The Pond Keepers Guide To Cleaning Your Water Garden Fish Pond In The Fall
Why Would I Want To Clean My Water Garden Fish Pond?
Please note that this article has been written with the average garden pond keeper in mind and not the professional Koi pond owners. There is seldom a need for large Koi ponds to be cleaned out as they have been designed in such a way that the majority of debris is removed continuously. They incorporate bottom drains that purge pond bottom debris away before it has chance to pollute the Koi pond. This combined with the sloping sides and sloping pond floor encourage settled dust, debris and solid fish waste to find their way out of the pond on a continuous basis. A bottom drain is overkill for 99% of fish ponds and is also complex and expensive to install. You really would need a professional pond builder to carry this project out for you.
In a normal water garden fish pond which does not have the advantage of a bottom drain there will be a gradual build up of organic matter and solid fish waste over a period of time. Much of the organic waste will be due to damaged pond plant life as well as leaves and grass that have fallen or been blown into the pond. For this reason it is a good idea not to site your fish pond near garden tress, particularly poisonous trees.
The problem with organic matter and solid fish waste is that is starts to decompose. This decaying process can produce some pretty nasty side effects such as the production of ammonia, carbon dioxide and a place for anaerobic (harmful bacteria) to develop. It is these bacteria that are responsible for many common pond fish health problems and diseases. The increased production of carbon dioxide and the reduction of oxygen (used in the decaying process) can seriously affect the pH of the pond water, leading to possible fish deaths.
As you can see it is important to keep the bottom of your water garden fish pond as clean as you possibly can. Tip! By feeding high quality pond fish food you will significantly reduce the amount of solid and liquid waste, as more of the food is assimilated by your Koi and goldfish for their growth and development.
I was recently introduced to a great blanketweed and string algae cure called Viresco Koi And Viresco Aqua. Little did I realise at the time that Viresco also produce Viresco Digester, which is an excellent digester of solid fish waste.
Carrying out a full pond clean out in winter is extremely stressful for your Koi and goldfish. There are times however when needs must and you will have to clean out the pond in winter, particularly if your fish pond is really dirty and full of pond sludge, that has accumulated on the pond bottom. There is always the chance that your pond will freeze over and as explained earlier in this article toxic gases develop. If the surface is frozen then there will be no way for the gases to escape, with dire consequences for your pond inhabitants. If you live in a cold climate where there is the potential for your pond to freeze over then I would recommend either a pond de-icer for smaller ponds or a Koi pond heater, if you have a large Koi pond.
Fall or Autumn is the preferred time of year to carry out routine pond cleaning.
How To Clean Your Pond In The Fall
Step 1 ... You will need to get your hands on a container that is capable of holding about 100 gallons (US) or bigger if possible. Ideally a container capable of holding half of your pond volume is ideal.
Step 2 ... The next step involves connecting a piece of tubing to a pond pump and pumping out the pond water into the container. Do not suck up pond water from near the bottom of the pond; instead place the end of the tube just below the water surface. Keep as much of the 'old' pond water as you can.
Step 3 ... Time for the fun job of catching your pond fish and placing them into the retained pond water in the container.
Step 4 ... Use a net to remove any leaves and get rid of them, along with any other muck that you can get out also. If you prefer, instead of a partial pond clean you can carry out a full pond clean. To do this pump out the rest of the pond water and then use a pond vacuum cleaner (pond vac) to suck up any remaining sludge.
Step 5 ... Nearly done now! Start to fill your fish pond back up to the level it was at before you removed the pond water. Please remember to add a chlorine reducing product to the water and adjust the pond pH to match that in the holding tank. You can now start to pump 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. Pump the remaining water back into your pond while netting your fish back in as well.
Remember that it very important not to stress your pond fish. Stress is serious, particularly in Koi and can cause premature death or shock. Differences in water temperature and pH can cause extreme stress in Koi and other pond fish.
