Maintaining Your Garden Pond in the Summer Heat

So, summer heat. It has been the chosen topic of conversation for a few weeks now because ENGLAND IS HOT! For more than just a day, too, what did we do to deserve this?

But as much as we may (or may not) be enjoying this glorious summer sunshine, it is not to say our fish feel the same, especially with the very high temperatures that we have been witnessing.

Garden ponds need an extra bit of TLC in what we can only describe as a wave of heat that we are not used to or necessarily prepared for, and so you must adjust your pond maintenance routine to ensure the best health of your garden pond fish, your pond and the wildlife it attracts.

In the long summer days, or extreme heatwaves depending on where in the world you live, a garden pond is susceptible to an increase of photosynthesis, rapid rates of water evaporation and faster growth of algae or blanket weed.

Aside from this, there is the inevitable warmer water temperature, which is more dangerous than what many people realise. As the water temperature rises, it loses its ability to hold oxygen and therefore making it harder for your garden pond fish to breath.

As dramatic as this may sound, there is no need to panic. There are some quick and simple alterations you can make to your garden pond maintenance to ensure you summer pond care is as effective as can be, to keep your fish fit, healthy, happy and comfortable throughout the hot months.

Shade, shade, shade

Protecting you pond with shade is the single most effective method of maintaining regular pond temperatures and restoring the balance of what is usually a fairly cool British summer.

Whether you have a small garden pond, or a pond that fills half of your garden, there are a few easy ways to shade your pond and help to keep the water cool.

You can use outdoor structures such as canopies or awnings that are easy to adjust according to altering temperatures. Even the more aesthetically pleasing garden arbors will often provide ample shade for small garden ponds.

If you were hoping for natural pond maintenance methods to provide shade for your garden pond fish, this is possible too. The use of floating garden pond plants such as water lilies, water lettuce, salvinia and water hyacinth are great ways of providing shade and looking after your pond in the heat.

For those of you looking to prepare in time for next year in the hope we will be blessed with another sunny summer, you can plant trees and bushes nearby your garden pond as they provide excellent levels of natural shade whilst also still looking great in your garden.

Water your pond, as well as your flowers!

Water your pond? You might think this seems like an odd suggestion, but with soaring temperatures means rapidly rising levels of water evaporation and since England has seen very little rainfall for a few weeks, your pond might well be running dry.

Keeping your pond full is absolutely vital for the health and life of your pond fish. You should consider topping up your pond water once a week, more or less when necessary, using rainwater collected in a water butt.

 If you don’t have a stock of rainwater ready, you can use water from your mains but you need to let partially warm up in the sun since tap water is often too cold and will shock your fish. It is also advised you add a de-chlorinater to the tap water before it is added to your pond to avoid adding unnecessary chlorine to your pond.

Install an aeration pump

As water gets warmer, it loses its ability to hold sufficient oxygen levels in the pond, so whilst the fish demand increase levels of oxygen, the naturally available oxygen decreases, leaving your fish struggling to breath which is fatal. Another tip for summer pond care is to install aeration pump, which helps to eradicate this issue and increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the pond, meaning your fish will stay healthy and active during hot spells.

 Another few tips and tricks for effective fish pond maintenance in the summer include:

• Avoid over-feeding your fish. Fish are more active warmer temperatures, thus eating more food and producing more waste. To keep a high water quality, you should be careful of over-feeding and maybe monitor this with an automatic feeder.
• If your pond is above ground, use soil and decorative stone to insulate the edges, protecting your fish against both extreme heat and cold
• Clean your garden pond filters more regularly to ensure they don’t become clogged with bad bacteria whilst also keeping hold of all beneficial bacteria
• If you need to cool your pond water temperature down ASAP, slowly trickle water directly from a hosepipe into the pond at the opposite end of where the pond usually drains

For products that will enable you to best maintain your garden pump during this glorious British summer (so far...), you can prowse all of our garden pond supplies online. Or if there is something specific you have in mind, you can call our friendly team on 01922 416 284 and we will be happy to help.