This fish pond in Harpenden Hertfordshire needed a complete overhaul which meant everything needed removing including the fish.

When completely cleaning a pond which contains fish it is important to save as much water as possible and be sure to acclimatise the fish slowly back into the newly filled pond as the water chemistry will differ from the old water. By saving a large proportion of the old water the bacteria in the filtration are able to re-multiply quicker and help break down fish waste much quicker than a complete restart.  Be sure to add de-chlorinator to remove heavy metals and chlorine, a filter start will also be beneficial to add to help boost bacteria populations.

The fish were caught and held in fish bowls,  aeration was provided in the temporary holding tanks due to the large number of fish in a relatively small space, ammonia is likely to build up in un-filtered water so providing the aeration helps the fish uptake the correct oxygen levels. The pond was then cleaned along with the filtration and new plants were added. Some small block work alterations were also carried out.

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