A Springtime Checklist for Ponds

    At last, the long, dreary winter is behind us. Time now to enjoy the beautiful spring weather. Time, too, for the pond keeper to re-establish his pond. And to make sure he doesn't overlook anything, here are a list of things you might remind him every pond keeper should do
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1. Inspect your pond - check to see what effect the winter weather has had on it.
2. Remove dead leaves and other debris -
Be mindful that a lot of the debris that has blown into the pond has settled and, because of low temperatures, has lain dormant throughout much of the winter.
3. Clean and start up the filtration system.
4. Help re-start the biological filter -
BioFilter Booster, a highly concentrated solution of specifically selected bacteria, will help re-start and maintain the biological filter and keep your pond naturally balanced.
5. Make a water change -
Over the course of several days, make a 15% to 25% water change to eliminate accumulated pollutants.
6. Remove toxic ingredients from tap water -
Whether making a water change or merely adding water to the pond, remember that tap water contains chlorine. Even a small trace of chlorine will irritate fish and damage gill tissue and large amounts can be toxic. Some tap water is treated with both chlorine and ammonia, two chemicals that combine to form chloramine, a compound deadly to fish and detrimental to plant life. Use Ammo-Lock™ to remove the chlorine and instantly detoxify the ammonia.
7. Feed your fish a low-protein fish food -
As the temperature of your pond water approaches 42°F, your fish will start looking for food. Because they are less active in the spring than they will be later in summer, they will require little protein. In fact, they'll convert excess protein into toxic ammonia, which they'll then excrete, adding to the pollution of the pond. To prevent this from happening, feed your fish Spring & Autumn Pond Food, a reduced-protein, high-carbohydrate, vitamin-enriched diet, specially formulated to feed pond fish when water temperatures are between 42°F and 70°F.
8. Provide your fish with essential electrolytes -
In addition to a proper diet, pond fish also need electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, chloride, and calcium to reduce stress, improve gill function, and help protect against nitrite toxicity. PondCare® Pond Salt will provide all of these electrolytes. To determine the proper dose of Pond Salt, test your pond water with the Salt Level Liquid Test Kit.
9. Protect your fish against disease -
After a long cold winter, pond fish are very susceptible to disease. As a protective measure, you should use PondCare® Stress Coat®, a unique water conditioner that replaces the natural slime coating fish lose during handling, netting, fish fighting, and other times of stress. Stress Coat acts as a liquid bandage, protecting damaged tissue against external toxins and disease-causing organisms and preventing the loss of internal fluids and electrolytes. In addition, Stress Coat contains Aloe Vera to help heal skin wounds and torn fins.
10. Re-establish your pond plants -
Re-establishing pond plants in the spring requires that they have essential nutrients. Aquatic Plant Food Tablets provides these nutrients in the form of slow- release tablets which, when placed in the soil, ensure maximum growth and flowering.
11. Clear cloudy water -
When re-potting your plants and cleaning your pond, you're likely to stir up sediment, causing cloudy water conditions. PondCare® Accu-Clear quickly clears cloudy pond water by causing the tiny suspended particles of dirt and debris that create these unclear conditions to clump together and fall to the bottom of the pond, where they can then be siphoned out or removed by the pond filter.
12. Improve water quality -
Debris continually enter outdoor ponds, building up unwanted sludge and waste. Pond waste and sludge consume valuable oxygen, lower the pH, and create a breeding ground for fish disease. The addition of Pond-Zyme® Plus improves water quality because it contains beneficial bacteria to dissolve away hard-to-clean wastes that accumulate in the pond filter and hard to reach areas of the pond.
It's worth it...
Sure, there's a certain amount of work involved in re-establishing a pond, but it's work the pond keeper will enjoy doing, and he'll be rewarded many times over with the satisfaction and pleasure he derives in the spring and summer months ahead.

Article from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.