Start early in the morning! Cooler morning temperatures are easier on you and your fish.
Pump the majority of the water out of the pond before attempting to catch the fish. With the low water level you should be able to catach the fish (gently) with your net. This will not only reduce the amount of stress on the fish but the stress on the stress on you, too!
Put the fish in a tank filled with old pond water and be sure to aerate the water. (We have aeration kits here at Nelson's) A trashcan lined with 2 or 3 leaf bags works well.
Concentrate on removing the debris from the bottom and leave the sides alone. The algae on the sides is beneficial and will help the pond "rebalance" itself after a cleaning.
Pond Cleaning is also a great opportunity to repot your aquatic plants. Aquatics can be repotted in the spring or fall as long as the plant is in an active growing state. A newly repotted plant in the fall will have a renewed flush of lush growth! (Or, bring your plants to us and we'll repot them for you!)
