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Pond Maintenance | Pond Cleaning | Pond Repair | Summer | Fall | Winter

How to do a water change on a koi pond

Why do a water change?
Water changes are an essential part of keeping your pond fish health. A water change consists of removing and then replacing about 25-30% of the pond water with fresh clean water. 

This process has many benefits including reducing yellow or dark tinted water, improving water quality, removing nutrients that algae uses for food and replenishes trace elements found in the water. 

A small water change should be done a few times a year. This is in additional to a full drain that typically happens in the spring. 



How to do a water change?

A water change can be done in a few different ways on your koi pond. The most common is using a utility pump that connects to a garden hose to pump the water out into the surrounding landscape. A utility pump can be purchased at Home Depot for under $100 dollars for this process. This pump can then be connected to a garden hose. 

Another way is to use your pond pump if there is a diverter valve or some other way to expel water using the pond pump that you already have. 

If you have an external pump or filter system, there will be a valve that you can turn to either backwash or divert water out of the pond. 

If you have a skimmer filter, you could lower the stand pipe/overflow valve inside the skimmer and continually run the garden hose for a set amount of time into the pond. A dial type water meter called a hose watering timer (digital or mechanical) is helpful in a situation like this. You can set the timer to 400 gallos, for example, and then it will automatically turn off once 400 gallons has been put into the pond. While this method is easy, and doesn't require a additional pump, it will need more monitoring. Just like all the other options to drain water, dechlorinator needs to be added to the water if you use this method. 

A small fountain or statuary pump can also be used to drain your pond. 
Pond Dechlorinator
Dechlorinator removes the chlorine from the tap water to make the water safe for fish. This product works instantly and should be used anytime you add water to your pond. It should be added to the pond as the new water is going in, calculate the dosage of the dechlorinator for only the new water.

Dechlorinator can be found at your local pet store because it is used for aquariums. Look in the pond section for a more concentrated bottle. The dosage rate may vary from brand to brand, check the bottle for instructions.
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Purchase koi pond dechlorinator here www.ponddepot.com/pond-detoxifier-16-oz-p/98877.htm
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A selection of dechlorinator found at Petco in Buford, GA 30518
Suwanee, Gwinnett, Fulton, Dekalb, Forsyth Counties
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Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Duluth, Dacula, Roswell, Buford, Suwanee,
Braselton, Flowery Branch, Lawrenceville, Norcross
Pond Maintenance | Pond Cleaning | Pond Repair | Summer | Fall | Winter