This page is meant to be of informational help to you. You can help by e-mailing any questions to Lilyfishpond@aol.com and I will try to answer them with a reply or here on this page. Any suggestions, findings, ideas or other helpful pond tips are appreciated too. A pond is an ever - changing , living environment and there are always new things to be discovered about pond keeping.

Here are a few tips for your pond in the winter. Fish can live and die at any time of the year. Following these guidelines does not guarantee that your fish will live, but it can increase their chances. People usually think of

the winter as being hard on fish. In fact, the winter can be less stressful on fish than the summer. Why? During the winter, the water temperature of a pond generally does not fluctuate as it does in the summer. Many parasites and fungi die or are dormant in the cold water also. Cooler water is usually richer in oxygen levels. This all helps reduce stress on fish. Surface ice, however, can be both a problem and a blessing. The ice can cut off oxygen to a pond.

Although fish can live under the ice for a while, factors such as thickness of ice, duration of total ice cover, size and amount of fish in the pond, and size of the pond all can determine the danger to fish. Larger fish require more oxygen than smaller ones, and usually will be the first to die if oxygen levels fall to low levels. The ice can be beneficial in that it can offer protection from predators such as raccoons, blue herons and egrets. In mild winters with less ice cover, a pond can be an open target for these animals.

Tips: Cover the pond with a net in the fall to keep leaves out! Decaying tree leaves form methane gas, which can harm or kill your fish, and also cause a low pH. Keep a hole in the ice with a thermostatically controlled deicer, air pump, or submersible pump running close to the surface of the pond. This "hole" will allow oxygen in and allow some harmful gasses to escape if you didn't keep all the leaves out.

Your fish will never starve in an outdoor pond. DO NOT FEED YOUR FISH IN THE WINTER. After mid to end of November, stop feeding them. Even if it's a mild winter. It is difficult for fish to digest food in cooler temps', and ammonia they produce will build up in the water. This is because most of the nitrifying bacteria and plants that live off the waste are dormant in the winter also. Begin feeding around mid to late April.

Spring / Summer tips:
If you are going to clean your pond out, here are some tips. It is best to clean your pond in the early/mid Spring when water and weather temperatures are below 75F. Pump out water from the pond into a holding container(s) such as a lined garbage can or kiddy pool. It will be easier to net your fish with less water in the pond. Keep your fish in the prepared containers, cover with a net (they may jump; to protect from animals)and circulate the water to add oxygen. Pump remaining water from pond. Scoop or wet-vac all the sludge on the bottom of the pond. Spray the sides down. If you scrub the sides clean, the beneficial algae/bacteria you remove will grow back anyway, so it is best to leave it. As you re-fill the pond with tap water, add a dechlorinator / water conditioner. Before you introduce the fish back to the new water, check to see if the H2O temperatures are within 5F of each other. You can add some of the old water back in too. Your fish may go through some stress and hang out together at the bottom. Usually it takes a few days before they get used to the new environment. Expect an algae bloom a week or two later so get your bio filter, UV light, and floating plants going to help reduce the green.

Summer heat
Keep your pond oxygenated in the summer. Running a waterfall, fountainhead, and an air-pump can all be beneficial. Don't overpopulate your fish pond. The warmer it is, the less oxygen water will hold, and the more active your fish will be, so they will use more oxygen. In extreme heat waves, trickle some cool tap water into the pond to keep the water temperature down, but be sure to add de-chlorinator if you change 25% or more of water.

Feeding Fish
Your fish will never starve in an outdoor pond, but you can train them to come to the surface if you feed them on a schedule. Feed them no more than once a day- what they can eat in a few minutes. If you must feed them more, give them less food each time. The more you feed your fish, the more waste they produce, and this can lead to high ammonia and/or constant green water.