Cleaning Koi Fish Pond

koifishpondOne of the most popular features in an outdoor space is a pond. Homeowners who spend time outdoors particularly love fishponds. But cleaning koi fish ponds is a task that should be done regularly.

Many people who buy the beautiful, ornamental koi don't realize that keeping their environment clean is necessary for healthy fish and a clean pond. There are steps for cleaning koi fish ponds that require you to put a something in place then leave it, while other cleaning steps require some regularly scheduled work.

The first key is to keep your pond water aerated. The water in a pond need to have lots of oxygen in it if first are going to live and be healthy, and aerators add oxygen to the water. Additionally, the koi prefer water that is slightly cool, and aerators drop the temperatures of the water by several degrees. Aerators also keep plants healthy and help prevent unwanted plant growth.

There are a number of different aerators you can purchase with different features and varying quality. For cleaning koi fish ponds, you'll want an aerator that is effective all the way through your pond. This will vary depending on the depth of your pond.

The second important item is a pond filter. There are several types of filters for ponds including mechanical filters that are needed to remove physical debris. This is important to keep sediment from building up on the bottom of the pool. Every pool needs to have a mechanical filter to keep it clean.

The next type of filter is a biological filter. These filters use different types of bacteria, which help to decompose and eliminate the toxic waste chemicals that can build up in the pool, like ammonia.

UV filters kill algae and other bacterial growth, and can be very effective at limiting the amount of cleaning koi fish ponds require.

An external filter is by far the most popular style of filter for a pond, since it requires less cleaning and maintenance than other types of filters.

If you have a standing pond, then it is important to change the water approximately every two weeks. Put the fish in a bucket or tub along with some of the old water, then drain and refill the pond, removing any sediment from the bottom.  Dead leaves are particularly draining on the health of the fish, so removing them is key.

After cleaning out the pond, refill it. As you fill the pond with water, add one cup of rock salt for every hundred gallons of water. This should be standard, non-iodized rock salt such as the type used in a water softener or on sidewalks in the winter.

This makes cleaning koi fish ponds easier because it softens the water, besides keeping the fish healthy and increasing their electrolytes.  Softer water means no calcium or mineral rings around the water line of your pool, and no scrubbing for hours to remove those mineral deposits when you are cleaning koi fish ponds.

Photo Credit: thebigdurian

Originally posted 2009-06-03 11:53:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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1 comment so far ↓
#1 Rachel on 06.25.09 at 5:18 am

Thanks for this info on cleaning ponds and keeping them clean. I’ve never heard that you should add salt to a standing pond or just how important aerating the water is. This will all come in handy. Thanks.

~Rachel
http://www.arted4life.com/nature-art/koi-fish-drawings

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