Hello pond owners

Spring is just around the corner, are you ready? This is such a busy, yet exciting time for most pond owners. We can't wait to get out in the garden to see what has to be done to make the pond a beautiful healthy environment for ourselves and our fish.
Frank has been out there for over a month now, as soon as the ice started to melt he started water changes. With the preparation in the fall and what he has done so far sure paid off. Our pond water is as clear as drinking water and the Koi are already happily "slowly" swimming around.

Read Frank's "Not so secret secrets of a clear healthy pond"

My spring season pond start up

As of April 10 I have completed my fourth water change of the season. My pond temperature this past week was 44ºF. This makes the water change impact on my fish not a factor to their health, as the new tap water is close to the same temperature. I have added Tetra Aquasafe to the new chlorinated water.
I find Aquazyme is a great additive this time of year; it helps to digest sludge that the filter did not remove last fall. It works at low temperatures and should be added weekly as directions.
I found also that a natural product like Melafix, which is made from Tee tree oil, protects the fish from early parasites that will attach themselves to any weakened fish. This product is okay to use with salt. I have raised the salt level to 0.03 as salt is a great protector from bacteria and 6 out of 8 common parasites.
Parasites can and do remain in the pond in a suspended state and become active again as the season and water warms up. Salt will attack these and any new cycles as they begin this spring. As the water warms up into the pond plant season, keep the salt level at 0.02 this way it is still effective but will not harm the plants.
Many of us will not be pleased with the sight of green water at this time of year. Keep in mind, this is healthy water and will be the fishes first source of food until we begin to feed them above 50ºF. With weekly 10% – 20% water changes and the addition of Microbelift to boost the filter media, the algae colored water will disappear.
I have submersed a small 1000gph pump to start to re circulate the water. This stops any dead areas and sends the water to the surface to warm in the sunny weather. By the end of the first week of April, I will begin to add Microbelift to jump-start my main Boi Tec 10 filter system. When I see the Koi moving to all areas of the pond I will add a one-time treatment of Tetra Koi Vital to give the fish a boost to start the season.
Ammonia levels checks should be done now, and using a pond vac or net or both, remove all leaves and debris that have entered the water.
Do not give in to the temptation to feed the fish. They have stored enough body fat to carry them into the feeding season. When this arrives begin by feeding Cheerios or whole wheat breads, if you like, you can pre-soak the Cheerios in orange juice or honey to boost up the immune system.
This is now a good time to net the fish, as they are slow moving to check for cuts and scrapes and treat as needed.
Remember it takes 8 to 10 weeks to fully boost the filter media. Starting this early will provide a fully charged filter system that will mean a healthy low maintenance pond this summer.
Please do not hesitate to e-mail for information on fish health problems from the dormant period.

Frank

Recommended products for Spring

Melafix

An all natural medication derived from the leaves of "Melaleuca" a species of tea tree.

* Antibacterial remedy
* Rapidly repairs damaged fins
* Heals open wounds and ulcers
* Treats fin and tail rot
* Treats eye cloud
* Stops mouth fungus

Click here for more pond supplies

 

 

MicrobeLift

This is one of the best products on the market according to Frank. Its like an "ecosystem in a bottle" with all the necessary organisms required to fill in the gaps in the ponds ecosystem which have resulted from enviromental stresses. Sure is smelly though!

click here for more water treatments

Christine's favorite sites to visit This is one of my favorite sites to visit. You have to go there when you have some time to kill like, after the water change ;) click here for David Hobson's Garden Humour

So Thanks again for taking the time to read our latest newsletter! We hope you enjoyed it and maybe learned a little more about your pond. Please send us any ideas on what you would like to see in future articles and please pass this on to any of your pond friends.


Sincerely
Frank and Christine
Dragonfly Landing