Seasonal Pond Maintenance

SPRING

Spring is the season where the most crucial part of the upcoming pond season is prepared for.
As the water begins to warm it is now time to start removing leaf litter and debris accumulated over winter. By using an OASE Pondovac 3 or a Clearpond Turbo Vac this will make the job a lot easier.
Plants that have overgrown their pots over the last season can be divided, repotted and Clearpond Aquagrow Fertiliser Tablets can be added to the potting soil to increase growth and bloom intensity.
Any dead leaves can be trimmed off as well.
If your fish have bred or have started to get too big for your pond it is now a good idea to move them on and thin out the fish stocks, it is easier to transport fish when the water is still cool so spring is an ideal time to do this.
Fish can be added to the pond and by using OASE Starter Bacteria or Clearpond Biostarter this will enable the filter to handle the increase in biomass but before any fish are added to the pond it is worthwhile to get the water tested by an aquarium or pond dealer.
As the fish are becoming more active it is a good idea to increase the amount of protein in their food and also feed more often but just make sure if there is any food left over it is netted from the pond and discarded.
If you have an Ultra Violet Clarifier on your pond the globe should be replaced as they have a working lifespan of 8000 – 10,000 operational hours and the quartz sleeve should also be cleaned.
The pump and filter should be cleaned and checked and made ready for summer and any foam sponges in the filter should be replaced as needed.
 
SUMMER
As the water is now reasonably warm a higher protein diet should be fed  to your   fish and as the fish are eating more and growing quickly you will need to maintain your pump and filter regularly to ensure the filtration system can keep up with the increase in waste.   
If algae are starting to grow it is a good idea to use OASE Pond Protect to aid in the removal of string algae or OASE Crystal Plus to remove green water algae.
For statuaries without fish or plants Clearpond Feature Clean is ideal to aid in the control of algae.
Summer is the season to sit back and enjoy your pond and with the preparation of your pond done in spring there will be little maintenance to do apart from filer and pump cleaning as required.
Plants can continue to be fertilized in summer to encourage new growth.
Summer is breeding season for most outdoor fish and a smaller pellet of flake food should be used to feed them.
 
AUTUMN
As the outdoor living of summer begins to wind up some maintenance will  need to be undertaken on the pond.
As leaves begin to fall they should be netted off the surface of the pond and  vacuumed off the bottom.
Any dead flower stalks and leaves should be trimmed from the plants and discarded.  
The fish can now be fed a more wheat germ based diet and the protein content of their food can be reduced as their metabolism slows and they eat less and less.
 
WINTER
As the water is quite cold now the fish can be fed less and remember to remove any uneaten food from the pond.
Plants will become dormant and will not require any fertilizing and if any succumb to the cold they will need to be removed.
Pumps and filters will need to be checked every so often to remove fallen leaves and other debris.