Thanks,
Ben

If the ice is off the pond at the moment you could physically remove the algae with a rake that would be able to pull algae from the pond. Normally I would reccomend treating the algae before raking but while water temperatures are still below freezing you won’t be able to do any treatments to the pond. The best thing would be to plan a maintenance program for the pond this coming season with natural bacteria and aeration to reduce the buildup of organic material in the bottom of the pond. Since you do use the pond in the winter you will want to remove the aerator for the winter months, however aeration throughout the summer will help for a healthier pond in the winter. Good Luck.

Water features are a great addition to any landscape! Spring construction is probably the most beneficial because your pond and filter can cycle and get established before the coming summer months and you will get to enjoy your new feature all year. Hard water may have some affect on fish and plants but we have a product called Pond & Fish Conditioner to solve that particular issue. This product can condition the water making it safe for your fish and reducing the water hardness. You may also want to look into our Pond Logic Defense Pac. The package deal contains natural bacteria and cleaners to aid in pond maintenance all season long. You also mentioned you purchased a kit for construction. If this uses a waterfall basin for the filter system be sure you have adequate filter media, many basins come with 2 filter mats and a media bag but you will need to purchase the additional media for the bag in order to receive full benefit from your filter. Please click on the above product names to view more information on our website. I hope this gives you a good idea on where to start!

Thanks

Jayne

Early fall would be the recommended time to draw down your pond to leave plant roots, such as Cattails, exposed to winter’s coldest temperatures. This will help reduce the amount of plants that reemerge in the spring; it will also allow you to chemically treat what does emerge. At this time of year, turtles and frogs would not have started to go into hibernation. Once late fall arrives and they have begun hibernating, reducing the water level would make them vulnerable to die from exposure.

You could deplete oxygen levels in the pond if the water levels are dropped too low — especially if the pond does not have aeration. If you have an aeration unit running in the pond year round, such as a bottom-bubbler, the oxygen concentration in the pond would not be an issue for your fish.

Thanks,
Ben