Rinse and Fill Your Koi Pond
 Rinse and fill your Koi Pond. When building your pond you've probably used pool paints, pipe-joint glues, wood stains or preservatives, or similar materials. Let them dry thoroughly. Depending on the weather conditions this might take a few days. If the weather is hot and dry, rather than cool and wet, these materials will dry much faster If not completely dry, they can contaminate the pond water and harm your Koi fish and plants.
If you used mortar, concrete, or cement, treat them with an acidic solution to prevent lime from leaching into the water from these materials. This would cause your water to be too alkaline. Once all this is done, the solution has been rinsed off, the water drained, and any remaining debris rinsed away, you can go ahead and fill your Koi pond with fresh water. Rinsing and filling your pond may take several days. Depending on your particular situation rinsing and filling your pond may need to be done several times. When you have completed your rinsing and filling project, there should be no debris or residues left in your Koi pond that might harm your fish. If you have installed a filter run it continuously for several days to clear any contaminates that may be left. If you have an aerator in your pond, go ahead and run that also. If you are using city water, chances are it will contain chlorine and aerating your pond over several days will eliminate it. Be sure to have a test kit on hand for your Koi pond. By checking for alkalinity you will be able to see just how well you have rinsed away the contaminates when filling your pond. Don't forget to check the chlorine levels.  It's not time to add your fish or plants to your pond just yet. There are a few more steps that must be taken after rinsing and filling is complete. The next step after you're sure you have removed all the debris and contaminates from your Koi pond is to Test the Water!  |
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