What do you do with your koi pool after the storm? The first thing that you need to do is relax, take time to breathe, because your koi are probably just fine: they’re just traumatized by what they have experienced (which is normal for any pets who have undergone such an unusual situation). Unless a lot of damage has been done to the koi pool water and the whole koi pond, you needn’t worry about their health. Instead, what you should focus is their home, which may be in need of some repairs.

You may have either prepared very well for the storm or may have been taken into surprise by the event, but whatever your case is, you should take the action needed to make sure that no further damage will be given to it. So here are the things/steps you need to do.

First, you have to undo all of the storm precautions/measures you made to survey possible damages. If you netted your koi pond, remove as much debris off the net as you can and then remove the net itself. Once you have done this, make a survey of the damage and then check out the condition of your pets. If you expect high waters and then your sand has extended outward beyond the normal point in the area of the koi pond, remove all sand bags for you to have an easy access in your koi pond (given that the koi pool water level is normal as well). Now, don’t worry if things seem out of place, as it may not be as bad as the original setup was. Once these things has been removed, take your time to examine the area. If there are any debris, skim over and netting to remove them. If the surrounding plants or other decorations has been uprooted, bring them back to the spot where they have been put originally.

Now, if your koi pond has been damaged quite badly, remove your pets immediately from the koi pond. Even though proper bagging as well as transporting techniques are needed if the damage will really need to take some time to get it fixed, there are some options that you can have if the damage can be fixed immediately. Use a children’s pool as a temporary home for your pets. You can also contact your local zoo or pet store, asking them of any program to help you in housing your pets until the much needed maintenance can be made. But if you only need to do some small repairs, focus on the koi pool water quality. Your pond’s water will be dark or cloudy due to the storm and the extra water from the rainfall. Resolve those ammonia issues if the storm lasted for a longer time. Then test your koi pool water for the presence of Nitrates.

If there are nitrates, add the right amount of salt to the koi pool water, which is about three-fourths to a pound of salt per 100 gallons of water. It’s a good idea to add more salt if your pets got shocked by the storm or if they have injuries (if you have plants lying around in your koi pond, remove them before you add the salt). Your pets should be your priority here.

And if you have KH issues (especially if it falls below 100), you can add baking soda to your koi pond (around 1 cup of unpacked baking soda per 1000 gallons of water). Doing this will protect your koi pond from a pH crash that may happen in a later time.