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Fish Pond Winter Maintenance
As a pond owner you are faced with the massive responsibility of preparing your fish pond for the winter season. Pond winter maintenance is important to protect the pond and pond life during winter months especially if your area receives severe snow. Given below are few easy and effective steps that you can use to prepare your pond for winter.
Remove all debris from your Pond
Debris accumulated during the summer months can break down during the winter, creating harmful chemicals like hydrogen sulfide that can prove deadly to fish as well as aquatic plants. In order to avert this situation, make sure you keep your pond debris free. Remove your fish pond of dead leaves, algae and fish waste. You can make use of pond filters to do take care of tiny wastes.
Covering your pond with a net near the onset of winter is a great way of keeping sheded leaves from entering it. But make sure to constantly clean the net of dry leaves to prevent the net from sinking into the pond.
Cut-off surface growth of underwater plants
Most underwater plants can survive bitter cold as the bottom level of ponds does not freeze unless the pond is kept extremely shallow. But if your underwater or oxygenated plants are showing above the water surface, be sure to cut the extra growth off. This is because, the outer layer of the water will freeze during winter causing the growth to die, in-turn polluting the water.
Bring surface aquatic plants indoors
Floating and surface aquatic plants like water hyacinths should be brought indoors for protection. Leaving these plants in water will cause them to die due to frost. This will lead to rotting which will in-turn pollute the water.
All potted aquatic plants should be kept in the deepest level of the pond to prevent freezing. If the plant is inexpensive it is best discarded from the pond.
Reduce and eventually stop feeding pond fish
The metabolism of fish is controlled by the water temperature. During cooler months fish do not require much protein and excess protein consumed is generally excreted in the form of ammonia. Due to the inactivity of beneficial bacteria throughout winter months the ammonia in the water keeps building up causing the fish to die eventually. In order to prevent this situation, make sure you start feeding your fish lesser every day. Stop feeding them when the temperature starts to sour (Below 40 - 45 degrees Fahrenheit).
Ensure that your Pond is deep enough
If you plan to leave the fish in your garden pond during winter months, make sure that your pond is deep enough. Fishes tend to accommodate themselves at the deepest possible level of the pond during winter months as water at a greater depth does not freeze. Having a shallow pond can cause the fish to freeze and die. This is why your pond should at-least be 7 to 8 feet deep for the fish to survive especially if your area experiences harsh winter.
If your pond is not deep enough, you can consider bringing the fish indoors for the winter. Although extreme care should be taken in this case in order to reduce the stress caused to the fish during this exercise. If you decide to bring the fish indoors, make sure that you have proper pumps to ensure oxygenation. Covering the indoor pool with a net is a good idea in-case you have fishes like Koi that can jump to a huge extent.
Prevent frost from covering the entire pond surface
If your pond has aquatic life then it will lead to generation of toxic wastes which will get trapped in, if the pond surface gets frozen. In addition a frozen pond surface will cut off oxygen supply. This can cause aquatic plants and wildlife to perish. In order to avoid this situation, you should ensure that the water surface does not get frozen. This can be achieved by treating the frozen surface with hot water. A better solution to this would be to leave two or three soft balls floating on top of the pond surface. These balls can be removed in winter to keep the air flowing. In addition you can also make use of floating pond headers for keeping small pond areas frost free.
To keep the oxygen supply available at all times, make sure to use air pumps to oxygenate the water. Whatever you do, never try to break the ice on the top as this can send shock waves to the fish causing them to die.
Properly preparing your backyard pond for the winter months will ensure that the aquatic life remains healthy and full of life during the sunny months that follow afterwards.
Related Reads
Tips to Maintain a Healthy Backyard Pond
Important Considerations for Building an Easy to Maintain Pond
Preparing your Fish Pond For Winter
Effective tips to control Algae in Garden Ponds
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