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I moved into a house that has a small fish
pond. It is so dirty and I want to clean it out but I know nothing about fish
ponds nor fish. I found 4 goldfish in the pond they look about 5 inches. Do I
take the fish out and put them in a bucket while I clean the little pond? Do I
use tap water in the bucket and in the water to replace the old water? I don't
want the fish to die but they will I would think if I can't get the water changed.
Congratulations on joining the wonderful world
of water gardening. Before you start, if you are serious
about continuing to maintain your pond, you will need to obtain some important
stuff. First, contact the previous owners of the property,
and ask them for as much information about the construction, maintenance and day-to-day
running of the pond as they are able to give you. Details of the dimensions, gallonage,
bottom type (liner vs. clay) are vital. Filter design and maintenance, pump flow
specs, and air supplement are also good to know. The location of the pond supply
place they used would be good, too. Ask them about local watergardening clubs. Next,
get to that local pond supply place and buy a good test kit, with ammonia (salicylate
method!), pH, salt, alkalinity, nitrite, chlorine/chloramine kits and an accurate
thermometer. Get a jug of Amquel there too. Pick up a couple of bags of Solar
Salt (for water softeners) at the local hardware. Make sure it has no additives
and is natural crystal. Have a big box of Arm & Hammer bicarb available, too.
Now, go back to the website, and read through all
the FAQs and articles. Your fish can be temporarily housed
in a 50-100 gallon tub (bought for cheap at Farm and Fleet. They sell 'em as horse
troughs.) Fill the tub with pond water, net your fish and put them in with an
airstone running. Cover the tub with a tarp or leaf netting to keep the fish in. Pump
out the pond, and then wash down the sides and bottom of the pond with your garden
hose, sumping out the dirty water as you go. Do not bother to scrub, and do *not*
use a pressure washer, which will damage the liner. If there are potted plants
in the pond, move them to a kiddie pool with pond water in it. Rooted plants will
just have to take their chances. Once the pond looks fairly
clean, and the water running out from between and behind the edging rocks largely
clears, refill the pond with tap water. If you are really sneaky, you will have
borrowed or rented a water meter, and will measure the actual volume of the pond
system as you refill it. Test the water for chlorine and chloramine, and treat
the new water with Amquel to remove chlorine and bound ammonia (chloramine). From
this point on, it is important that you have the *salicylate method* ammonia kit,
since the more common Nessler reagent kit will give false and confusing readings
in the presence of Amquel. Add about one
pound of salt per 100 gallons of water to the pond to prevent nitrite toxicity
as your biofiltration kicks in, wait until it is fully dissolved, and then reintroduce
the fish. If the pond is filtered and has a pumped stream
or waterfall, these should be run continuously. They are your pond's sanitation
system and its source of oxygen. Finally, find and join
a local watergardening club and attend the meetings. Ask questions and enjoy.
Ponders are *nice* people!
Bob Passovoy
President
MPKS
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