Maintaining a Healthy Pond - Seasonal Tasks Spring

This article explains the yearly tasks required to maintain a healthy water garden or fish pond. Starting with :-

Spring

You know its spring when garden bulbs begin to appear and pond fish begin to rise to the surface in the hunt for food. At this point only feed them with floating food such as pellets and only feed them enough that they can consume in five minutes. The first flowers of the aquatics should be

blooming usually the Caltha palustris ( the Marsh Marigold ). Water lilies should be growing and starting to shoot above the water line. Garden Frogs and other amphibians should be mating and spreading their spawn in the shallow areas of the pond. Fish are especially weak and susceptible to fungus infections this time of year as they have used up all of their reserves of nutrition. Their food supply can include minced up earth worms or scraps of meat and vegetables to help to give the fish some more energy and get them in better condition ready for breeding

    The decaying vegetation and the plant growth of the oxygenators may make the water black and sometimes cloudy, especially in small ponds where there has been prolific growth. Any decaying material should be removed. It is also a good time to perform a partial water change. The best way to do this is trickle in water from a hose pipe and allow the pond to overflow. This method will not effect the overall temperature of the water or cause stress to the fish. If your tape water is high in chlorine then its worth adding a dechlorinator that should be available from your aquatic store.

    The next task is to examine your pond plants. Baskets can be raised and where the plants are too rampant divide and replant them. This basically involves cutting them in half and replant them in separate baskets. Replace weak plants and those that are either to rampant or have become to large for the depth of your pond, replacing then with new plants or in the case of lilies a smaller part of the plant. Examine the pond liner / preformed shell for any sign or cracks or rips. Examine everything for wear including electrical cables for chafing / cracking and replace where necessary. Clean filters and test underwater lighting / submerged UV filters etc. Clean the pumps filter and impeller and run the pump for a short time to ensure that it is fully functional. Removed any entangled plants from any netting and re secure it. This concludes your pond seasonal jobs for spring. Next seasonal task are due in Summer.

The next seasonal tasks due are in Summer

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