1-734-421-5959Summer is mainly the time to just enjoy your pond and water garden. Try out a tropical lily for loads of blooms. Night blooming tropical water lilies begin to open when your hardy water lilies are beginning to close for the day. Tropical are especially good for anyone who works all day and can only enjoy their water garden in the evening.
Note: Water Lilies and Lotus are very heavy feeders. Feed May, June, and July with an aquatic fertilizer. This ensures good growth and blooms.
Routine maintenance consists of trimming dead or damaged water lily pads and flowers that have finished blooming. Continue doing 10% water changes weekly. Take the water and water your veggies or flower beds. It's good for your plants. It makes for a great pond "water garden" with less problems with green water and sick fish. I have one of our lower end pond pumps hooked up to a timer so it goes off for one hour everyday and than once a week I top the pond off with fresh water. The pond water goes to my veggie garden, and flowers around the pond. Keep it simple.
Keep your filter maintained with a weekly back flush tie it in with your 10% water changes. The 10% water changes will eliminate 90% of your pond problems 90%! And your getting 2 uses out of your water.
Enjoy feeding, but never overfeed your fish. If your water starts to cloud up back off on the feeding until the water clears up.
Keep an eye on oxygen levels when we get those extremely hot summer days and nights. One sign of a low oxygen level is your fish gasping at the waters' surface. This is a dangerous situation. A waterfall helps with oxygen levels as does the use of an aerator.
GREEN WATER ISSUE
We have had a lot of green water ponds. The following is the recommendations we've been giving and it's been working for the most part.
1. Check PH, must be between 7-9
2. Do a 10% water change weekly, no more than 10%. This water must be pumped out. Even if you evaporate some water you need to pump out 10% than dechlorinate just the 10% you add. Water your hanging baskets, veggie garden or lawn. Your getting 2 uses on your water.
3.Top the pond off to capacity
4. Add bacteria, 1000 gallon pond add 1 oz., 3000 gallon pond 3 oz. etc.
5. Add bacteria prior to rain. see item 4 for rate.
6. Add bacteria anytime the water just doesn't look like you what it. You can not put to much bacteria in the pond.
7. STOP FEEDING YOUR FISH!!!!!!! Until the water is in the condition you what it. Your fish aren't going to starve to death.
8. Small water gardens or ponds do not use algae control products if you have fish.
These are general guide lines and they have worked here at our ponds, and many other ponds.