How Do You Make Pond Water Safe For Fish?

A lot of gardeners who specialize in ponds are mostly aware of the importance of good water quality. It all makes the difference when it comes to pond habitat and your future fish pet. Without having the proper knowledge, it can be challenging for people to maintain and have their fishes in there happy.

How do you make pond water safe for fish? It is essential to know the chemistry behind your pond’s water. It should be the right water that is treated daily. Taking into consideration the chlorine and chloramine levels is essential in ensuring that the water is safe for fish.

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Learn more about the chemistry of the water and its importance in your pond. It is also vital to know some tips to keep your pond water clean and clear.

Water Source For Your Pond

When it comes to water sources, you might find yourself thinking that tap water will be your first choice. Tap water is technically not safe for ponds unless you treat it appropriately.

The main issue with tap water when you bring it to your pond is the chlorine. Most of the tap water in the world is treated with various chemicals, and that includes chlorine.

Chlorine is used to disinfect the water and kill all bacterias and parasites to ensure it is safe for human consumption. It is said to be safe for eating in small amounts, but it is not safe for fish or plants in your ponds.

Another chemical that is being used to treat tap water is chloramine. While both chloramine and chlorine are not great for humans, they are deadly for fish.

Chlorine And Chloramine

Chlorine is extremely dangerous to your fish and pond plants alike. It can kill fist outright, damaging the gills, scales, and their breathing tissue. It burns them from the outside, and as it passes through their gills and digestive system, it can burn them inside.

Chlorine is not safe for your pond as it also kills all the good bacteria. Ponds are necessary to have these beneficial bacteria that can kill ammonia and nitrites. Without all of these, ammonia and nitrite build up can kill the fish.

On the other hand, chloramine can cause even more problems, and this is because it doesn’t evaporate out of the water like what chlorine usually does. As a result, most solutions that normally work for chlorine typically don’t work for chloramine.

How To Remove Chlorine To Make It Safe For Fish

There are plenty of ways to remove the harmful chemicals from the water to make it safe for your pond fish. Some of the methods will work for chloramine as well, but not all.

Using Water Conditioners

One of the best and most common options is to go with a water conditioner. This type of product is available in all fish keeping store. These conditioners are designed to remove all chlorine, chloramine, and other poisonous and unwanted substance present in your water.

Just make sure to read the directions carefully as some of the water conditioners do not handle chloramine. It is also essential to know the right dosage as too much of this stuff is not good either.

Using Dechlorinator

A dechlorinator is a specialized aquarium filter designed to remove chlorine and chloramine from your water source. It is known to be a special aquarium filter with media that is designed to solve this problem. It is a good option to try if you have a big pond containing lots of fish and often perform water changes.

Activated Carbon Charcoal Filters

It might sound a little difficult, but it works easily, but activated carbon charcoal works perfectly to remove all chlorine, chloramine, and other substances found in your water.

This filter can remove pollutants, medicines, pesticides, chlorine, chloramine, and tannins from the water. It is vital as you do not want all of these things in your pond water for fish.

It works quite well alone, but for better results, you can add a water conditioner. While it works on its own, make sure to use it in conjunction with other methods to get the best results.

Tips To Keep Pond Water Clean

With proper knowledge and experience, you will be able to equip yourself on how to deal with things with water issues. Here are some of the tips you can follow to keep your pond water clean and clear.

Maintain A Healthy Fish Population

Finding the right balance of the fish population is essential in dealing with your pond. If you think you have more than 10” of fish in your 100 gallons of water, your pond might be over-populated.

It is essential to know because excessive fish waste can cause an imbalance in your pond water. It is recommended to find some of the fish’s new homes if you cannot limit your fish population. There are plenty of pond retailers and contractors that can accept your fish.

Don’t Over-feed Your Fish

When feeding fish, it is essential to look after how much they can eat. It is because the uneaten food is left to decay in your pond. Just be mindful not to feed them more than once per day and no more than they can eat in 2 – 3 minutes.

Look for some high-quality fish food and look for the ones that float, so it is easy to get rid of it if left uneaten.

Create A Proper Balance Of Plants

Ideally, you should have 40%, or at least 60% of your pond’s surface area covered or shaded by plants. Having too much oxygen can cause deficiencies at hight because of the photosynthesis process.

Choose The Right Size Pump

Finding the proper pump that can circulate the entire pond’s water volume is necessary. Make sure that the pump’s flow is no restricted by any debris in the skimmer or filter.

Just know that every pump has its limitations, so you need to find and choose the correct pump size depending on your pond and waterfall.

Clean Debris From Pond Before It Decays

When it comes to your pond skimmer, it will normally remove some debris from the surface of your pond. But there is a pond net to skim all the leaves and other debris before they had the chance to descent in the bottom where they will decay.

Decaying debris combined with fish waste can cause the ammonia levels to spike in your pond.

If you reach a certain level where the ammonia is on its high peak, it can harm your fish, and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If you see your fish, jumping in and out of the water, this is a clear sign that you have a high ammonia level.

It can also happen when you add your algae treatments. You can purchase a different ammonia test kit from your local pet and aquarium store.

Choose Proper Filtration For Your Pond

The same principle with your pond pump, you should also match your pond’s filter with the size of your water garden. Most of the pond filters are designed to accommodate ideal circumstances, and if you exceed, your filter will become less effective.

Make sure to find an up-size version of your filter to handle all the pond capacity and always remember to clean them according to the instructions.

There are two types of filters when it comes to your pond, a mechanical filter, and a biological filter. A mechanical filter is most commonly known as the skimmer. It removes all the surface debris from your pond water like leaves and some small sticks.

On the other hand, a biological filter is most commonly known as the BioFalls filter is usually positioned to create the beginning of the waterfall for your pond.

This filter is designed to use bacteria to break down all pond wastes and converting them into less harmful compounds that can serve as fertilizer for your aquatic plants.

Keeping Your Pond Cool During Summer

If your pond water exceeds the 75º Fahrenheit mark, it will be difficult to retain the acceptable level of dissolved oxygen. For this reason, this can jeopardize the health of your fish.

It is essential to have the surface of your pond shaded by different aquatic plants to keep the pond water as cool as possible. Fish need oxygen to survive, and if you see them gasping for aid, you can always add an aerator to help them during summer.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, maintaining the pond water is not an easy task. It is because there are so many elements that require consideration. No matter the case, you should always remember to treat your pond water for chlorine or chloramine before adding it to your fish pond.

The above tips and techniques can help you maintain your pond a little less difficult.