FREQUENT WATER CHANGES

 

             Newcomers to water gardening may think the only time during the season water is added to the pond is to compensate for water evaporation.  Koi keepers know differently.  If our water gardens include fish (whether goldfish or koi), we can learn some lessons from koi keepers.  Goldfish, after all, produce wastes in the pond and goldfish benefit from healthy water conditions.

 

             When we talk about frequent water changes, we’re not talking a full pond draining — just a five to twenty percent freshening.  The water change is so small that conditioning chemicals may not be needed, especially if the addition involves less than 10% of the pond’s water.  Performing this ex-change benefits the pond and its inhabitants in several ways.

 

             Nutrients (nitrates) are diluted.  Fish wastes and organic debris join in the Nitrogen Cycle with the end-product being nitrate...and nitrates feed algae.  Several solutions may resolve the problem: reducing the number of fish in the pond, increasing your filter’s capacity, and using more plants in the pond to remove the excess nutrients. The conditions creating excess nutrients also create unhealthy conditions for your fish, as well as make the pond smell badly. 

 

             If the water exchange is performed as part of a bit-by-bit pond vacuuming routine, particulate matter is removed on a regular basis, keeping the pond clean and healthy for the fish, as well as sweet-smelling for you.  Removing this sediment as it is deposited prevents stagnant and toxic, anaerobic conditions from developing on the pond bottom.  If you’ve built your pond with a bottom drain, much of your pond cleaning is performed automatically.

 

             Depending on how much fish mass is in the pond, how much and what you feed them, and what sort of pump/filtration system you have operating, you may wish to exchange a small percentage of the water once every 7 to 14 days; particularly if your filter pads require frequent cleaning.  The more frequent exchange removes particulates the fish are stirring into the water (A lighter fish load and/or a larger filter might be necessary if the cleaning and water exchanges do not decrease the filter’s work.)

 

             In the heat of the summer, playing with the pond is cooling and refreshing...and it just might save you a lot of work in the fall when the water turns cooler.

 

Reprinted from Pond & Garden Magazine