Spring, summer, autumn and winter. For each season there is a different maintenance to follow and various aspects to consider. There are only a few simple points needed to keep your pond clear and algae-free the whole year round. We’ll talk about these in the following.
Primavera
In spring two processes happen at once:
On the one hand the water temperature rises and the fish start to become active after the winter. Then it is essential to choose the right food for low temperatures ( JBL PROPOND SPRING M ) y enriquecer el alimento con vitaminas ( JBL Atvitol ), to strengthen the resistance of the animals, which is the only measure to effectively prevent disease problems, such as spring viraemia.
Por otra parte, la gran cantidad de nutrientes disueltos en el agua (nitratos y, sobre todo, fosfatos) provoca que las algas comiencen a proliferar en cuanto la radiación solar aumenta. Todavía falta que les haga la competencia la sombra de las plantas acuáticas o de la vegetación situada alrededor del estanque. Por eso, la primavera es casi el último momento del año en el que poder fijar los nutrientes para quitar la base alimenticia a las algas que aparezcan (p. ej., JBL PhosEx Pond Direct ).
Asimismo, es imprescindible comprobar la estabilidad del agua (dureza de carbonatos), ya que las lluvias rebajan mucho la concentración de minerales dando lugar a un agua demasiado blanda. Revise su dureza de carbonatos con el Test JBL KH o con el JBL PondCheck , in order to find out how stable your water is after the wintertime.
Verano
In summer three situations arise at the same time:
Firstly the oxygen content drops, due to rising temperatures in the water and aeration can become necessary. By the way, aeration is not only essential for the fish, but also for the bacteria which break down pollutants.
La elevada temperatura del agua hace que sea necesario emplear un alimento fácil de digerir para los peces de estanque ( JBL PROPOND SUMMER M ).
Las tormentas de verano fuertes con mucha lluvia reducen considerablemente la dureza del agua, por lo que el agua de su estanque deja de ser estable. Con JBL StabiloPond KH you can re-stabilize your water and prevent high fluctuations of pH level.
Otoño
In autumn several factors have to be considered:
To prevent losses, fish have to be prepared for the wintertime. Due to leaf fall, water pollution with organic substances increases. Aquatic plants and algae die slowly in the winter phase and release the stored nutrients back into the water. This creates the ideal conditions for the algae in the coming year. Autumn and early winter (before the start of the frost period) are the ideal times to remove nutrients from the pond water (to get them out of the water system for good!). These are the only times when the algae promoting nutrients are really free inside the water and not bound to the algae. The absorption of nutrients in autumn is vital for the coming year and water should be filtered though JBL PhosEx Pond Filter (nutrient export) or alternatively treat the pond with JBL PhosEx Pond Direct .
Fish need to eat hearty and varied food in this phase to increase their resistance and to create reserves ( JBL PROPOND AUTUMN M ). Sickness in fish in springtime is very often caused by insufficient building up for the winter. The addition of a vitamin supplement every 2 days to the food ( JBL Atvitol ) fortalece claramente el sistema inmunitario de los peces. Puede reducir considerablemente la contaminación por hojas que caigan al estanque colocando redes protectoras o sacándolas mecánicamente. En caso de que se hayan acumulado muchas hojas secas, puede emplear JBL SediEx Pond (bacteria & oxygen) will help.
Invierno
Although the pond is dormant in the cold season you nevertheless should pay attention to a few basic factors:
Not every winter is extremely cold and ”warm“ periods can occur where fish become active and want food. In these phases it is important and recommended to feed the fish, but only with a specific and easily digestible food which also mustn’t stay long in the digestive tract of the fish during the low temperatures ( JBL PROPOND WINTER M ).
If ponds are less than 150 cm in depth they may freeze over completely. With an ice-free device and a specific aeration under the device you can usually prevent the pond from freezing all the way to the bottom.
If a pump is in operation it should NOT be placed at the deepest point because it would mix all the water layers. A water temperature of 4 °C needs to be kept in the deeper zones in order for the fish to survive the winter.
