Fall is in the Air

Yes, even here in the Midwest autumn is in the air. The evenings are cooling off and the day temperatures are staying in the 80's. We have been getting a little more rain so much of the yard and garden is getting its "second wind'" so to speak. Yet I have noticed the trees are starting to show a little color. The leaves of some have actually started to fall. So once again it is time to consider how to prepare the pond for winter.

Of course, in pond keeping, cleanliness is next to Godliness. So get out the leaf nets. It isn't necessary, at this point, to put a net over the entire pond but every two or three days take a long-handled pool skimming net and fish out the leaves and limbs that have blown into the water. Keeping debris cleaned out is always important, but especially so as we head into winter. Remember fish often die as a result of toxins from decaying organic materials being released into the frozen pond. Naturally' the cleaner the pond the fewer toxins.

The filters will need some care at this point. I found that the long hot days of summer created the perfect environment for string algae. It clogged the intakes of my pre-filter, started growing in my bio-filter and then clogged the outlets! Of course this situation was corrected as soon as realized what had happened, but I was caught by surprise. It requires diligence to prevent this sort of thing and I had been called back to work early from my summer layoff, got busy and distracted, etc., etc. It could have been a major catastrophe if the bio-filter outlets had completely clogged, causing the water to overflow thus draining the pond. It makes me sick just thinking about it. So learn from my mistake, stick to a regular maintenance program. For my pre-filter I have to pull it from the pond, rinse the out side of it, checking that all of the holes are clear. Then I pop the lid off and clean or replace the filter medium. If I do this every two or three weeks, everything works well, but I have another confession, I just keep an eye on the water flow from the bio-filter, when it starts to noticeably slow, I pull and clean the pre-filter. The problem I mentioned above happened because I let myself get so distracted, that sad to say, I hadn't been enjoying my pond at all. As for bio-filter maintenance, clean it when cleaning the pre-filter. In my case, the main problem is roots. The plants chosen for bio-filters are ones with aggressive root systems that is why they work for this. However, those wonderful filtering roots will clog the outlets of the filter. So will leaves and any other plant matter. I use plastic "egg crate" positioned approx. two inches away from the outlet to keep the roots in check, but they will eventually grow through that and into the outlet. These plants have so many roots that a rough and radical root trimming does them no harm, and will do your filter a lot of good. Clean out any fallen leaves, and that is about it. When freezes threaten it will be time to take it apart, clean it out and store it. I have never had to dismantle one for cleaning before winter.

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