I Overwintered My Fish Indoors This Season. How Should I Go About Placing Them Back Into My Pond?
Tamara – Rapid City, SD
Re-introducing your fish to their summer home can be a safe and simple process if you follow these 4 simple steps:
Perform A Pond Cleanout – Clean your rocks, waterfall, filters and pond equipment. If stuck-on debris are slowing you down, use some Pond Logic® Oxy-Lift™ to speed up the process. Be sure to clean out any bottom-dwelling muck and skim out floating debris. Most people drain their ponds for easier access to the entire pond. If you are not up to the task then perform at least a 20% water change.
Seed & Start Your Filers – Once you refill the pond, replace or clean filter media pads and secondary media like The Pond Guy® BioBalls™. Use Microbe-Lift® PL Gel to introduce beneficial bacteria and reduce filter seed time. Once everything is back in place, start your pumps and let the water flow.
Test The Water – Use a water test kit to ensure pond water is balanced and safe for your fish. A good test kit will include tests for ammonia, nitrite and pH levels as these directly impact the health of your fish. We always recommend adding Water Conditioner or Stress Reducer PLUS to your pond after water changes to detoxify harmful contaminates in well and city water.
Acclimate Your Fish – Water temperature and composition will be different than their winter housing, so it is important to slowly introduce them to their new home. Bring fish out in a bucket and periodically add a small amount of pond water every 5-10 minutes. This will give your fish time to adjust to the water variations and avoid shock. After 15-20 minutes it will be safe to gently release the fish back into their home.
