Q1 : Do I need a filter in my pond?

A1: For a pond heavily stocked with fish, filters are needed to establish and maintain a healthy water quality for fish. Where there is no fish   present, or where the pond is lightly stocked, a well planting scheme will act as a biological filter and will be perfectly adequate to maintain a well-balanced and healthy water quality. (Learn more about water garden planting scheme)

Q2: When do I start/stop my biological filter?

A2: From the moment ammonia is present caused by the fish wastes, uneaten fish food or decaying plant matters that you should start to have your biological filters running. Since this biological filters need to be run constantly and don’t start working efficiently until several weeks after installation, you should start it immediately before introducing any fish inside the new pond. Primarily, a biological filter converts organic pollutants like ammonia from fish waste into relatively harmless substances like nitrates, which is absorbed by plants as nutrients. Beneficial bacteria that  populates the filter’s media initiates this process. Cleaning of the filter’s media should be done once a month with light spray of rainwater or non-chlorinated water so that the beneficial bacteria is not killed by the chlorine or dislodged from the filter’s media. By end of the season, then you should clean it more thorough because the beneficial bacteria can’t survive the temperature below 55 degree Fahrenheit anyway. This is the time to stop the biological filter and restart it again when the temperature rose above 55 degree Fahrenheit. (Learn more about the ammonia cycle). (Learn more about biological filter)

Q3: How should I clean my pond?

A3: A well-balanced pond should only require cleaning every three or four years. There are a few steps required during the cleaning process. Step 1; Drain the pond. Use a siphon hose, pond pump or sump pump. You should stop draining when at least 6 inches of water left. Step 2; Remove the fish in a temporarily holding tub filled with pond water. Aerate the water if necessary. Submerge or wet wrap plants as appropriate. Step 3; Clean the pond gently. Use soft tools as not to damage the liners or shell. Rinse and drain the pond several times to remove any remaining muck. Step 4; Refill the pond with fresh water normally tap water. Add a dechlorinating agent or water purifier. Pour a few buckets of original pond water back into the pond to help establish the biological balance. Reintroduce the plants then the fish when water warms.

Q4: When should I start/stop feeding to my fish?

A4: When spring first arrives, you should feed your fish once or twice each day. Then gradually decrease your feedings to every other day. They should survive quite well and you can go for a short vacation. Don’t over feed them, five minutes of eating is enough. If there are leftover, you should remove it from the pond using net. Cut back gradually on the food as temperature drops in autumn because fish become less active. Stop feeding the fish when winter arrives and the temperature drops below 50 degree Fahrenheit.

Q5: What should I do about green algae / string algae?

A5: Pond-keepers always want a crystal clear water in their pond. After a few days of initial fill up, the pond water will turn murky and take on greenish outlook. This is due to the flourishment of Algae, microscopic aquatic plants that thrive in bright condition in clear, nutrient-rich water. They are naturally occurring part of the pond community and do not actually harm pond life. They can multiply at an alarming rate, giving rise to ‘green pea soup’ phenomena. As the pond matures, most of the free-floating algae will eventually replaced by various visible forms of filamentous, mossy, and slime algae growing on the sides and bottom of the pond as well as on plants, rocks, and any other convenient surface.
          You can control algae growth naturally by planting submerged oxygenating plants that starve the algae by outcompeting them for available nutrients and by adding floating-leaved plants that create more shade to the water surface and cut off sunlight that algae need to grow. To a lesser degree, fish, snails, freshwater mussels, can help by consuming the algae. Mechanically, you can remove string algae with a fine mesh or by twirling it around a long-handled brush or rake as you would twirl spaghetti on a fork.
          A much better long term solution will be to add one or more filters to your system.

Q6: What is the recommended ratio of fish to the pond?

A6: The fish stocking formula is as follow; two inches of fish (length) for every square foot of pond surface in a pond 18 to 24 inches deep, or one koi for each 25 square feet in pond surface. Keep in mind their eventual size and rate of growth, as well as the possibility that they will produce fry.