Melodious birdsong, the first warmer days, and increasingly more sunshine – in the spring months of March and April, our ponds and gardens awaken from their winter rest, and life slowly returns. Now is the time to prepare your pond for the warm season.
With these simple measures, you can now create the best conditions to keep all pond life and aquatic plants healthy and prevent algae from forming in the first place:
Reduce Algae Nutrients and Optimize Pond Water Mineralization
Over the winter, plant nutrients like nitrate and phosphate were not consumed due to the lack of plant growth and are now available in large quantities for algae. Applied now, BioTeich Nitrate EX and BioTeich Phosphate Acute can prevent algae growth and avoid an explosive increase in algae in the coming weeks.
During the cold season, the carbonate hardness was primarily consumed by all pond inhabitants and aquatic plants. With BioTeich Balance, you can now ensure optimal mineralization and a stable pH level in your pond.
Remove Pond Sludge
If your pond already has a thick layer of sludge, we recommend a thorough cleaning of the pond floor. In this case, you can easily remove the pond sludge and deposits between stones and plants completely with a sludge vacuum.
However, if the sludge layer in your pond has just been removed or is only a few centimeters thick, you can leave the permanent, natural cleaning of your pond floor to the special microorganisms in BioTeich Sludge Stabil. You won’t need a sludge vacuum anymore.
Neutralize Harmful Substances
Since the pump-filter system was turned off over the winter, the pond water was neither moved nor cleaned. This could have led to the formation of aggressive and sometimes toxic substances. Using BioTeich Vital neutralizes all harmful substances and simultaneously protects all pond life and aquatic plants from poisoning and infections.
Completely Remove Filamentous Algae
If possible, you should remove any existing filamentous algae from your pond. A rough wooden slat or a rake is an ideal tool for this. Try not to break up the filamentous algae and remove them as whole as possible from the water. This prevents the nutrients and spores stored in the filamentous algae from entering the pond water.
You can remove filamentous algae even more easily and safely with the BioTeich Filamentous Algae Dissolver Kit. This special set contains the natural BioTeich Filamentous Algae Dissolver for 2 applications, as well as additional products for nutrient reduction, mineralization, and pH optimization.
Prune Plants
Overgrown floating and underwater plants should be thinned out, and dead plant parts should be pruned. Tie the grasses together so the wind doesn’t push them underwater.
If you want to add new or more aquatic plants to your pond, we recommend using BioTeich VitaTon. It provides the natural basis to supply pond plants with all water-soluble nutrients as needed while reducing algae growth.
Important Note: Only activate the pump-filter system and microbiology once the water temperature is consistently at least 10 °C.
Activate Pump, Filter, and Microbiology
After implementing the most important preparations for the start of the season, you now only need to activate your pump-filter system and the essential microbiology in your pond.
If you are still using foam mats or plastic parts as filter material in your filter system, we recommend replacing them with the high-performance filter material BioTeich MAXIMUM. This will multiply the biological filter performance in a short time, creating the optimal conditions for permanently clear water.
You can achieve permanent water purification and optimal detoxification only by adding the various microorganisms from BioTeich Aktiv. With regular use, your pond will function like a crystal-clear mountain lake, self-regulating and returning to a permanent biological balance. Your filter system must now run around the clock until the end of the season in autumn.
Important Note: When using microorganisms, a UVC lamp must always remain permanently switched off. UVC light operates in a spectrum close to X-rays. It burns the important minerals for pond biology and kills all water-purifying microorganisms.
Automatically Neutralize Environmental Nutrient Inputs
To neutralize environmental nutrient inputs and phosphates in the water cycle before algae can absorb them as food, your filter should additionally be equipped with BioTeich Phosphate Converter. This ensures that the phosphate level in your pond remains in the optimal range for months.
Gradually Resume Feeding Fish
Since your fish have not eaten in the past few months, you should start feeding them slowly. To ensure your fish develop optimally and enjoy the best health, you should only feed them in clear water and, for the first two weeks, only twice a week with a natural feed made from high-quality and probiotic ingredients (e.g., BioTeich Probiotic). This way, the pond water is not burdened with added phosphates and nitrates, the feed is fully utilized by the fish, and the intestinal flora and immune system of the fish are strengthened.
