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Spring Clean-out Tips from Aquascape!

March
2nd
PondMeister

It’s almost that time again and we all wonder what steps we need to do to properly prepare our pond for the season.

Below are the steps that Aquascape advises for a thorough spring clean-out of a Skimmer/BioFalls pond:

  1. Drain the pond using a Clean-out Kit
  2. Pump some of water into container to hold fish during Clean-out.
  3. Disconnect Pump and Check valve in Skimmer and allow BioFalls to drain into Skimmer.
  4. Remove the filter mats and use the discharge water to rinse the mats (this keeps the bacteria alive in the mats).
  5. Walk up and down pond area and remove solid waste (leaves and other debris) by hand.
  6.  Re-arrange rocks that may have fallen.
  7. Drain pond to 6″
  8. 8. Catch fish with Net and gently transfer to Holding Tank.
  9. Add Aerator to insure fish have enough oxygen
  10. Use Pond Net over container to prevent fish from jumping out.
  11. Finish Draing Pond
  12. Use Pressure Washer and start at the top and work down.
  13. Pump out water at the bottom from pressure Washing.
  14. Finish cleaning Skimmer and BioFalls by hosing them down.
  15. Rinse the rocks and gravel. This will be the most time-consuming part.
  16. Cover exposed liner with Rocks and Gravel that have made it to the pond floor.
  17. Replace the Filters and BioBalls or Lava Rocks in the BioFalls.
  18. Replace the Filter mat and Debris Net or Basket in the Skimmer.
  19. Before re-filling, Check your lights and replace any bulbs or fixtures as necessary.
  20. If you have the IonGen that completely eliminates mossy green string algae, check the probe to see if it needs replacement.
  21. Start re-filling pond.
  22. Use Pond Detox to remove Chlorine and other heavy metals and prepare the water for the fish (Number One cause of fish deaths during clean-out is putting fish back in chlorinated water)
  23. Using Fish bags, float the fish for 30-45 minutes to acclimate the water temperatures before releasing them in the pond.
  24. Enjoy your pond for the upcoming season!
 

 


date Posted on: Saturday, March 2nd, 2013 at 10:09 pm
Category Pond News.
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