The Spring Clean.... Advice......

[adreamer2]

Can you all offer pre-advice on when to clean out your pond and what your methods are.....

Me?....

I plan on starting my spring clean next month... when the temps hit around 55-60 degrees.... Before the sun hits the sky so heavy that I cannot breathe through a dig....

Was hoping to bring my guys in from the pond this week unless the temp drops in the mid 40s... Which I believe it is supposed to..... Next week is preferable because we're looking at 50s.....

I will be planning on treating for bacterial infections etc... and leaving them inside until seasonal temps are stable.....

Sometime next month, the process will involve removal and/or cleansing of all pumps and filters, and for me, some expansion of the length and depth (not width) of pond..... If this dig should exceed the liner size currently available from last years excess, then I plan on buying a larger liner.....

Within this frame, will be a full-scale liner cleanse..... After it is rinsed and dried, the plan involves reestablishing the pond cycle with a refill and "good" bacteria..... Which will set for a while with the filter and pumps back in working order....

Once fully established, with stable temps, the little guys will go back out for the late spring and early summer seasons.....

[dick benbow]

one thing you might want to consider, spring is a vulnerable time for the health of your koi. By disturbing water quality with a thourough cleansing you may be creating more negative than good. Did you know that 10 % of a biofilter is located on the walls of your pond alone? Even tho you replace the good bugs with starter ones, it's not the bio diversity you already had and now your waiting for over a month for things to begin returning to something akin to normal. Water quality is the key should you discover issues with the health of your koi. Guard your bio filter that you have been running 24/7 this past year so that you don't loose that part of your protection.

[Brutuscz]

I like to take the fish out, and put them in a large blow up pool. Mine have been over-wintered indoors this year, so not an issue. I do 5 treatments with potassium permanganate over a 9 day period. I used one teaspoon of PP for each 600 gallons of water. That should get rid of any nasties in the water!!!

I also treated the koi with praziquantel to get rid of flukes(in the holding pool). I have had a problem with them in the past.

[adreamer2]

I've got some PP...But, I'm really very leery of using it.... I was told that you need something to take the pp out once its cycle is complete.... and I don't have anything to reverse it....

Does it work only at a certain temperature?...

Now, tell me.... Should I change the water or neigh???....

If I use the PP, can I just change the water once the 7 days have passed.... It was told me that the PP works in a course of 7 days... Once complete should I change all the water or just a partial at a time?...

Please advise....

Adreamer2

[MikeM]

Using potassium permanganate as a cleaning tool has consequences you may not intend, such as elimination of the biofilm, nitrifiers and algae that give a mature pond the ability to withstand external impacts that could otherwise devastate the bio-community on which our fish depend. PP is indiscriminate. If 100% of all "bad" microbes are destroyed, 100% of all beneficial microbes will be destroyed. You are then at a start point of breaking in a "new" pond, and new pond syndrome will be your challenge. In a cool climate, it could be two or three months before nitrifiers are established and the full biota often takes a couple of years to establish. An annual PP "nuclear war on microbes" may result in you never achieving the mature bio-environment you want to achieve.

I would suggest you and your koi will be much better off by physically removing any debris and engaging in water changes to the extent needed to have proper water quality. After physically removing the debris, there may be some mulm left that is too difficult to net out. (I used to lower the water level to wading depth and use a 6" fry net to capture any debris, since it would capture all but the smallest particles). To get that last bit of mulm, before using PP, consider one of the "sludge buster" type bacterial concoctions. These "bugs in a bottle" potions do work, particularly if most stuff has been physically removed first. These harmless bacteria will competitively displace some of the harmful bacteria involved in decomposing waste. Using these products is a crutch for dealing with a problem best addressed by good design and regular maintenance, but when a need exists, they can help.

I do not believe there should ever be a need for a "spring cleaning" in a properly designed pond, because the bottom drains should have picked up any appreciable amount of debris/sediment. But, I realize we all have to deal with what we have, which is often not as well-designed as we would like.

[saratogatan]

One thing I have learned over the last few years is that the proposed PP, ProformC type of spring cleaning process take out luster. Now I only do major water change and filter cleanup, plus salt @0.1%. I am taking the risk of parasites and wound, but I think I can handle that with frequent water change.

stan

[koiczar]

Dreamer

Your question about clearing the PP- the use of hydrogen peroxide stops the active ingredients in PP immediately. However, I would strongly recommend AT LEAST 2 partial water changes of 25% over a 3 day period. This will clear the water.

That being said, I agree that the need to "totally clean" a system is like beginning from scratch. It is not a very good idea.

If you're in a position to clean up with no fish involved, you might just use Quick Cure or ProForm C. The latter requires 3 doses - one each day with partial changes- it is effective in water down to 50F and you can run it through your filters with no damage. You've already used the PraziPond in the fish so you should be okay.

[Regenmeneer]

Quote: I do not believe there should ever be a need for a "spring cleaning" in a properly designed pond, because the bottom drains should have picked up any appreciable amount of debris/sediment. But, I realize we all have to deal with what we have, which is often not as well-designed as we would like.

I have to agree with Mike, but we've all ahd our share of imperfections in a pond somewhere along the road. So when you have the chance, try to fix the problem or build a better pond. Untill then, IMHO, you should clean your pond in fall, before temeparatures really go down. This way the bad bacteria are deprived of places to thrive and bug your koi when they are most vulnerable.