Page 16 - AFD Pond Owners Handbook

keep a hole open in the ice to phase” before the bacteria colonies Use the gentle stream from a Dip a five-gallon bucket, or similar
allow for a gas exchange, keeping re-establish themselves again. garden hose to rinse the rocks and sized container, in the holding
your fish alive. It is not necessary gravel. Start at the top and work your tank and fill it with water.
to oxygenate the water or keep a Drain the Pond/ way down to the bottom. Periodically After you’ve caught a fish, place it
hole open in the ice if you don’t Pondless Waterfall turn the clean-out pump on to remove in the bucket and set the buckets
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have fish. Place the clean-out pump in the the dirty water. You can discontinue in the clean water.
If your area experiences long deepest point of the pond or in the the periodic pumping once the water After about 15 minutes,
periods of extremely cold weather, Pondless Waterfalls Snorkel in order rinsing down to the bottom begins periodically begin splashing some
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you may consider adding a to remove the water. to look clear. Remove the pump and pond water into the bucket.
floating de-icer. Controlled by Drain the water into the surrounding begin filling the pond. By now, the temperature of the
a thermostat, the unit only runs landscape. Be sure to relocate the pond and the bucket water should
when the water temperature is at pipe two or three times to allow the Cleaning the Filters be close to the same. You are
or below freezing, heats the water water to seep into the ground and not Remove any debris from the bottom ready to spill the fish into their
to just above that, and then shuts flood the yard. of the skimmer and Snorkel Vault. spring-cleaned home.
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off again. Ask your installer or If you have fish, use some of this This can be done by hand or by using
local supplier for products to help pond water to fill up the holding the cleanout pump.
your pond during the winter. pool. The fish can be removed from Remove the media nets and filter A FEW ALGAE FACTS
Recommended spring If you use a floating de-icer, The most important thing is to the pond using a net once the water pads from the BIOFALLS Filter.
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maintenance products: Here’s what you’ll Types of Algae:
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EcoSystems EcoStarter place it away from the bubbler. have fun with your water feature need to get started: is low enough so you can easily (Not included with the Pondless The two types of algae
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Plus and EcoSystems The movement of the water can all year long. Keep some of these catch them. Waterfall). If you have the optional
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EcoTabs . A clean-out pump with approximately that most water
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move the heated water away from key maintenance issues in mind, 25 ft. of discharge hose. Don’t keep the fish in the holding drain kit attached to your Signature gardeners experience
the de-icer, making it run more and it will be smooth sailing. In the pool for more than several hours. Series BIOFALLS Filter, you can are suspended algae
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than necessary. meantime, stay warm! A high-pressure nozzle for your garden Keep them in a shady spot with a net open up the valve and rinse the and filamentous algae.
You can also choose to keep the hose, or a power washer. over the top of the pool to prevent media and filters. Once the filters Suspended algae
waterfall running. This will require Spring Maintenance Garden shears for trimming plants. them from jumping out. have been removed rinse them free of consist of millions of
a little babysitting to make sure Spring is simply the most exciting A child’s swimming pool or a similar accumulated debris. microscopic algae STRING ALGAE
an ice dam does not form, which time of year. As things slowly awaken sized container to hold fish and The filter media and mats can be floating throughout the
could cause water to run out of the from their winter hibernation, there any other critters you find during put back into place and the waterfall water. This causes the water to turn green or “pea soup” color.
Pondless Waterfall/ Pond basin. are some things that you can do to the clean-out. pump can be reattached in the Filamentous, or string, algae forms long and short hair-like strands,
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You will also still need to replace make sure your water feature gets off A net or something similar to place skimmer or Snorkel Vault. attaching itself to rocks, gravel, plants, or any surface area it can find
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water loss so the pump can to a good start this spring. over the fish container to keep them in the pond.
continue to function properly (see Does your water feature need a full from jumping out.
“The Water Level” on page 14). clean-out this season or does it just The Annual Pond Cycle: Most pond owners will notice a similar algae
This extra effort during the winter need to be tidied up a little? There Two five-gallon buckets to pattern in their pond, throughout the year. The cooler temperatures of
will reward you with the most are a couple of things that you can collect leaves and debris. early spring and late fall typically bring increased algae growth. Don’t
beautiful ice formations and look for to help you decide. First, A fish net. be discouraged if your pond turns “pea soup” green or you have
patterns around the falls if there is a layer of “crud” at the EcoSystems EcoStarter Plus water string algae problems during this time. Be patient as the pond and
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and streambeds. bottom of the pond and the water is conditioner to remove chlorine and ecosystem tries to get itself balanced. This lack of balance results in
dark in color, it would be a good idea chloramines prior to putting fish back. excess algae. But as the water warms and the ecosystem becomes
to do a full clean-out. EcoSystems EcoTabs more active, the algae will be reduced. Some ponds take longer than
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On the other hand, if there is just fertilizer tabs. others do, but your pond will once again be clear and string algae will
a small amount of debris that you noticeably diminish as the summer approaches.
can stir up and capture with
a net and the water looks
clear, a little tidying up is The best time to perform a pond Don’t Overdo the Cleaning Putting Your Fish Back Algae Control
all that’s in order. Plan clean-out is the early spring, before Rinse the inside of the pond. You Into Their Clean Home Algae control is often considered
on spending a half to a your water garden completely awakens can also use a pressure washer to Your pond clean-out is now done to be the biggest headache in water
full day to complete from its winter dormancy – ideally help remove debris from the rocks and it’s time to put your fish back into gardening. There are different view
pond
cleanout.
a A Pondless Water- before the water temperature in the and gravel. their home. Once your pond is half full, points as to how algae should be
Don’t try to scrub all of the algae
pond creeps above 55º F. If a clean-
you can perform these steps to safely
controlled or eliminated – naturally,
Maintenance fall less time. take out is performed when the water away. Some algae on the rocks will place your fish back in the pond: artificially, or a combination of the two. Maintenance
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will
c o nsid erab l y
If you’re on city water, it’s
is warmer, after bacteria colonies
prove beneficial in developing your

form, the balance of the ecosystem
ecosystem. For an average size pond
imperative that you add a de-
will again be thrown off and your
If you have a pond that’s suffering
15 minutes.
pond will go through another “green (11’ x 16’) this should take around chlorinator to the water so it is from green water and you can’t see
safe for fish.
16 The Pond Owner’s Handbook www.afdpondsnj.com www.afdpondsnj.com The Pond Owner’s Handbook 17