Pond Care Tips for Fall

As we move into the Fall season, there are many steps you can take to care for your ponds and water features. Here are a few of our recommendations:

• Install the Fall netting on the pond to keep your pond free of leaves and other seasonal debris.
• Switch from warm water bacteria to cold water bacteria.
• Fish should be slowing down on feeding.
• As the temperatures of your pond water dip below 65 degrees it is time to switch to cold water food for your fish.
• When the temperature in your pond goes below 55 degrees it is time to stop feeding altogether.
• There will be days when the air temperature is warm, but that does not mean to start feeding the fish again.  Follow the water temperature guidelines above.
• All fertilizing should be done for the season.
• Dead head your plant material to eliminate the debris in the pond.
• Lotus: leave any remaining flower pods in place and allow them to grow larger. You can use them in your fall decorations. Once the pod has gotten larger, cut it and hang upside down to dry. Remember to always cut stems above the water.

Additional Notes:

• If we run into a late Summer and your fish become very active, contact us for recommendations.
• Watch the website for details as the fall goes on.

Posted September 14th, 2010 in Care & Maintenance

FALL CLOSING

It is that time of year to think about putting your pond to sleep for the winter. When water temperatures reach 55 degrees you should stop feeding the fish until spring. Once you stop feeding your fish in the fall you should not give them any more food until the water temps reach above 55 degrees and that will not happen until spring.

Closing the pond down in the fall is an easy process. If you choose not to keep the water garden running all winter then you need to pull the pump out, add a supply of oxygen for the fish, clean out the biofalls and forget about it till spring.

Here at Chester Hollow we try to prolong it as long as possible. Watch the weather for extended days of freezing. Usually during the month of November is when we start shutting down our ponds.

The process consists of:

• Pulling the pump from the skimmer (or pond)
• Putting it in a 5 gallon bucket of water and storing it in your basement (or non freezing area) for the winter
• Remove filter pads and/or debri net, clean and store for the winter
• Remove any filter pads, filter media from the biofalls, clean and also store in a dry place for the winter months. That way all product will be ready for installation in the spring.

If you have fish you need to keep a hole open and supply them with oxygen. I usually do that with an aerator or pump sitting on your shelf bubbling the service of the water. A hole needs to be kept open on the surface of the pond in order for the toxic gasses to escape from the pond and supply the fish with oxygen for the winter. Even though the fish seem to be sleeping they are still producing waste that needs to escape from the pond. If you plan on going on vacation then you can add a heater to the pond in order to keep the hole open in the surface. Just remember, fish need oxygen and air exchange during the winter months.

Please contact us if you have any questions about closing your pond for the winter.

Posted October 21st, 2008 in Care & Maintenance

Think Spring!

Schedule your Pond Clean-out
While snow may be on the ground, and our fishy friends are still in their winter slumber, we are already gearing up to do Spring Clean-outs! We book up early and fast, so contact us now for details on how to make sure your pond is ready to look its best when the temperatures get warm.

Posted February 21st, 2007 in Care & Maintenance

Koi and Goldfish Care

When you are planning and building your garden pond, there is no magical depth of water in which fish will magically survive. A simple fact however is that a 6′ fish will pollute one cubic foot of water much faster than it can pollute two or three cubic feet of water. While waterlilies require surface area, your pond fish require total water volume.
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Posted February 21st, 2007 in Care & Maintenance, Fish

Spring Maintenance Tips

March (or whenever the water becomes a liquid and seems likely to stay that way) is the time to invest in some of that “Spring Fever” in your pond. After checking the connections to your filter, turn on the pump and add the first dose of beneficial bacteria to the water.
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Posted February 21st, 2007 in Care & Maintenance