Do you live in an area that is prone to hurricanes and other storms? Are you concerned about the effect that it will have on your backyard pond? Just like your home, your pond also needs to be prepared for the upcoming storms so they will cause as little damage to it as possible.

Here are a few things you can do to prepare your pond for a major storm and save your fish in the event of a power outage.

Stop the feeding of your fish before the storm hits since koi excrete the most ammonia right after they eat. Koi will not only last for a week without food, but the level of ammonia will be dramatically reduced as well.

It is helpful that you test ammonia levels in your water and use water treatment products to control it. Salicylate type tests are often recommended due to their accuracy. Water treatments such as Ammo Lock and Amquel, bind ammonia and prevent it from harming fish. So, it is a good idea to have these water treatments on hand.

Storms often happen during the summertime when the weather is sunny and hot. To keep the fish comfortable and the oxygen levels level up, provide shade for your pond by using a garden shade canopy, a tarp on PVC legs or a rope over the pond.

You can also use emergency power to keep your pond going. An average car battery and a car inverter can run an air stone and an air pump for hours. A charger on low and a timer will help keep the battery charged The air pump can be plugged into the inverter when the power goes out. This method of supplying oxygen is very easy to use, efficient and inexpensive. Small emergency generators are also good for emergency power as well as fuel.

Hydrogen peroxide is a great way to add huge amounts of dissolved oxygen to your pond water. When adding Hydrogen peroxide, be sure that you ad 1/2 to 1 cup of peroxide to 100 gallons of water. Apply the solution with a squirt bottle under the water. Use 60 squirts per 100 gallons of water.

Without oxygen, bacteria in your filter will start to go bad and produce toxic wastes such as hydrogen sulfide. If your power is out for more than a few hours, it is not advisable to pump right back into the pond. Make sure you back wash your filter before running it again and if you have an open filter, you can help keep your filter aerobic and living by having air stones on your emergency power.

To help your equipment become less prone to damage by storm surges, lightning as well as shorts from wet weather, make sure that it is GFI protected and grounded with heavy wire.

It is advisable to plan for floods and power outages by not overstocking unless you have the equipment to support a livable condition.

As we all know, storms can bring a lot of damage to homes and properties. However, you can prepare for them by taking a few precautions, it will be less stressful not only for you, but your fish as well.