Hudson Valley Pond Maintenance
Longing to feel nature all around you by your properly maintained pond in the Hudson Valley, NY? Enjoy the peace of mind of having a beautifully maintained pond. Do you enjoy spending your time outdoors during the summer months but not sure how to maintain your koi pond? Dilo Pond and Landscape of the Hudson Valley is here to help. We must remember a pond is a living organism and its needs should never be neglected or ignored. Maintenance is necessary for a pond but does not have to be a painful ordeal provided the pond is installed correctly the first time.
Proper maintenance procedures
Spring Startup:
Water Gardens:
- Remove all leaf netting and pond heaters.
- Carefully remove all fish to stock tanks and start draining the pond.
- Stock tanks must be extremely clean, have an equal water temperature of pond, de-chlorinate if needed, salted with non-iodized salt (.2) (reduces stress and calms fish), add air stones supplying fresh oxygen from the aerator, and then properly cover the tank with non-see-through cover to prevent fish from escaping. Do water changes as needed if fish are out of the pond for an extended amount of time.
- Scrub pond thoroughly (walls, rocks, behind stones, etc.)
- Run water through rock shelf planting beds.
- Vacuum out waterfalls and skimmers.
- Vacuum out the entire pond until clean.
- Remove and clean all filter matting from waterfalls.
- Re-install external filters, UV sterilizers, and filter matting to waterfalls.
- Re-install all pumps, startup waterfalls and systems.
- Fill the pond with freshwater, salt properly and acclimate fish back to the pond.
- Install new oxygenating annual plants. (floaters and submersibles)
Koi Ponds: If they have bottom drains they do not necessarily need to be drained.
- Remove all netting and heaters from the pond.
- Remove and clean all filter matting from waterfalls.
- Vacuum all waterfalls and skimmers.
- Install all external filter systems and UV sterilizers.
- Vacuum and scrub pond walls, filter systems will absorb this material through the bottom drain and then can be back washed or flushed.
- Do partial water change and check the salinity level.
Start the system.
Seasonal Maintenance: This service is done once the pond is up and running during the warm weather months. Service is done weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. This depends on the requirements of the pond. Koi Ponds generally are weekly to bi-weekly and water gardens are bi-weekly to monthly.
A maintenance service contract will provide these services:
- Monitoring water quality ( Checking levels of ammonia, nitrites, salinity, PH, temperature, general hardness, oxygen levels)
- Observing fish behavior and health.
- Clean skimmers and check waterfalls.
- Backwashing filters and purge vortex filters.
- Check all pumps for clogging.
- Maintain proper water levels.
- Skim off pond surface and vacuum bottom of the pond (if no bottom drain).
- Remove any excess algae from waterfalls or ponds.
- Trim and clean back dead foliage from all pond plants.
Fall and Winter Closings:
- Net ponds that will collect much leaf fall.
- Remove dying back tropical oxygenating plants.
- Insert pond heaters and turn them on around mid-November.
- Make sure air stones are running only 12 inches below the surface and not from pond bottom (to prevent cold water on the bottom).
- Shut down waterfalls (running water is colder than still water).
Upgrades:
Upgrades are any additional work done to an already existing pond that was not originally installed by Pond & Landscape. They can be an assortment of services such as: adding a stream or waterfall, adding a new filter system (very common) plus liner replacements or concrete restoration, installing skimmer boxes, doing much-needed cleanouts, or adding new fish and plants.