| Most people have poor water quality and extra | | | | comets, etc... They have a max size of only 12" |
| algae in their water gardens for one main reason; | | | | inches. Their smaller size makes it easier to keep |
| they don't do enough regular maintenance to | | | | a healthy water garden. Also thin out your baby |
| keep their pond from turning into a green mess. | | | | fish in the spring when you do a full clean-out on |
| Ponds need to be treated just like aquariums, and | | | | your pond. The biggest problem with most |
| require weekly maintenance to be at their best. | | | | customers' ponds is that they have way too |
| Most pond owners and contractors are taught to | | | | many fish. Your pond filtration determines how |
| only do once per year cleaning in the spring. The | | | | many fish you can have, not the size of your |
| truth is, this is not enough. Imagine only doing | | | | pond. The average waterfall filter sold in the |
| once per year cleaning on your aquarium in your | | | | industry today is designed for a very small fish |
| home. Your aquarium would look just as bad as | | | | load. What I mean by small is 4 or 5 goldfish, |
| your pond in the back yard. Your aquarium stays | | | | shubunkins, or comets at a max size of 12"inches |
| perfectly clean and clear because you perform | | | | with no koi. |
| weekly cleanings to remove excess fish waste | | | | Koi get way to large for most backyard water |
| and nutrition that would other wise lead to heavy | | | | gardens reaching an adult size of 36" inches. It's |
| algae growth and poor water quality. Your pond | | | | sad but allot of koi are forced to live out their |
| needs the same amount of attention to look | | | | lives in cramped under filtered ponds that stunt |
| great. | | | | their growth, and lower their life span. Big fish also |
| Follow my instructions below and never have poor | | | | mean big waste; Koi can quickly turn a water |
| water quality again. | | | | garden into a green mess in record time. Koi |
| #1 Get in your pond and vacuum out your pond | | | | require large ponds with perfect filtration to be at |
| gravel with an aquarium vacuum that you can by | | | | their best. We use large bead filters in conjunction |
| at any pet store once per week. This will remove | | | | with a waterfall filter when we build koi ponds. |
| allot of the fish waste that would normally build up | | | | You also need to clean your waterfall filter once |
| in the bottom of your pond and cause algae | | | | per month like an aquarium filter not once per |
| problems. Doing this will also change out about 1/4 | | | | year. This will also make your filter pads last allot |
| water volume on your pond every week. If you | | | | longer than they would if you were cleaning them |
| can't find an aquarium vacuum just make sure | | | | once per year. |
| you do weekly 1/4 water changes with a pond | | | | #3 Remove all leaves, and spent lily and lotus |
| pump. Also find yourself a rigid type of scrub | | | | blooms out of your water garden. They will rot |
| brush to scrub down the rocks or the sides of | | | | and have to be broken down by bacteria. Which |
| your pond. This will also keep the algae growth to | | | | will contribute to algae growth if they are not |
| a minimum. this whole process only takes about 1 | | | | removed from your pond. Net your pond in the |
| 1/2 hours to complete once per week. Doing this | | | | fall, and do a complete pond cleanout in the spring. |
| weekly maintenance never allows the fish waste | | | | Drain all of the water, power-wash the pond and |
| to build up in your pond thus, keeping your pond | | | | stream, and clean out all filters. |
| clean and not green. | | | | #4 Plant your pond with lots of aquatic plants if |
| #2 Keep the amount of fish in your pond to a | | | | you're planning a water garden with minimal fish |
| minimum, the less fish you have in your pond the | | | | load shubunkins, comets, ect... up to 60% of your |
| less waste you will have providing nutrition to | | | | pond's surface should be covered with pond |
| algae growth. This will make it easier to keep | | | | plants. Plants provide shade and shelter for your |
| your pond clean. Do not feed your fish more than | | | | fish which prevents algae growth, they also |
| once per day, this will keep the fish waste down | | | | consume phosphorous the main nutrient in pond |
| to a minimum improving water quality. You should | | | | water that causes algae growth. Thus helping to |
| stock your pond with goldfish, shubunkins, | | | | keep your pond clean and not green. |