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Welcome to the 2016 Pond Season
- Coming Soon Pondtastic Online Store
- Watch for weekly Blogs @ Jim's Pond
- 2016 New Products
- Don't forget to check us out on Facebook Pinterest HOUZZ
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SPRING CLEANING
February 29th - March 31st
Schedule TODAY!
1: Drain pond down to 6 inches in water depth
2. Remove fish and place in large containers with original pond water
3. Drain remaining water and power wash pond , stream and waterfalls.
4. Remove debris from bottom of pond.
5. Clean all filter pads, biofalls, skimmer and pump.
6. Clean all light lenses and inspect for bulb replacement
7. Make any necessary minor adjustments to rock if needed.
8. Fertilize water lilies.
9. Add declorinator to make pond water ready for fish
10. Reintroduce fish to pond
Options include: Install eco carbon and barley pellets in each biofalls.
Note: The large majority of debris is removed from the pond. If the pond is "sterilized" by removing ALL living bacteria etc... the established eco system will be destroyed.
PARTIAL: CLEANING OF THE BIOFALLS AND SKIMMER ONLY
1. Remove and Clean all filter pads, nets and brushes.
2. The biofalls and skimmer will be completely drained and vacuumed clean.
3. Reinstall all of the above and restart pond.
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Feeding Koi in Cold Weather
Tips from Dr Erik Johnson
Feeding in Cold Water
Fish will feel hungry in cold water, even down to the mid 40's, however the enzymes needed for the digestion of most koi food will be lacking. The fish will eat, sometimes fully, and then languor in the cold water as their metabolism slogs the food through. In very cold water, fish simply don't eat.
If the food is going to be processed by cold fish with impaired metabolism, it makes sense to offer foods that are easily and quickly digestible and contain minimal residue to stall their gut. Over the years, soluble plant proteins like wheat germ were found to be effective, and so were Cheerios. Fish love Cheerios, especially the Honey Nut Cheerios. Try it, you will see they go for the darker, tastier(?) Honey Nut Cheerios over the plain ones. And they can tell when you buy generic Cheerios. But it's okay.
The point of Cheerios is that they supply some useful energy, with minimal nitrogen to strain a cold biological filtration system, and the fish like 'em. A lot. In my own pond, I've noticed that Cheerios are sort of fattening when offered with regular food year round, so if you want to put some weight on a big female fish, especially through her face, give her some Cheerios with her regular diet through the year.
In cold water I recommend that you: - Reduce feeding drastically in water under 70 but above 64 Fahrenheit. Feed sparingly once per day or every other day. Watch for elevations in Ammonia because of a stalled bio filtration.
- Feed Cheerios once, every other day in water under 64 but above 53 DF.
- Stop feeding when water temps are consistently under 55 - 53 DF
- Resume feeding Cheerios in the Spring when water temps are consistently at or above 55 - 53 DF
For more information about feeding your koi
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 Don't forget to order your treatments to keep your pond balanced and healthy.
Call Theresa @ 407-601-7663
or
Theresa@Pondtastic.com
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Save 10%
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When you pre-pay for your spring pond cleaning.
| | Offer Expires: 2/1/16 |
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