Fall and winter maintenance, Spring maintenance – Aquascape PRO-Fit General Maintenance User Manual

Page 4

Water clarity is usually at its best

in the fall because of fewer battles

with algae. It truly is an enjoyable

time of year. Here are some things

that you can do to keep your water

garden looking good.
• There may be increasing num-

bers of yellow leaves this time

of year, so prune them off all of

your plants. Your lilies–tropical

and hardy–should still be going

strong, at least until the first

heavy frost.

• Stop fertilizing your aquatic plants

when the weather starts getting

cooler. This lets them know the

season is coming to an end.

• When your water temperature gets

down around 50 F° (10° C) or

so, stop feeding your fish. If you

continue feeding them, you could

cause major health problems for

your little aquatic friends.

• Enjoy the good water quality! In

the fall, water is almost always

very clear because of the cooler

temperatures and the full, lush

plants.

• About this time, the foliage starts

falling off the trees, and the pond

fills up with wet soggy leaves.

This is one time of year when your

pond may require daily mainte-

nance.

(See fig. 6)

If you have a

skimmer, you’ll probably have to

empty the debris net every day to

keep up with the influx of leaves.

Some of the leaves will undoubt-

edly sink to the bottom, although

you can net these pretty easily

before they start to break down.

Don’t knock yourself out snag-

ging every single leaf. Some left

in little areas here and there will

give insects and frogs a place to

overwinter.

• If you’ve left a little too much

organic matter, it may start look-

ing like a tall glass of sweet-tea

from the south. But don’t fear.

Removing excess debris, and add-

ing activated carbon should clear

it right up.

• As it gets cold, the lilies and

marginals will have all but died

for the season, and the trees

are just about bare. The fish are

spending more time on the bottom

and are slowing down. Now you

can cut back most of the dead

plant material

(See fig. 7)

and

remove the tropicals. Cut back

your cattails above the water

level, or better yet, leave them up

to see how magnificent they look

in the winter.

NOTE: Several of the steps do not

apply to MicroPondless™ systems.

Fall and Winter Maintenance

Fig. 6 Remove excess debris

from your pond.

Fig. 7 Cut back dead plant material.

The water in the bucket will prevent the

pump seals from drying.

A floating heater and a small re-circu-

lating pump will oxygenate the water in

your pond.

Spring is simply the most exciting

time of year. In all climates, there’s

fresh new growth all over the land-

scape, and everything is just bursting

into life. Your water feature is no

different. As things slowly awaken

from their winter hibernation, there

are some things that you can do to

make sure your water feature gets off

to a good start this spring.

Clean Up Your Act!

Excess organic matter in the water

feature can lead to some real algae

problems later in the season. During

the winter, your water feature has

been a debris magnet, collecting

every dropped leaf, branch, seedpod,

nut, or piece of garbage that blows

in its direction. This is where a good

spring cleaning comes in. You’ll need

to clean up all of the debris on the

basin or pond, the waterfall, and

the debris in the BIOFALLS

Filter

(or Endless Cascade

™

). Wash down

the rocks and gravel with the garden

hose and pump out the dirty water.

(See fig. 8) You can use the waterfall

pump from the kit attached to a

scrap section of pipe or a discharge

hose purchased from your local hard-

ware store. Continue to wash and

pump until the water coming from

the pump is relatively clean. Reinstall

the waterfall pump in the Micro-

Pondless

™

Vault or skimmer and

reconnect the plumbing. Fill it back

up to the proper level. The waterfall is

ready to be turned back on.

A Few Final Tips...

If you are going to change anything

or do a full clean-out, it is best to get

that done while the water is still cold,

as this will cause the least disrup-

tion to your basin’s vital balance,

leaving less chance for algae growth.

Performing these basic house, or

should we say basin, cleaning chores

every spring will ensure that you will

get off to a good, balanced start to

the season.

Spring Maintenance

Fig. 8 Wash down the rocks and gravel with

a garden hose and pump out the

dirty water. A clean-out pump with

discharge hose comes in handy.

For more information on care and maintenance, please refer to Aquascape’s Ecosystem Pond or Pond Building for Hobbyists books or visit www.aquascapeinc.com

29890.122006