By Buck Williams
The ponds are warming up and your fish and plants are emerging from their winterized state of near suspended animation. Un- fortunately, so are the parasites, bacteria and algae. If you haven't done so already, now is the time to clean your filters and ponds. All leaves and other debris accumulated over the winter need to be removed from the bottom. Plumbing needs to be cleaned for maximum flow-rate, and mechanical filters thoroughly cleaned. If your filter system doesn't allow cleaning without stripping away the bio colony, you may consider seeding it with a commercial bio product. All of this should be done with as little clouding of the water as possible. You especially don't want bacteria clouding from the filter. Salting the pond according to the directions at: http://www.koivet.com/salt.htm will help to keep the growth of the fish's immune system ahead of the growth of the parasites. Basically, this is one pound of non-iodized, non-YPS, non-mineralized salt per 100 gallons, applied every 12 hours until you reach 3 lbs. PHG. Leave salt in for 14 days and then begin reducing with water changes. Remove the plants for this, and while they are out you can fertilize them by Wade Mahlke's method. Roll one tbs regular garden fertilizer into thick cigarettes using pieces of regular paper towels, (this should be easy for those of you who came up during the 60’s) poke holes in soil and roots and insert. Cover .
Feed the fish modest amounts of rapidly digestible foods such as Cheerios (1 have found that my fish aren't particular about the brand name and enjoy the Big Lots equivalent of toasted oats just as well) until the water temperature is closer to 60 degrees F , then switch to a more frequent feeding of their regular diet. To give them their immunity system enhancing vitamin C, quarter a grape fruit and toss it in the pond. It may take them a few minutes to discover that this is something to eat, but when they do, they will love it. Remove the rinds. Give these special treats often.
