Koi Ponds during the spring

Making sure your pond is ready for the coming seasons should not take you more than a weekend to complete, and will ensure that you have a successful water garden for the remainder of the year.

Your Koi pond will literally come to life at the first of springtime. The Living organisms in your pond have spent the previous winter in a proverbial hibernation, and are ready to come to life at the first signs of warm weather. This is the perfect time to begin maintenance on your pond before the fish, plants, and other pond life come back to live from their winter slumber. As the days begin to get warmer, your pond will start drastically changing. If you are not careful, you may miss this much-needed opportunity to perform maintenance. Generally, watch for temperatures around 50 degrees, as this is the perfect time.

The maintenance needed on your pond will largely depend on what happened during the previous winter. If the previous winter was hard, chances are you will need to perform more changes, so it may be a good idea to start as soon as you start noticing the weather changes. However, some spring maintenance will have to be completed every year, no matter how harsh or how mild the previous winter was.

Koi Pond Water Quality

You may notice that the water in your pond is extremely clear when the seasons are changing from Winter to Spring. Do not let this fool you, as there are several factors that will cause problems once Summer comes if you do not remedy these issues ahead of time.

During the Fall and Winter months, organic material such as leaf’s and plant material may have found its way into your pond. While the water seems clear at the time, the organic material placed a large amount of nutrients into your pond, which will cause a surge of algae growth once spring arrives. If algae were not enough, the large amount of organic material in your pond will start to decompose, and will reduce the oxygen content in your water.

 Since your water is perfectly clear, it is the perfect time to clear all this unwanted debris and slit from your pond. This can be completed in several ways.

1. Hire a pond professional from your local dealer or pet store. They will have the equipment needed to vacuum most the debris and slit out of your pond. While this is a more costly option, you will have the assurance that the majority of the problem causing material will be removed from your pond.
2. If hiring a professional is not an option, you may want to consider using a fine mesh net to scoop up as much debris as possible. The only issue is most nets will only stir up the slit in your pond, rather than remove it.
3. Once you have removed unwanted debris, you must then test your water. Winter seems to cause the pH levels to change. At the start of Spring, your pH level should be an 8. This can be achieved by topping your pond off with treated tap water which is buffered to be slightly alkaline by your local water company.

Maintaining your Fish

Spring time is a very weak time for your fish, because they have not eaten for months, and have may be living on a low level of energy. This cause your Koi to be more susceptible to attacks from organisms such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. This makes Spring the opportune time to take all preventative measures possible. Adding a large spectrum of treatment solutions will greatly reduce the amount of disease causing pests and material. Once the temperature warms up, another dose of this treatment will ensure that your Koi will be well protected while they redevelop their immune systems. Once temperatures warm up, your Koi immune systems will be effective enough to protect themselves from disease.

Aquarium Care Guide

When starting a new aquarium, it is important to understand the nitrogen cycle.  Many new aquarium owners jump into the hobby of fish keeping too quickly.  Before purchasing fish, the aquarium must be cycled.  This could take anywhere from twenty-four hours to four weeks.  In an established aquarium, there are certain bacteria that help the breakdown of ammonia to nitrates, but they are not present in a new tank because they are generated from existing fish. If there are no existing fish, then there are no good bacteria.

The basic principle of the nitrogen cycle is this.  Fish eat food and generate waste.  That waste along with excess food and plant debris become ammonia in the aquarium. Ammonia is toxic to fish and needs to be broken down.  That's why the nitrifying bacteria is important.  This bacteria, turns the ammonia into nitrites which are more tolerable to fish than ammonia.  Next, different nitrifying bacteria will turn the nitrites into nitrates, which are even less toxic to the fish and other aquarium life.  The nitrates are collected and minimized by filters; however, they will eventually accumulate in the tank.  Regular water changes are required to remove the nitrates from the water.

New Aquarium Tank Guide

It is important to set up and run an aquarium before any fish are introduced into the environment.  Wash the tank and any substrate and decorations thoroughly with water. Don't use any soap.  Fill the tank with de-chlorinated water and attach filters and lighting.  Allow the tank to cycle until the water is no longer cloudy and sufficient P.H and water temperatures have been established. 

Now it is time to purchase the fish!  Buy hardy fish such as danios, barb, Gouramis, and live bearers.  They should be able to withstand the high nitrite levels and ammonia in the new aquarium.  Only introduce about four fish at a time. Float the fish in the bag in the aquarium for about fifteen minutes before adding them to the tank.  This will help the fish become acclimated to the water temperature in their new home.  When adding the fish, be careful not to allow the water from the bag into the aquarium.  It may be contaminated, or will at the very least, throw off the temperature and P.H.  Allow the fish about two hours to become acclimated before feeding.

Gouramis	Starfire Red Danio	Tiger Barb

Only feed an amount that can be consumed in the first two to five minutes.  Overfeeding is a common problem in an aquarium.  It is important not to overfeed, because excess food will become debris adding to the ammonia levels.  This is especially important in new aquariums that lack nitrifying bacteria.  Test the water P.H. every day within the first month. Watch the tank for cloudiness; if the aquarium becomes cloudy, it may be necessary to add a clarifier.  Monitor the fish for signs of stress or illness.  A healthy fish will be swimming regularly.  Lethargic fish will usually hover near the surface of the aquarium.  After about a week change approximately ten percent of the water and begin regular maintenance.  Don't forget to make sure you keep Pinky Filters installed :)

How To Take Care of an Acrylic Aquarium Kit

The practice of keeping aquariums came about in the late 1800's. They were fairly crude. Usually these ancient aquariums only had one side that was made of glass, with the other three sides being made of metal or wood. Most aquariums consisted of fish that were native to the region of its owner simply because of availability. Also most old school fish tanks contained only fresh water fish. The reason being that salt water would corrode the metal frame that held the aquarium together.

Aquariums drastically changed in the 1960's with the invention of silicone adhesive. Metal frames became obsolete and more people started to keep salt water fish and invertebrates. More recently glass tanks have become less frequently used due to the flexibility of acrylic. Literally flexibility! Acrylic aquariums are far more for forgiving than there glass counterparts. If a heavy object strikes a glass tank, it will almost certainly break. The flexibility of an acrylic tank will prevent this catastrophe from happening. In addition, acrylic offers more flexibility in design than glass. Acrylic aquariums have been made into everything from coffee tables to gum ball machines.

That being said, there is a short downfall to owning an acrylic aquarium. They do scratch more easily than glass. When cleaning your aquarium, be careful not to use paper towels, and harsh or abrasive chemicals, as they can scratch the acrylic surface of the aquarium. Always use a cleaner specifically labeled safe for acrylic. Use plastic or rubber scrubbers, rather than metal to clean the sides of an acrylic tank. Be careful not to accidentally pick up a piece of substrate or gravel while cleaning the inside of the tank. However, if you do happen to scratch an acrylic aquarium, all is not lost. The tank can be repaired, unlike glass. There are acrylic repair kits available at specialty pet stores, your local hardware store and of other online stores.  

Acrylic Aquarium Kit Maintenance

When purchasing an acrylic aquarium kit, there will be many different options to choose from, at many different price points. A fish lover can choose from small cylinder shaped tanks that can double as a coffee table lamp to wall huge wall sized aquariums. While, there are some basic things that will be included in most kits, such as, a filter, some substrate or coral and sometimes lighting, the kits themselves can vary greatly. It really doesn't matter where you buy your starter kit, but keep in mind that it is extremely important to buy your fish from a reputable dealer. Don't buy fish that are hovering near the surface, or that are located in a tank with other dead fish. Fish diseases are extremely communicable. Be weary of a fish dealer that refuses to catch a specific fish out of the tank for you. After all this is going to be your fish and you have a right to choose.                                                                                        

Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish

Freshwater fish are perhaps the easiest fish to care for in comparison to saltwater species because they are usually hardier fish. A basic aquarium set up will be required. You will need a tank, some rocks or substrate to line bottom of the tank. You will also need a filter, and some lighting. When choosing fish, it is imperative to make sure the fish are compatible. Not only do they need to be compatible for water temperature and P.H., but they also should have similar food requirements. Try to keep the fish relatively the same size. It has been said that if a fish is small enough to fit in another fishes mouth, that is usually where it ends up. So don't be discouraged if this happens. Even fish that have been housed together for several months have been known to disappear on occasion.

How to care for Freshwater Fish

Freshwater fish should be fed twice daily. Feed only a small amount that can be consumed within the first two to five minutes. Over feeding is a common mistake among novice fish keepers. Any excess food should be lifted with a net if possible, as it will become debris and quickly dirty the tank. Water should be kept regulated and tested weekly. Any discrepancies in P.H. and water temperature should be corrected immediacy in order to minimize stress caused to the fish.

Stress is significant because it causes illness in fish. It is important to monitor the activity and overall well being of the fish in an aquarium. The signs of stress will be fairly obvious. Slow moving or lethargic looking fish will require a stress coat that can be purchased at a local pet store. Try to avoid overcrowding the tank. This should help to reduce the amount of stress caused to the fish.

Change about a third of the water in the aquarium at a time, because this type of change will cause the least amount of disturbance to the fish and other inhabitants. This will need to be done every two to three weeks. Use either a bucket or a siphon to remove the water from the tank. Try to remove any loose or floating debris at this time. When adding the new water to the aquarium, be sure that it is within approximately two degrees of the tank water. The sides of the aquarium should be scrubbed regularly to remove an algae build up. Again be careful not to disturb the fish. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling the aquarium. Lastly, check the manufacturer's recommendation on filters and change them accordingly. Filters collect any fish waste or left over food. They can't function properly unless they are clean, and Pinky Filters are not very expensive.

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Introduce hardy fish to a new tank. These fish can withstand higher nitrite levels that are present in a new aquarium. Choose fish such as danios, barbs, gouramis, and live bearers. Don't add more than three to four small fish per week. Acclimation times vary per species, so check with your retailer before adding any other new fish.