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Keeping your pond in top condition

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Keeping your pond in top condition
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Your guide to keeping pond filters in top condition

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Spring gardening tips from Tom Hart Dyke

As water temperatures increase with the heat of the summer sun, they also raise the metabolism of your fish and the amount of faecal matter they produce. Together with the seasonally high levels of algal growth this creates a dramatic peak in waste that reaches your pond filters. However without proper maintenance these can fail causing disastrous problems for your fish.

Biological filters containing non-biodegradable sponges are perhaps the most popular forms of pond filters on the market. They work by creating a highly oxygenated environment attracting microscopic aerobic bacteria. These are able to break down fish waste - as well as other debris that enters the pond - into what are eventually harmless by-products. It is extremely important to realise that these bacteria are the powerhouse of your filter and are essentially living in a highly specialised environment.

However if this specialised environment isn’t maintained correctly it can easily be destroyed. This will occur if the pump fails or is switched off. This will cut off the bacteria’s life giving supply of highly oxygenate water killing them by asphyxiation. Besides this the biggest threat to your bacteria occurs when the sponges are washed out in tap water. The damage is made in two ways. The first is down to the temperature differential of tap water compared to the pond water which can be as much as 15 degrees Celsius during the summer. This can cause temperature shock and kill off a significant proportion of your valuable bacteria.

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 August 2008 )

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Thursday, 28 August 2008