Pond pros detail fall maintenance

• Fish – their metabolism is slowing down as the water temperature drops so they can’t digest their food as well as in warmer weather. Change to a Spring & Fall wheat germ food for higher digestibility. Quit feeding when the water temperature drops below 50 degrees.
• Bacteria – There are several types of bacteria on the market and each does about the same thing. Aqua One is an all season bacteria that will work year round. Don’t leave the jug where it can freeze because is will kill some of the bacteria. Winston One Fix is a new all season bacteria, but it is a little less expensive and has a two-year shelf life, where most are only one-year. AquaScape has two different treatments for winter and summer. Powder bacteria is also available with the advantages that is won’t freeze and it has a longer shelf life. Waterscape Concepts carries all three brands and Don suggested looking at the price and directions of use and then calculate which brand is most economical for you.
• Sludge cleaner – This is a natural enzyme that feeds on solid waste. It won’t hurt plants.
• Pond heaters – There are various types of pond heaters that can be plugged in during the wintertime to keep the pond from freezing over. Some have automatic thermostats and will only run when the temperature drops below a certain temperature. If you leave your waterfall running all winter be sure to watch that ice in the waterfall is not diverting the water out of the pond.

Don said if you remove floating tropicals in the fall, trim off all plants and keep the leaves out, you should only have to do a cleanout every couple of years or so.

Adam, who builds and maintains ponds, said that he has a pond owner that constantly battles green water. Generally speaking, causes of green water are: too many fish, feeding the fish too much fish food, improper filtration and full sun.

Don said there is a new product on the market from AquaScape called IonGem. It is designed to remove green water by releasing copper into the water which creates a chemical change. It is easily hid and not as bulky as a UV light.

Adam installed the IonGem in the customer’s pond a few weeks ago and you can already see the bottom of the pond. Eric Wood said that it is necessary to clean the pond every other year to eliminate a copper buildup. The results of the IonGem do look promising, however.

Thanks guys for giving us some good advice about things we need to do to put our pond to bed for the winter.