STORM WARNINGS
By: Charles E
Lewis

California
has earthquakes; we in the south and east coast have hurricanes. One thing we
all share is power outages. Ours are usually caused by storms. Most power
outages last only a few hours and only happen a few times a year. A hurricane is
always a threat that hopefully will never happen or have only a minimal
consequence. Flooding may be more common then a power interruption and both can
happen at the same time.
A
well built well thought out well designed pond will survive a big storm with a
long power outage, lots of rain and flooding. This pond also will be less
worrisome during the numerous smaller but strong storms. The most obvious and
the most popular is the garden pond. It has few fish so it does not need extra
filter or aeration. There is enough surface area for oxygen levels to be
sufficient. The surfaces of the pond and plants handle the filtration. A koi
pond should be able to stand-alone for hours without danger of quick suffocation
or toxic waste build up. The key is in the number of fish. Conditions in an over
stocked over fed pond will quickly deteriorate. A lesser or under stocked pond
will always be healthier, have less maintenance, and survive periods of no
power.
Heavy
rain can make a pond quickly overflow or be flooded out. Heavy rains can cause a
change in the pH and the temperature of your pond water. Water with higher alkalinity
will have a stable pH. Buffers can be used like baking soda will help keep ph
stable. If possible
to use a tarpaulin a few feet above the surface to permit airflow yet keep rains
out. A pond should be built
with the top above grade. Six inches is minimum and twelve inches is better.
This can be a raised wall or lip. It also can be graded out and still have an in
ground look. This will make rainwater drain away from the pond instead of into
it. ? If at ground level consider surrounding the perimeter with a wall of sand
bags 1 or 2 bags high. Drastic, but it has been done. This may protect your fish
from being washed away never to be seen again. Is it possible to set up a
portable show tank, maybe in a garage or other protected area? Consider the
bathtub for smaller fish. We know that with changes to their environment, Koi
will often jump. Murphy says that they will land in the worst possible location.
A net surrounding the edge or covering the pond is therefore advisable. Choosing a spot that is not the low spot that always floods should be
avoided or built higher. An overflow drain is easy to build and may be the most
used and important design of a pond. Without an overflow the water level will
never be constant, be hard to maintain and get too high during a storm flowing
over the top. An overflow drain should be large enough to handle large amounts
of water I like four inch pipe. It can be above the waterline or stubbed up from
below. It needs to drain to an area that can handle a lot of water. A storm
drain, a dry well or a drain field, which is a large hole with gravel in it,
then covered work well. Making a bog area where the overflow water goes also
works. Just take care that it does not flood someone else. Having the waterline
above grade makes any overflow drain simple.
Lower
stocking and overflow drains are simple ways of making a pond storm proof but
there is more we can do. Most of us like to be heavily stocked with more fish
then we should have. We may not want our fish not to have periods of low oxygen
or risk an ammonia build up. One solution is to have an emergency generator that
can be started automatically when the power goes out. They may not be too
expensive for the piece of mind and convenience they provide. A portable
generator can be used for some or all your equipment but will have to be started
and switched usually during a storm. Both of these solutions work but will need
fuel on hand and tested regularly for events that may only happen once or twice
a year or a big event that may never happen.
Lets
say we are in a hurricane watch or a tropical storm warning and we have five
days to get ready. There are a few simple things you can do and a few simple
items you should have on hand that could save your fish until power comes back
on in a few days.
1: STOP FEEDING!
Koi
will be fine for a week with no food. With no food the amount of ammonia
produced will be dramatically reduced. This is a common practice when taking koi
to a show to prevent ammonia build up in holding tanks. Koi excrete the most
ammonia right after they eat so if bad weather is approaching you may want to
skip a meal. The longer the better. 3-5 days of no food will make a huge
difference.
2: WATER TREATMENTS.
Products
like Amquel or Ammo Lock are products that bind ammonia and prevent it from
harming fish. These products should be on hand normally. You can test your water
for ammonia and use these products to control it. Make sure your test is a
salicylate type as opposed to a Nessler rent base kit that will give false
readings with ammonia control chemicals. Mydor is one brand of test kit that
will work.
3: SHADE
Storms
happen during the summer when it is sunny and hot. A tarp on PVC legs or rope
over the pond will help keep the temperature down. This will help keep the
dissolved oxygen up and make the fish more comfortable. With no power or air
conditioning it may also be a nice place to be. I have seen some inexpensive
quick garden shade canopies that could be used.
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4: EMERGENCY POWER.
A
car battery and a power inverter can run an air pump and air stone for hours.
The battery can be kept charged with a charger on low and a timer so it is not
charging all the time. When the power goes out you plug your air pump into the
inverter. Aeration using this method is very efficient, low in cost and easy to
do. You may have these items already. For longer periods of time you can
recharge the battery with a car, self start lawnmower, motorcycle or small
emergency generator. You also can find complete units like the XP600 for $279.95
from Aquatic eco-systems. Small
emergency generators are good on fuel and can provide many hours of aeration.
5: HYDROGEN PEROXIDE.
This
is another item that should be on hand. It can be added to the pond and add huge
amounts of dissolved oxygen to a system. Simply use ½ to 1 cup per 100 gallons.
Apply with a squirt bottle forcefully under the surface of the water. 60
squirts is good for 100 gallons
6: FILTERS
Bacteria
in a filter will go anaerobic without oxygen. It will start going bad and
producing toxic wastes like hydrogen sulfide. A few hours may be ok but if the
power is out for more than a few hours you should not pump right back into the
pond. You should back wash your filter first.
If it is an open filter you can have air stones on your
emergency power to help keep the filter aerobic and living.
7: GROUNDING
Make
sure that all equipment is grounded with heavy wire and GFI protected. This will
lessen them being damaged by lightning, storm surges and shorts from wet
weather.
This
is only intended to be a brief guide and in no way details all steps that can or
should be taken in an event. In
summary plan for flooding and power outages. Do not to over stock unless you
have the equipment to support a livable condition. Plan for ammonia build up
with no filtration by chemical treatments and halting of food. Emergency power
works most efficiently with aeration. Most storms are short or do little real
damage. Having a plan to handle them will make life less stressful for you and
your fish.