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Seasonal Pond Maintenance

Spring Maintenance for Fish

  • Begin to feed the fish as the temperature warms.  Provide them with a high-carbohydrate feed.
  • Inspect fish closely, looking for signs of parasites or sores. 
  • Use a test kit to test for ammonia and nitrite weekly.  Ammonia and nitrite come from fish waste.  If levels are high, decrease feeding the fish until your biological filter can kick into action.  Add beneficial bacteria cultures to your biological filter.  If ammonia and nitrite levels are still high, use an ammonia-absorbing zeolite package.

Summer Maintenance for Fish

  • As the water temperature rises above 60 degrees Farenheit, switch from a high-carbohydrate fish feed to a high-protein feed.
  • Test the water weekly, checking pH, ammonia, and nitrite.  If the pH rises above 8 or below 6.8, add a pond remedy to adjust the pH level.  Adjust pH in the required direction by no more than 0.1 point per day to reach the normal range of 6.8 to 8.0.
  • Set up pond netting over your pond to protect your fish from predators.

Winter Maintenance for Fish

  • Fish activity will begin to slow down.  When the water temperature drops below 60 degrees Farenheit, switch from high-protein fish food to high-carbohydrate spring-autumn food.  Cut back on feeding to every third day. 
  • If you are overwintering fish (i.e. keeping them outside over the winter), discontinue feeding fish when the water temperature drops below 45 degrees Farenheit.  Invest in a pond heater to ensure that the water surface doesn’t completely ice over (which will prevent toxic gases from escaping).
  • Avoid smashing the ice- this will cause shock waves to propagate through the water, which will harm the fish.

Spring Maintenance for the Pond

  • Clean out debris that accumulated over the winter.
  • Vacuum or sweep the pond bottom to remove accumulation of rotting leaves and debris.
  • Reconnect the pump and filter, if taken inside for the winter.
  • Check lights and electrical connections.
  • Replace bulbs for lights and UV clarifiers.
  • Replace sponge media for filters (mechanical and biological).
  • Add a culture of beneficial bacteria to your biological filter.

Summer Maintenance for the Pond

  • Top up your pond consistently to make up for evaporation loss (Which can be up to an inch of water a week).  If your pond loses more than an inch a week, check for a leak.
  • Clean pumps, filters, and light lenses regularly.

Winter Maintenance for the Pond

  • Remove leaf netting
  • Do not allow the pump to freeze over.  If you are not over-wintering fish, take your pump inside for the winter.
  • Protect a raised pond from ice damage by draining it to ground level.