Backyard Ponds and the Four Seasons

Enjoy your garden pond all year long You can't bring it inside for the winter, so how do you protect your garden pond when the weather turns cold? Here are tips for all four seasons. Autumn Start by cleaning up debris that collects in the bottom of your backyard pond. Leaves give off toxins as they rot, and ice traps it in. Remember that pond cleaning can be stressful on fish, so it's best to do a little at a time, all summer long. When average temperatures fall below 60 degrees, bring in those potted plants. Drain any pumps, filters, waterfalls and fountains that won't be left running. Freezing water pops seals and lines.

Winter

If your fish pond is more than 18 inches deep, your fish should survive fine. Their chances are much improved if you keep a two-foot area from freezing, so oxygen can work into the water. A bubbler or aquarium oxygenator will keep water open.

The metabolism of koi and goldfish drops in the cold, so they need less protein in their diet. Excess protein is excreted as ammonia from the gills. The microscopic organisms in your biological filter that consume ammonia also slow down, resulting in toxic ammonia levels. Switch to spring and autumn pond food.

Spring

Reinstall that fountain or waterfall to get oxygen into the water. Like autumn and winter, spring's cooler temperatures slow metabolism, so fish need less food and lower protein levels.

Summer

As water warms, it holds less oxygen. Keep your waterfall, fountain and pumps running so your water doesn't get stagnant. Fish will gasp at the water's surface if they need more oxygen.

In summer heat, fish food rots faster. Feed more frequently but less at a time so there's little excess floating around. Koi can sunburn, so by feeding them in the cooler morning hours you help them avoid the midday sun.

Add floating plants to help shade fish and keep water temps cooler. If your water gets cloudy even with filters working overtime, consider enlisting chemical clarifiers or bottled bacteria to help. Add air stones if oxygen drops below 7 parts per million.

Like the rest of your yard, a garden pond can survive the four seasons if you choose the right plants and animals for your area. If all else fails, knit them sweaters.