What happens during the holiday/the weekend?
Feeding
A weekend without the pond keeper feeding them means the fish have to search for their food in the pond themselves – that’s all! It can prove to be a good diet now and then.
How you deal with longer periods without additional feeding depends a lot on your fish stock and the size and age of your pond. Large numbers of koi in a pond without a large marshy and planted zone means your fish won't find enough food and will need to be fed by your neighbours etc. In this case be very careful to show them exactly how much food to give!!! Inexperienced people tend to overfeed excessively. A spoon can be very useful (e.g. 3 heaped tablespoons 1 x per day). JBL offers you a dosing cup with which you or your neighbour can measure the right food amount. You can get the dosing cup at your JBL ProPond specialist shop.
Maintenance – checklist for preparation
Before you go on holiday, it’s best to carry out some activities and tests in advance. Then you’ll be able to enjoy your holiday knowing that all is okay during your absence and that you have made it easy for your holiday replacement to manage your pond work in just a few steps:
- Clean the filter in such a way that it cannot clog during your absence
- Raise the water level towards its maximum, so that the water won’t need to be topped up during a dry period
- Show your neighbours how to refill water, just in case
- Do a quick check of the water values to avert problems when you are away: KH, pH, NH4, NO2, O2
- Make sure your holiday stand in has your mobile phone number and that of your nearest specialist dealer
- Show your holiday stand in where the fuses for the technical devices are and how to check everything is working
- Fill the automatic feeder to its maximum or show what and how much should be fed daily
- The JBL dosing cup helps to define the quantity
- If necessary, prune back plants
- Check the fish for visual signs of disease
Holiday stand in – Checklist
If you are on holiday, it is a good idea for someone to check the pond every two to three days at the latest. Ideally it would even be daily. In addition to feeding the animals as described above, your holiday replacement should check the following points:
- Check that filters, pumps and technology are running.
- Check the feed quantity in the automatic feeder.
- Check the water level and top it up if necessary.
- Are the fish exhibiting any peculiar behaviours (all on the surface, gasping for air, etc.)?