This Is How We Clean Koi Ponds So They Stay Beautiful For Your Home In Rhode Island
‘Tis The Season!
Amy smiles back at him. “‘Tis pond season! It’s time for us to wake up our koi pond and get it ready for spring.” Brian nods. “Aha, it’s that season. What do we need to do?”
“I… don’t know. It’s our first spring with a pond. What’s the spring koi pond maintenance process? I remember seeing something about it when we were looking up winter pond maintenance…” says Amy.
Brian unlocks his phone. “Let’s look it up on Google. I’m sure we can find out what it is before we get one of the local pond contractors to clean it.” He starts searching Google as Amy comes to look on with him.
Here’s what the couple discovers:
Spring Koi Pond Maintenance In 19 Steps
- Put any fish in a shaded, screened tub filled with their water
- Drain your koi pond down to 6 inches
- Unplug the waterfall pump
- Disconnect the check valve from the return line so the pipe and biofalls drains
- Remove the filtration unit from the filter media
- Use the old koi pond water to rinse the parts clean
- Clean up solid waste from the pond
- Pressure wash the koi pond from the top down while pumping out the water collecting at the bottom. Don’t clean off all the algae, a little bit is actually healthy
- Clean biofalls and skimmer filter by hosing them down
- Rinse and remove debris from the rocks and gravel with a hose and your hands
- Cover any exposed liner with gravel
- Replace the filtration media in the biofalls
- Reconnect the waterfall pump in the skimmer
- Install the filter mat, debris basket, and lid for the skimmer
- Repair or replace any additions like underwater lights and Ion-Gens
- Pull the pump and fill the pond
- Use a pond detoxifier to clean the water for the fish
- Reintroduce the fish
- Watch your pond re-establish its ecosystem
What To Know About These Steps
Putting the tub in the shade keeps your fish cool. Tubs can heat up when in direct sunlight for a few hours. The net keeps them from jumping out.
Keeping some water in the bottom makes cleaning the debris easier.
Keep the pressure washer about 6 to 8 inches above the rocks. Leaving some of the algae and muck on the rocks is good for the pond. Nature included it in a pond ecosystem for a reason.
Pond detoxifiers neutralize chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals from the water. This makes it healthier for your fish. It also makes introducing them to the new water easier.
To introduce your koi fish to the new water, put them in a bag filled with the old pond water. Set it in the shallow part of the new water. Let them sit for 20 minutes. Then, start splashing water into the bag. After doing this for a few minutes, let them out.
Putting fish in new water right away can be bad for them. It can send them into shock.
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More koi pond posts coming soon!