February can be a month of extremes. For a lot of us it can be below freezing one week and in the seventies the next. We know that warm weather is fast approaching and our ponds will soon be waking up from winter dormancy. One of the first things you will notice as the water temperatures increase is that your fish are slowly becoming active. Your first inclination may be to feed them. I recommend waiting until your weather is somewhat stable and you are not expecting prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures.

If your pond water warms to near 50 and is expected to stay there for a few days you can feed your fish a little low protein food. A small amount of Cheerios or puffed rice will be a welcome treat. Wait until the water temperatures are stable at 50 or above before beginning low protein fish food for koi. Goldfish can be fed at slightly cooler temperatures.

Probably the first change that you will see in your pond is algae growth. Your pond water may be turning green or you start noticing bits of string algae in clear water. Even in an otherwise well balanced pond algae growth in the late winter and early spring is normal. Algae start to grow with the increase in temperatures and available sunlight. Normally with the correct number and types of plants and with a proper sized biological filter in operation, algae growth can be kept under control.

However, we can't expect our biological filter and plants to be much help in combating algae at this time of year because algae grows at much cooler temperatures than filters and plants need for proper functioning. A lot of the algae types that we see in our pond in late winter and early spring can grow well when water temperatures are in the 40's, whereas the bacteria that works in our filters need temperatures above 50 to begin their life processes.

What can we do to limit the algae growth while we wait for warmer temperatures? If we remove the nutrients and the light the algae will die. We can't expect to totally remove the nutrients and light but we can reduce it dramatically. Be sure to remove any dead or decaying organic matter from the pond. We use a pond net to remove leaves and other debris from the pond. An algae net can be scooped through the water to remove filamentous type algae. You should also make sure that rainwater runoff cannot flow into your pond. It can carry lots of nutrients and cause an increase in algae growth.

Microbe-Lift PL and Microbe-Lift Autumn\Winter contain bacteria that work in temperatures below 50. These will help break down the organic waste and reduce the nutrients feeding the algae. We can also reduce algae by limiting the amount of sunlight reaching the pond. Since the plants in your pond are not growing, we don't have many options here. One option though is to add a pond dye to the water until our plants are growing again. Pond dye helps to reduce the amount of sunlight that penetrates into the water which will slow the growth of algae. It also creates a pleasing reflective surface to the water.

Now is the time to obtain some of the tools and supplies that will be needed when we once again have an active pond. A large tub, around 20 to 100 gallons, is very useful for housing fish while cleaning, remodeling, or making repairs to a pond. Larger ones also make good quarantine or hospital tanks.

You will want to monitor water chemistry early in the season, at least until the pond is stabilized for the season. You should have water test kits for pH, ammonia, and nitrites at a minimum. Remember, ammonia and nitrites can spike very quickly during the spring when our filters may not be working at maximum capacity.

A pond thermometer will let you know when the water temperature is warm enough to be feeding your fish. If you need to replace filter media in your biological filter, do it now before the water temperature warms enough for the bacteria to establish in your filter. Biological clarifiers should be added after the pond water is in the upper 50's. Always have a dechlorinator on hand. You never know when you may have to add a lot of water or do a water change. This can save your fish.