Equipment
needed: good sump pump with hose, nets to catch and cover
fish, fish-holding facility, pressure sprayer (optional), buckets,
rubber gloves and boots, de-chlor, aeration.
Procedure:
remove fish (use pond water and air stone), empty pond, hose/
agitate rocks shallow to deep (thoroughly!), re-fill, de-chlor,
replace fish (this is a good time to inspect your fish!)
Filter
Preparation
If you’ve
been running one all winter, it should be OK other than routine
maintenance.
Most filters
are shut down. These need to be thoroughly cleaned prior to
start-up. Avoid any contamination to pond from these filters
while cleaning. Start filter as soon as possible.
Feeding
Do not
feed until water is consistently above 50 degrees
First meal
should be cheerios or similar whole grain food -- low protein.
Soft food is best (soak in water) because their gut is very
vulnerable to injury now.
As soon
as fish are eating and water is around 55 or warmer, feed grapefruit
section twice per week for immune system.
Feed Sho-koi
or similar immune stimulating food.
At 60 degrees,
normal food is OK. Once per day until it hits 65 degrees.
Watch ammonia
and nitrite build-up carefully. Filter will take awhile to catch
up.
Fish
Health
You WILL
have fish health problems in the Spring; no immunity + active
pathogens = trouble in River City.
Minimized
by proper fall preparation and covering of pond.
Don’t even
consider treating for anything until pond is pristine clean.
Begin now
by salting to .3%, or 3 lbs/100 gal in 3 increments. Leave in
for 2 weeks, then gradually lower with water changes. (remove
sensitive plants) This will eradicate most parasites, its cheap,
safe, and doesn’t harm the filter.
Sales pitch:
Potassium Permanganate (KMn04), available from most hardware
stores.
Has
the most extensive ‘kill’ list of any treatment available
Is
safe if used properly
Cautions:
Do not use below 60 degrees. It degrades cuticle layer
(slime), which will not be replaced at low temps.
You
MUST know your pond volume before using.
Do
not allow contact with eyes.
Kills
ALL bacteria, including beneficial, so be sure to bypass
filter.
Benefits:
Cleans
up organic debris.
Kills
bacteria, fungi, and parasites.
Is
easily neutralized with hydrogen peroxide.
Organisms
cannot develop ‘resistant’ strains to this stuff.
It’s
cheap, cheap, cheap
Potassium
Permangate Regimen
Establish
your total pond volume. (Don’t even think about using unless
you know this!)
Shut down
or by-pass filters; remove plants.
Add plenty
of aeration.
Dose initially
with 1 level teaspoon per 1200 US gallons. Dissolve in water
and disperse over surface of pond. This will give you a 2 ppm
concentration.
Check the
water color. It will be purple at first, but will quickly turn
to pink. Using a white container, check color periodically.
When it changes from light pink/champagne color to more of a
tea color, go to step 6 (this should take from one to two hours).
Dose with
1/4 teaspoon per 1200 gallons same as in (4) above. Check color
periodically. It should change to tea color after another hour
or so.
All subsequent
doses will be .5 ppm, or 1/4 teaspoon per 1200 gallons. These
doses should be given each time the color changes from champagne
to tea color. This will be roughly once per hour. (note: if
the color is changing to tea or brown very quickly, you have
too much organic debris in your pond. Discontinue treatment
until your pond has been properly cleaned!).
The total
time for the treatment is 10 hours unless fish become obviously
stressed (i.e. gasping for air, rolling over, etc.), in which
case go straight to the next step.
Neutralize
with 1 qt. hydrogen peroxide per 4000 gallons. This will turn
the pond clear within seconds. Turn your filter back on and
replace all plants.
