Surviving the Storm

 By Lee Brouillet

July, 2004

Unlike ponders on the West Coast (who have to deal with earthquakes) or in the Midwest (who have to deal with tornados), those of us who live in the Gulf and East Coast states are usually lucky enough to have ample notice that a storm is coming. The preparations that we make depend on whether it’s a “storm” or a STORM. Many of our casual afternoon thunderstorms can cause as much damage as a tropical depression. That being said, let’s suppose that we’ve been advised that a storm is on its way.

How do I prepare? Stop feeding the fish: they won’t starve but continued ammonia production could kill them if your water quality takes a hit due to filtration problems. Do a water change, as large as you can handle. Even if it’s only a moderate storm, you may be without water for a few days. With a fresh water change, the fish will have the best chance. Drop the pond’s water level several inches (or more) to allow for the extra rain. If your pond was built with an overflow drain, make sure that the drain field remains unobstructed. Net the pond to keep the fish in and as much flying debris as possible out.             If possible, when a big storm/high winds are expected, disconnect and remove any items that may blow over into the pond, such as trickle towers.  If you and three of your best friends can lean on it and push it over, the wind can, too! If you can’t remove it, at least disconnect the water source so that if/when it does blow over, it won’t drain your pond. Remove anything around the pond that can take off “flying”, such as nets, buckets, chairs, tables, etc. If your pond is ground level and prone to flooding, try to protect if from ground water by sand bagging it or digging a trench around it to divert water flow. When it starts to rain and the blow begins, fish will usually “go to bottom”. Even after heavy flooding, most people report that their fish are still right there, hunkered down in the pond waiting for things to calm down and return to normal. Fish are only reported missing when the pond is in an overflow condition for several days, the fish relax a bit, and go “exploring”.

The power went out – what do I do now?

Well, it depends: how’s your stocking rate? If it’s low, you probably don’t have too much to worry about. But if you’re like most of us, you’re overstocked – and that’s a problem when the power goes out. If your pond has a large surface area, it’s better than a smaller area. If your dissolved oxygen level was high prior to the outage, you’re in better shape than if it was low. If the storm is a small one and you expect power to be restored in short order (a few hours or so), then just relax. However, longer outages require action! Alternate power sources include various back-up systems, such as:

How do you figure out watts if your equipment doesn’t list the wattage? Use the formula “Amps x Volts = Watts”.  Example: my water pump draws .85 amps x 110 (volts) = 93.5 watts! Remember that most electrical equipment with motors will draw double wattage to start, then settle down to its normal usage. In that event, start one then another; don’t try to start everything at the same time.

These items can be used to run your air pump (first) and your water pump (second), or alternating between the two.

OK, the storm has passed; NOW what do I do?

First of all, your babies are probably just fine, but their “home” may need some repairs (as well as your own!).  As soon as you can, you should:

·        Survey the damage and assess what needs to be attended to FIRST

·        Check all plumbing to ensure that there are no breaks or leaks

·        If you netted the pond, remove it so you can see the fish and their condition

·        Take a water sample and test for ammonia, nitrites, pH and/or KH

o       Treat water as necessary with your ammonia binder of choice;

o       If there are nitrItes, add salt at the rate of 3/4 to 1 lbs. (technically .833 lbs!) per 100 gallons, 1/3 at a time (or 8 lbs. per 1,000 gallons) over a period of 24 hours to achieve a level of 0.1 ppm. This is sufficient to prevent the uptake of the nitrItes by the gills. If your fish are in good shape (no visible cuts or bruises, not too “shocked” from their experience) and you have plants, this small amount of salt will protect your fish from Brown Blood Disease without hurting the plants. But if the fish are really stressed or have sustained injury, they’ll need a higher concentration – so pull your plants out if they are salt sensitive: we’re helping the fish, not the plants. Plants don’t care about nitrItes. (Note: the common recommendation of 1 lb. of salt per 1,000 gallons for 0.1 ppm is a nice, “round” number. If your pond is 3,000 gallons or so, the difference is not that much. But if you have a large pond, upwards of 5,000 – the difference in “rounding” becomes more pronounced.)

o       If your KH is below 100 (5-6 drops), add baking soda at the rate of 1 cup per 1,000 gallons. This will help to buffer your pond from a pH crash in the event there is more rain. If you have “bead” type filtration, you need to have your KH above 200 (remember to multiply the number of drops it takes to effect the color change by 17.9 to get the proper reading. Don’t ask: it’s a “German” thing!).

·        If you were not able to net the pond, get your fish/skim net out and remove as many leaves and other debris as you can: decaying leaf matter will rapidly consume oxygen, and that’s the last thing the pond needs at this time

·        If you have plants, return them to their proper positions; repot as necessary – remove as much of the dirt dumped in the pond as possible. If you have a bottom drain, make sure it isn’t clogged and is taking up the junk on the bottom of the pond. If you don’t have a bottom drain, vacuum the pond as soon as you can.

·        Chances are good that your pond water will be murky; at the very least, the nutrient levels will be “off” due to the excessive rain water. Now is a good time to add Koi Clay at the rate of 3 Tbs. per 1,000 gallons, dissolved in pond water and distributed around the pond. That’s triple the recommended “maintenance” dose, but less than the “remedial” level. You can use up to 1 cup per 1,000 gallons if necessary (or more – you can’t overdose). The Koi Clay will do several things for your water: the clay will act as a flocculent, taking particles suspended in the water column to the bottom. It will also replace minerals and trace elements that are required by both your fish and your bioconverter.

·        Hopefully your pond has not sustained any severe damage that will require extensive work. If it has – and you don’t have a quarantine facility available, consider getting a kiddy pool to be used until the fish can be returned to their home. These are relatively cheap and can remain boxed in your garage until necessary. (Hint: keep these pools in mind at the end of the “season” when they’re on close-out: they become downright economical at that point!) If all else fails, call your local club: show tanks work very well indeed!

Emergency supplies should include:

Ammonia test kit

NitrIte test kit

KH/TA test kit

Baking soda

Salt

Enough ammonia binding dechlor to do the pond 3x over!

Activated charcoal

Koi clay (calcium bentonite)

Net to cover the pond

Generator and/or Inverter

Sand bags

PVC pipe, fittings, glue, etc. to make repairs if necessary

Extra air stones and pumps (air and water, if possible), with appropriate hose

And perhaps most importantly – your sense of humor: it will serve you well over the next few days!