What do you need to do with your Koi pond after the storm? First, relax and just take your time to breathe, because your fish are just fine: they're just traumatized by the extreme weather that they have experienced (a normal reaction for any pet who's been under such an unusual situation). Unless there's a huge amount of damage done to your pond, you don't need to worry about the health of your fish. Instead, focus on their home, which may need some repairs.
Now, you either have prepared for the storm completely or you may have been surprised by it… but whatever your case is, make sure that no further damage will be done to it.
Here are the important things that you should do. First, undo all of the storm precautions that you have made to survey possible damages that have occurred. If your pond has been covered by a net, remove as many debris as you can off the net before removing it. Once removed, you'll be able to make a survey of the damage and then check the condition of your fish.
If you have been expecting high waters and your sand has then extended beyond the usual poind in your pond's area, remove all sand bags so that you'll have an easy access in your pond (provided that your pond has a normal water level). Now, don't fret or get discouraged if things seem out of their place, and it may not be as bad as its original setup.
Once all of the netting and the other precautions has been removed, what you need to do now is take your time to look and examine the area. If you get to see debris, skim them over and net them so that they will be removed. If the surrounding plants or other decorations has been uprooted or put out of their places, just put them again to their original spot.
Now, if your pond has undergone a major damage, remove your Koi immediately from the pond. Although proper bagging as well as transporting techniques are needed if the damage will take some time to get fixed, there are transient options available for you if the damage can be fixed quickly. You can also use the children's pool as a temporary place for your fish. You can also contact your local zoo or pet store and ask them of an available program to help you in housing your fish until the necessary maintenance can be made.
If it only requires small repairs, focus on the water quality. Your pond's water may now seem dark or cloudy because of the storm and the extra water given by the rainfall. You should be worrying about ammonia issues if the storm lasted for a longer period. Then test out your water if it has Nitrates. If these are present, what you do is you add the right amount of salt to the water (about three-fourths to a pound of salt per 100 gallons of water).
It may be a good idea to add more salt if your fish got shocked by the storm or if they got any type of injuries (if you got plants around your pond, you should remove them before you add the salt). Remember that your Koi should be prioritized instead of your plants.
If you have KH issues (especially those that fall below 100), what you can do is add baking soda to your Koi pond (1 cup of unpacked baking soda per 1000 gallons of water). This will protect your Koi pond from pH crashes that may happen in the near future.
