 | |  | | They say prevention is better than cure. This is never more true than in fish keeping. Most fish fall sick because of poor water conditions. It is appreciated that there are other reasons and factors. Nevertheless, constantly monitoring your water quality means you can act on the findings before you are faced with a problem. It makes practical and economical sense to have your own home test kit. The Interpet and Hozelock Cyprio test kit are simple to use and could save your fish's life. Don't be under the impression that your pond water is perfect just because it happens to be clear - it could be heavily polluted.
Spring is a time when the fish are more prone to disease. They emerge from their torpid winter state, when they have eaten little and are in a weakened state. Parasites and unfriendly bacteria are becoming more active, so we have to be extra careful at this time. If you turned your pond filter and UV pond light off over winter, start it back up around mid February. Clean your pond filter first, check your UV pond light (replace the UV lamp if it is time to do so). At this time carefully clean the quartz sleeve of all dirt and lime scale. Clean and start up the pond pump, making sure it is running properly and not tripping out the electrical supply. Disconnect the pump hose where it enters the UV pond light or pond filter and with the pond pump running discharge around 20% to 25% of the pond water to waste (good for the garden). Now top up the pond with dechlorinated tap water. We recommend Interpet Fresh Start or NT Laboratories Chlor-Go. Avoid rainwater for pond fish, it is usually soft and acidic. Now is the time to start using a bacteria culture (however, with lower Spring water temperatures these bacteria are not as proliferous as in the summer). Intercel Bacteria Filter Start or NT Labs. Pond Mature come highly recommended by us. When carrying out routine partial water changes, cleaning the pond filter, or adding new fish stock is always a good time to give the filtration a boost.
Pond Treatment Tips
When administering treatments to the whole pond it is important to calculate the volume of water so you know how much of a treatment to use.
To help you to calculate the volume of your pond we have created a "Pond volume calculator". All you need to do is enter the dimensions of your pond and our calculator will tell you the volume of your pond. Just click here to calculate your pond volume!
It is advisable to turn off carbon filters during treatments and also to try the treatment on one fish before exposing the whole batch. Also, remedy effectiveness can be reduced by the presence of large amounts of organic matter.
On completion of a treatment, carry out a 75% water change and use an active carbon filter for 12-24 hours after treatment.
Always read manufacturer's instructions, and if in doubt as to which treatment you require, we are always happy to advise - Aquatix-2u or 01621 893716.
Click here to view our range of Pond Water Treatments.
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