springiscoming

It’s February and soon spring will be here. Spring is my favorite time of the year but, unfortunately, it is the most crucial time for our koi and goldfish. During winter and cold weather our finny friends go dormant. They are cold-blooded so, as the water temperature drops, their metabolism slows down. They do not eat (and should not eat in water temperatures under 50°) and just hover on the bottom of the pond. The most concerning effect cold water has on pond fish is that they lose their immunity systems and are weak from not eating. As warmer weather approaches they will become more active but will not fully regain their immunity systems until water temperatures reach 70°.

The thousands of beads in any brand of bead filter, no matter how well it’s constructed, will eventually cake up, especially in ponds that are overloaded with fish and plants. As odd as it seems, plants in a pond add more dirt and debris to the water than fish alone. An overabundance of string algae can literally glue the beads together after a season of use. If your bead filter is needing to be backwashed more than once a week it’s time for maintenance.

Now that spring is just around the corner it’s time to begin the loving task of opening up the pond. The transition of winter to spring can be tricky for the fish. Parasites and anaerobic (bad) bacteria thrive in cool waters before the fish have had time to build up their immunity. Aerobic (good nitrifying) bacteria take their time to establish in the biological filter so we run the risk of deadly ammonia and nitrite build-up in the pond during this time of year.