With the onset of warmer weather in the spring,  comes the time to inspect and remediate.  Early spring is a good time to check your Koi fish pond and begin your Spring maintenance.  Your plants have not yet fully emerged from their winter sleep and you can check the edges of your Koi pond and repair any settling or shifting you might find.  So long as the ground is not soggy, it should be easy to work with.   Check that  everything is working properly.  Part of your Spring maintenance chores are to check out your Koi pond lights, and pumps, and make sure your electrical outlets are all in proper working order.  I use this time to repair any loose connections to my lights and pumps.  Another part of Spring maintenance; check your ground-circuit interrupters.  Now is a good time to purchase one as Drs. Foster and Smith.com are having a sale, see left. You should have one installed for all of your outlets.  This is a good time to make sure it works by hitting the "test" button.  I keep my Koi pond pumps and filters out of the water in the winter, and bring them out in the spring.  Before I hook up my pumps and filter,  I make sure they are working.  It is a lot easier to do this before you install them.  Once you have everything "hooked" up it can be very time consuming to disconnect everything trying to find the source of the problem.

Spring maintenance means it is the time to clean out any debris you find in your Koi fish pond.  Clean out any leaves, dead branches, etc. that have accumulated over the winter months.  Once the water temperature has reached at least 50 degrees you can start your biological filter.  Don't forget, it takes time for the beneficial bacteria to redevelop in your filter medium.    The Pondcare Biofilter Booster shown right fights toxic buildup to keep plants and fish healthy and is used in the spring to jumpstart your biological filter.   It can also be used for new ponds.

As the water warms and the temperature increases,  in the Spring, you may begin to notice excessive algae in your Koi fish pond.  With the proper amount of coverage from plants such as water lilies, lotus and other various floating plants, this problem should take care of  itself, and your Spring maintenance will be vastly reduced.

Spring is also a good time to check the chemical balances of your pond.  Spring maintenance requires that you check the PH levels, especially.  The pHep shown at left is easy to use and extremely accurate in checking pH levels in your koi pond.  If your tests indicate that your water is foul, you can replace it with a third of your water volume.  However,  if the water in your Koi fish pond is undergoing an algae bloom, it might be best  to wait, as this could make the situation even worse.  Try changing the water over several days to decrease this problem.  Also, if you live in an area where they chlorinate the water, don't forget to add a dechlorinator to the tap water before adding it to your Koi pond.  Pondcare's chlorine and heavy metal neutralizer shown at right, works instantly to neutralize toxic compounds found in your koi pond.  It is very easy to use and is safe around your fish and plants.  It is also safe for birds and other small animals that may visit your pond.