Aquascape MicroPond & MicroPondless Kits (99763, 99764, 99765 & 99769) - Manual (Page 19)

19
Spring is simply the most exciting
time of year. In all climates, there’s
fresh new growth all over the land-
scape, and everything is just burst-
ing into life. Your water feature is no
different. As things slowly awaken
from their winter hibernation, there
are some things that you can do to
make sure your water feature gets
off to a good start this spring.
Clean Up Your Act!
Excess organic matter in the water
feature can lead to some real algae
problems later in the season. During
the winter, your water feature has
been a debris magnet, collecting ev-
ery dropped leaf, branch, seedpod,
nut, or piece of garbage that blows
in its direction.
This is where a good spring cleaning
comes in. You’ll need to clean up all
of the debris on the basin or pond,
the waterfall, and the debris in
the Signature Series ™ MicroFalls ® .
Wash down the rocks and gravel
with the garden hose and pump out
the dirty water. (See fig. 52) You
can use the waterfall pump from the
kit attached to a scrap section of
pipe or a discharge hose purchased
from your local hardware store.
Continue to wash and pump until
the water coming from the pump is
relatively clean.
Reinstall the waterfall pump in the
MicroSnorkel ™ Vault or MicroSkim ®
and reconnect the plumbing. Fill
it back up to the proper level. The
waterfall is ready to be turned
back on.
A Few Final Tips...
If you are going to change anything
or do a full clean-out, it is best to
get that done while the water is
still cold, as this will cause the
least disruption to your basin’s
vital balance, leaving less chance
for algae growth. Performing these
basic house, or should we say basin,
cleaning chores every spring will en-
sure that you will get off to a good,
balanced start to the season.
Spring Maintenance PD/PL
Fig. 52 Wash down the basin rocks to removed matted algae. Start at the
top and work your way down, while pumping out the dirty water that is
collecting on the bottom. Make sure not to scrub out all the algae; some will
prove beneficial in developing your ecosystem.