and-management-options
Pond health check and fish health check
It is a good idea to give the pond health check and test for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and pH. plus KH when Koi are present. This will allow you to also ensure the water quality is perfect for the start of summer which will reduce the chance of pond problems as the temperature warms up. Take time to study your fish and look for any marks or sores on them. In cool temperatures many treatments are not effective so use a health boosting salt, mixed to the correct level. Visit https://allthingsaquatic.co.uk/collections/pond-fish-and-koi-treatments
Adding new fish
We firmly believe that fish movements should be avoided when the temperatures are low. Fish immune systems are typically at their lowest as they come out of the winter no feeding phase. Any stress can cause health issues and result in treatments being limited plus recovery rates being slower. Buy your new fish when the temperatures increase and fish are regularly feeding.
Repairing Liner and Making Adjustments
If you have been waiting for the weather to improve before going out and working on your pond, or the recent ice has caused damage to the pond liner, now is the time to get going and sort it all out before spring really takes hold and you end up disturbing the pond life. Small repairs can generally be done with a Pond Liner Repair Kit. You also want to be planning for any pond improvements at this time such as adding a waterfall or a stream. All Things Aquatic offers a liner replacement service for all sizes of pond.
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