Spring Start-Up Tips
April to May
- Clean out any leaves and debris that may have fallen into your pond.
- Cleanup marginal plants and remove any dead growth.
- Top up your pond (if you partially drained it for the winter). If you have fish or are planning on putting fish in your pond, make sure you use Laguna’s Water Prep or PondCare’s Stress Coat. Both of these products will eliminate chlorine and chloramine in the water as well as neutralize any heavy metals. These products will also help protect the mucus membrane on your fish.
- Hook up your pump and filter. Replace filter pads and biological material in your filter (if needed).
- Add beneficial bacteria to jump start your biological filter. Bio Booster by Laguna is a great product for this.
- Now is a good time to add barley straw (in straw or pellet form) to your pond. Barley straw is a safe and natural way to help eliminate unwanted algae.
- You should start feeding your fish when they become active and the temperature of the water is approximately 47 degrees F.
- While the water temperature is low, it is recommended that you feed your fish with a spring and fall fish food that contains Spirulina and Wheat Germ.
- You may add fish as long as you acclimatize them to your water. First let them float in the bag for 15-20 minutes and then put them in the pond using your hand or a net. Do not add the water from the bag to your pond. Remember to use Water Prep or Stress Coat when adding new fish.
- You may put hardy marginal plants in your pond but remember to protect them from frost. Now is a good time to add hardy oxygenating plants as well.
For a list of Laguna products to help ensure your pond spring start up runs smoothly, please click here.
