Congrats!

 

You got yourself a pond! Looks amazing right?

 

Now lets make sure it stays that way. So here are a few key best practices every new pond owner should know about,

 

 

A: Create and maintain a regular service schedule:

We cant stress this enough 😀 Above all else, you have to dedicate the time to your pond. Things like water testing, filter maintenance, and any type of dosing need to be done on a regular set schedule. This does 2 things. 1: It keeps your system chemical stable by minimizing any chemical changes, ie: pH swings. And 2: It allows you to spot potential problems before they turn into actual problems. This is particularly important when it comes to your filtration system. Making sure its always running at its best is critical for preventing and combating things like algae blooms and infections.

 

 

B: Keep these supplies on hand at all times:

These are 10  items we recommend you  keep on hand at all times.

1- Water Conditioner: We like Seachems Prime.

 

2- pH Buffer: Super helpful if you have an overstocked pond, or have a poor water source. Also helps w/ koi pox symptoms.

3- Liquid Algaecide: Great for general prevention and we love API’s

4- Granular Algaecide: Great for combating hair algae blooms, Aquascapes makes a great product called SAB

5- Bacterial Additive: Great for the breakdown of organic waste in your pond

6- Koi Clay, aka montmorillonite clay: Great for keeping water clear, and is an important mineral additive which helps keep your koi healthy and colorful

7- Pole & Net: For general maintenance.

8- Sump Pump / Pond Vacuum: Any sump pump from your local hardware store will work, and if you do your own maintenance, we recommend the Matala Power Cyclone Vacuum.

9- Waders: Having a good set of waders make maintenance a lot easier when you have to go into the deep end ;p

10- Liquid Water Test Kit: Always have a test kit on hand. Ad we recommend the liquid as they are more accurate

 

 

 

 

C: Look out for these common problems:

 

1- The slowing of flow: Keep an eye out for the amount of flow your filtration system is putting out. When you notice it dropping, that’s a solid indicator that somethings off. This can be a sign of clogged filter media, clogged pump, a leak, or in a worse case scenario, all 3

 

2- Smells: Your pond shouldn’t smell. A rotten egg smell is indicative of your filtration system not keeping up with the organic load in the pond. This could mean that your systems either overstocked, overfed, under filtered, or under serviced.

 

3- Constant algae blooms all year round: Algae is completely normal! Algae blooms where your entire pond is covered in a green slush, not so much. That being said, well maintained system can  and do develop blooms. This typically happens in the summer months when the daylight increases and the temps spike up. But constant growth all year round aint a good sign. Somethings off. Either the systems under filtered, the ponds overstocked, or the pond doesn’t have a natural way of removing the organic waste fast enough, ie: live plants.

 

 

And if you’re not sure what or how to do something, or prefer to simply enjoy your pond. We’d be glad to have you as a service client. Contact us here for more info: Get your Free Pond Service Quote Here 😀