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Spring is the time to get your pond off to a great start:
For Goldfish and Koi Ponds Owners: now is the time when we are all yearning for crystal clear waters and big fat fish greedily surfacing for handouts.
'Patience' is the operative word here.
The best rule of thumb for spring time is avoid feeding and serious pond cleaning until your water lily pads turn green.
Fish that have been hibernating all winter need time to warm up thoroughly and get their digestive systems tuned up before they can safely resume their piggy summer eating habits.
In spring time, koi and goldfish immune systems are at their lowest point of the year. So, let those sleeping and groggy puppies lie. Avoid any activity that requires you to catch and move these sleepy guys or stirs them into a frenzy.
Don't net them.
Don't drain their water.
Don't stir up their water.
Don't add new fish.
Don't fret if you have a fringe of string algae growing on the walls of the pond. This is the best spring tonic for you fish. You can keep this in check later as the pond warms up
DO Restart your pump and bio filter when water temperatures reach 45 degrees.
DO Add Microbe-lift Gel to your bio filter media,
DO Add Microbe-lift PL or PBL to your water
DO Test your water with Microbe-lift 5 in 1 Test Strips
DO Buffer your water if your total alkalinity is below 100
DO Add Microbe-lift Sludge Away if you have more than 1/2 inch of 'pudding' looking sludge on the bottom
DO Add Microbe-lift Spring Summer Cleaner if you still have leaves in the bottom of the pond
DO add bagged barley straw now to retard excess algae growth later when the water warms up and the algae wants to rule the world.
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