How to Get your Koi Pond Ready for Spring

Your koi will appreciate some spring prep in their pond.

Early spring arrives and you're itching to get your garden goldfish or koi pond ready. It's that time of year when the ice is gone from the pond's surface and the fish are stirring from hibernation, but before garden stores are up and running with pond supplies and aquatic plants. Still, there's plenty to do to get your pond good to go.

Things You'll Need

• 2 buckets
• Net
• Chlorine-removal solution
• Small container
• Filter media

Instructions

1. Jump-start the spring pond season by removing dead leaves and debris from around the pond, rearranging decorative rocks and preparing the immediate area for new plants.

2. Pond water over winter becomes tinted brown from fallen leaves and dirty from the fish's biological processes. Remove the fish, placing them in a bucket filled with the original pond water; then begin bailing the pond out. As the water gets shallow, you'll eventually need a smaller bailing container. If you have gravel on the bottom, you'll want to rinse thoroughly to get rid of any hidden debris.

3. Fill the pond back up. If using garden hose/tap water, treat it with an appropriate dosage of a chlorine-removal solution. Float the fish in the bucket in the pond for at least 30 minutes to allow the temperature to equalize. After the floating period, gently pour the water and fish into the pond. It's important that a portion of the original pond water be added in order to keep some of the beneficial bacteria that aid in the biological processes that keep the pond functioning as a healthy environment.

4. Aquatic plants popularly used in garden ponds are often tropical in origin, and garden stores rarely stock them year-round. You might be able to purchase oxygenator-type plants like anarcharis at the local pet store. Additionally, the plants marketed as lucky bamboo thrive in an aquatic environment and make ideal reed marshes.

Tips & Warnings

• Dead leaves and old pond water make excellent fertilizer for the garden.

• Resist the urge to run out and buy new fish right away. Your pond fish that have overwintered are accustomed to a cooler environment, but pet store fish have been in a relatively balmy 70 or so degrees indoors.

• Make sure that the buckets are exclusively used for the pond. Use only hot water, not soap, to wash them out.

References

• Quality Koi Company: Spring Care for Your Koi