Spring has finally arrived and the garden pond's ice preventer has probably already been removed. If you also pay some attention to the body of water, this will pay off during the summer months with crystal-clear water and healthy pond inhabitants.
Spring is the best time to clean the garden pond
Rough cleaning
First check the pond liner or basin visually for damage. Sometimes these are also recognizable by water losses. If necessary, seal them. At the same time remove dead plant parts, algae and dirt with a net.
Over the winter, biomass has settled on the ground as a layer of sludge. You can easily vacuum them up with a mud vacuum. With a thin layer, liquid sludge removers, which you can buy in garden shops, may be sufficient.
check technique
In order for the pond inhabitants and plants to do well, almost no garden pond can do without a pump and filter. You should therefore also check the functionality of the pond electrics in the spring:
- Thoroughly clean equipment.
- Rinse filter sponges and change if necessary.
- UVC lamps only last for one season, replace them.
test water quality
As soon as the filter is put back into operation, you must ensure that there are sufficient filter bacteria in the sponges:
- Turn off the UVC lamp for a few days.
- Put the preparations enriched with bacteria directly onto the filter sponges. The microorganisms accumulate here within a very short time.
- Check the water quality. If the values do not correspond to the recommended values, you can use specific water care products. These bind the excess nutrients and inhibit algae growth.
Feed water creatures again
From a temperature of twelve degrees, you can put fish that have been cared for indoors back into the pond during the winter months. Now is the time to feed the animals again.
- Use a new food box, as a good supply of vitamins and nutrients is very important after the long period of starvation.
- Supplement the feed with a multivitamin once or twice a week.
The water temperature and water quality play a major role in the amount of feed:
- If the water quality is poor, temporarily reduce the amount of food.
- If the water parameters are correct, feed about 1 percent of the fish weight every day.
tips
Organic waste from the garden pond makes an excellent fertilizer. Simply mix them into the soil of the flower bed, enriching the substrate with nitrogen. You can also enrich the compost with the pond waste.