Give Your Pond A Fresh Look So You Can Enjoy It To The Fullest This Spring In Kansas City, Missouri
In this post, you can discover our process for spring koi pond cleaning. You can also find out what these steps involve and why they’re important.
Is That Really The Same Pond?!
“Spring is here and we’re in the clear from cold weather fear,” rhymes Jennifer happily.
Michael chuckles at her rhyme. “Nice, I like that one. I’m happy too! No more cold or snow or ice makes everything nice,” he rhymes back.
Jennifer snorts. “Good one!” She walks over to the kitchen sink and looks out over their backyard. “Oh boy…” Michael frowns and walks over to see what she’s looking at. “Oh boy indeed,” he says softly.
Their koi pond is looking a little worse for wear. “Looks like we need to contact one of the local pond contractors for some spring koi pond maintenance,” sighs Jennifer.
Michael nods and takes his phone out. “Let’s get on his website and see what their steps are. I’m curious as to what all it takes to do koi pond spring maintenance.”
Here’s what the couple finds:
Spring Koi Pond Maintenance In 19 Steps
- Move fish into a tub filled with pond water
- Pump out the water until only about 6 inches are left
- Unplug the waterfall pump
- Drain the pipe and biofalls by disconnecting the check valve from the return line
- Take out the filtration unit from the filter media
- Rinse these parts clean using the pond water you pumped out
- Remove any solid waste from the pond sides and bottom
- Pressure wash the sides and bottom of your koi pond from the top down while pumping out the water collecting at the bottom
- Hose the biofalls and skimmer filters clean
- Use your hands and a hose to rinse and remove debris from the rocks and gravel
- Use gravel to cover any exposed liner
- Place the filtration media back into the biofalls
- Put the waterfall pump back in the skimmer and reconnect it
- Install the filter mat, debris basket, and lid for the skimmer
- Repair or replace any pond additions
- Refill your pond
- Prepare the water for your fish with a detoxifier
- Slowly put your fish back into the pond
- Allow your pond to re-establish its ecosystem
Why These Steps Are Important For Your Pond
Moving the fish. Your fish don’t need cleaning too! Fish are sensitive to the water they’re in which is why we use their original pond water. This is the same reason for the water detoxifier.
Pumping out the water. Some pond contractors like to clean without pumping out the water. We choose to pump because we can better clean the pond.
Taking apart and cleaning the filters. Not only is this to keep them clean and working well, but it’s also a good time to check for damages.
Removing solid waste. Leaves and such will fall into your pond. They break down into muck, which is part of a healthy ecosystem. But, not too much. It also doesn’t look great.
Pressure washing and rinsing. This helps get rid of muck, debris, and algae. You don’t want to get rid of all of it though! Muck and algae are part of pond ecosystems. They’re actually necessary for healthy ponds. Just take enough off to keep your pond looking good.
Covering exposed liner. Seeing black liner spots poking through the beautiful rock and gravel bottom will ruin the look! Gravel also protects your liner from UV and other damages.
Repairing and replacing additions. Your pond will look its best if the additions look great too! Nobody wants burnt-out lights or a water purifier that’s not working.
Detoxifying the water. This removes any chemicals (like fluorine) from the water. Fish don’t deal well with these chemicals.
Reintroducing fish. This needs to be done slowly so your fish don’t go into shock from the new water. Put them in a bucket or open bag. Place it in the water but don’t let any into the container. Slowly let some in over the next 15 or so minutes. Then, release them.
Re-establishing the ecosystem. Spring koi pond maintenance does reset the ecosystem some. It’ll take a bit, but your pond will get back to the amazing feature it was.
You May Also Like To Know
“There we go, perfect,” says Michael. Jennifer slips the phone from his hand. “Let’s see what other koi pond posts are on this blog,” she says. “Might find something else we need to know about our water feature.”
More koi pond maintenance posts coming soon!
