Hydra International Ltd.

Pond Fish Clear Water

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Pond Cleaning is the quintessential aspect in the maintenance of your Koi Pond, Only a clean pond with healthy fish could be the visual treat you always yearn for. Therefore pond Cleaning should be done regularly, and it must include:
1. Changing the Pond Water Partially
2. Maintenance of the installed Filters
3.Overall Maintenance of the pond
4. Servicing of the wear and tear caused.

Changing the Pond Water Partially

Pond water should not be changed all at one go, but partial changing of the Koi pond water is recommended at regular interval. This partial changing of water essentially removes the accumulated nitrates and ammonia from your pond. Ammonia is the result of the excreta of the fishes or fish droppings while Nitrates are released in the pond by the filtration system of the pond. Though, Nitrates might seem to be harmless to the fish health directly, but their accumulation leads to the infestation by the algae also known as algal bloom, browning of thee pond water Known as water discoloration which in the long run are detrimental to the overall health of the pond inhabitants (fishes) and makes pond cleaning a much desired practice.

Maintenance of the installed Filters

Your Koi pond must a few filtration devices like Bead filter, Filter mats, coral chips etc., which get choked or bung up with repetitive use in a period of time and eventually obstruct the water flow though them. The natural Filtration process has the minutest partners in the form of bacteria. Pond cleaning of the clogged filters and media is required. Reverse flushing or back flushing the media in the filter is an easy and effective way to decongest the filter mats and remove the deposited dirt and mud. It is advised to clean the filter chambers one at a time and not all at once, as bacteria require some time to re-equilibrate them in the pond microenvironment. Feeding of the fishes must be reduced for a week after the servicing of the filters to allow the microbial flora to establish themselves and if required the feed completely if the fishes appear to be tardy, lazy and listless.

Overall Maintenance of the pond

Debris consisting of decaying leaves, fish waste, fallen sticks and sludge builds up at the bottom of the pond over time and needs cleaning if your pond is not fitted with a filtering pump based draining system. Ponds fitted with draining system never experience this build up as the debris and sludge gets sucked into the filter system and removed constantly and hence Pond Cleaning is not a hassle and frequently not required in this case. But in case of Ponds which do not have this filtering system, Pond cleaning is very essential and Pond vacuum cleaners will come handy, the collected sludge and debris can either be used as manure in garden or disposed of. Moreover, removal of algae is also needed to prevent an insidious growth of algal bloom and this task can be performed easily by twirling them onto a large stick and the algae would easily wrap around it and can be removed.

Servicing of the wear and tear caused the installation of the UV System, Pumps and other electrical appliances that cannot last for lifetime, hence they require frequent servicing and maintenance to keep them in working condition for as long as possible. But some electrical fittings need a regular change and replacement too, like the UV Lamp needs to be replaced annually and the submersible pump needs to be changed every two years. Design of your Koi pond should be such that pond cleaning can be done without the need to drain the whole water out as the Koi would die within 3 hrs without proper aeration.