Ah, the joy and anticipation of a new pond - you want to take baby pics and share them with the world. You’ve taken walks around to kick the tires, and finally you’re ready for your grand opening! You’ve put so much love, energy (and money) into this project, it’s natural that you want to enjoy the fruits of your labors, but you need to resist the urge to just jump in with both feet. After all, establishing an entire ecosystem takes time and patience. Once you’ve filled your pond with water, tested it, allowed enough time for a bacteria colony to populate, tested your water again, and given your plants a chance to get acclimated, it’s time to test your water (yes, again). If the system is in balance, your pH is at fish-safe levels, your ammonia is at or near zero, and your nitrates/nitrates look good, it’s time to start adding fish -- slowly.
Fish can dramatically change the chemical balance of a pond, and the larger they are in comparison to the overall pond size, the more impact they’ll have. If you can, add a mere handful of small fish or a single larger fish at first, and test the water daily until the measurements are steady again. Ideally, your bacteria load will increase along with the population, but you need to keep testing to make sure it’s not overwhelmed. Once you’ve reached equilibrium and your first residents look healthy and happy, bring on the second wave. Rinse and repeat until you’ve reached your goal, but be sure to keep testing on a regular basis - good quality water is the foundation of a healthy pond and healthy fish. If you follow these steps with care and patience, you should have a lovely pond with vibrant plants, clear water, and happy fish! Take some more pictures now and show them off -- I guarantee they’ll be even more impressive than the baby pics.
