Leaves in pond, options?
Question:
Dear Pond Doctor, I have a 35′ x 37′ koi and goldfish pond. I live in a heavily wooded area. Last year I used the netting to prevent leaves in the pond, however, the weight of the leaves from the rain pushed the them into the pond anyway and the net kept tearing when we tried to remove it. This year we are trying a heavy duty silver tarp to cover the pond. It is very dark under the tarp and it sits on the top of the water. We have a bog filtration system that works very well. Will the tarp harm the fish in any way? our plan is to remove the tarp when the leaves are done falling. Thank you for your help. Tami Dawson, Pa
Answer:
We see several dangers here, mainly due to oxygen problems. A heavy tarp over the pond will by itself reduce oxygen the pond surface can provide, but in addition the darkness caused by the cover will make the plants take oxygen from the water instead of producing it by photo-synthesis, further reducing oxygen content. This can be very dangerous for your fish. An air pump would help eliminate this problem.