# Annual pond maintenance, a basic guide.



## Guest (Oct 10, 2010)

Autumn is the rignt time of the year to perform annual maintenance on a pond, before temperatures get so low during the winter that it can be uncomfortable and sometimes downright impossible to do anything to the pond in freezing conditions. Disturbances to other wildlife would also be minimal at this time of year, as any amphibians would already have left the pond and most insect hatches would be a thing of the past.

The type of maintenance required will depend entirely on the type of pond, it's size, fish kept and the amount of equipment wired up around the pond.

Owners of wildlife ponds don't have to do much, a quick trim of any aquatic vegetation and the removal of excess leaf litter will suffice. Then simply leave the pond over the winter until the following spring.

Ornamental ponds and those that contain fish ideally need some more TLC. A partial water change, filter maintenance and sediment removal using a pond vac will prepare the pond for the winter. The fish don't have to be moved, so long as you are careful to avoid accidentally sucking one up with the pond vac.

The owners of Koi ponds should ideally invest in some form of heating if they don't already have it. Koi are not coldwater fish, they do in fact come from temperate conditions and thus would benefit from warm water temperatures on an all-year basis. While fish can retreat to the bottom layers of the pond to seek out warmer conditions, heating is still a very wise investment. With water temperatures being maintained above 10 degrees C as a result, the Koi can be fed all year round, maximizing growth rates.

Nothing fancy is required to heat a pond, a titanium pond heater can be simply connected to the rest of the pond's circuitry, and heaters upto 3kW in size can be connected straight to mains by a normal 13 amp plug.

For Koi pond owners it is also a good time to don a pair of waders and get inside the pond to remove any sludge that may have become trapped in the drain or pump.

In ponds that do not contain Koi, heating isn't necessarily required. The filter can be left on, but ensure that the outlet is positioned away from the water surface, to minimize surface agitation. Extra precautions should be taken to ensure that water inside filters at the side of the pond does not freeze. Water expands when it freezes, and I have heard of stories where filters have cracked and split due to the pressure exerted on the filter from the inside. Similar precautions should be taken for Koi pond filters that are gravity-fed, where water in the pump that carries water back to the pond can freeze, causing physical damage to the pump itself.

Metabolic rates in fish slow right down as the water temperature falls, so unless you intend to heat the pond, do not feed the fish if the temperature dips well below 10 degrees C. Fish simply can't digest food at such temperatures. On milder days, low-protein wheatgerm foods can be offered in small amounts.

Should the water surface freeze over, DO NOT physically break the ice. The vibrations produced from this activity may be strong enough to actually stress and even kill a perfectly healthy fish. The last thing you want is a pond full of stressed and consequently diseased fish. Instead, fill a plastic bucket with boiling water and place it on the surface of the pond. The heat will melt through the ice if the outside air temperature is high enough, boring holes in the surface.


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