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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 reduce
stress on the fish, 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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