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10 Steps to Clean Pond Water

July
15th
PondMeister

Clear water, beautiful pond

Water clarity is a major concern for all pond owners. We offer these suggestions for keeping your pond crystal clear.

1. Clean out any leaves, mulch, and any other debris that has collected in the pond. As the natural materials decompose they provide nutrients that feed algae. Net the leaves before they sink to bottom.
Recommended products:
Aquascape Skimmer Net with Extendable Handle
Matala Pond Vacuum II

2. Thin out your pond fish if you have more than 1 goldfish for every 50 gallons of water or 1 Koi fish for every 150-200 gallons on average. If you just can’t part with your pond fish, upgrade your filter and/or add an aerator to handle the extra fish. Another rule-of-thumb is no more than 1 fish inch per every 10 gallons of water.

3. Stop feeding your fish till the water clears! Or at least reduce feedings to 1-2 times a week and scoop out anything not eaten in 10-15 minutes. There should be plenty of natural food in the average garden pond for your fish to feed on.

4. Add or upgrade your filter system to a 2-step system.
Step 1 – Place a pre-filter where the pump is located to provide mechanical filtration.
Step 2- Install a proper size biological filter to convert fish waste into beneficial bacteria. The biological filter is often installed out of the pond, disguised as a waterfall. The biological filter will restore the ecological balance of your pond, and does not require cleaning all season long.
Recommended products:
E Z BioFilters (Versatile Pre Filters)
MicroFalls BioFalls Filter

5. Make sure your pond pump is located on the opposite side of your pond as far away as possible from the waterfall or stream it feeds. This ensures complete circulation and prevents creating stagnant areas. If you see an area where water is not circulating, you might consider adding another Skimmer or Biofalls.
Recommended products:
MicroSkim by Aquascape

6. Add the proper quantity of aquatic plants especially submerged plants and floating plants for your size pond. Place floating plants in a stream, near a pump, etc. where water is continuously pulled past their roots. These plants will rob the algae of nutrients and provide shade to block the sun which green algae thrives on.

7. Seed your garden pond weekly with beneficial bacteria. Dry formulas are more cost-effective than liquid, but many prefer the faster acting liquid bacteria.
Recommended products:
Beneficial Bacteria (Dry)
Microbe Lift PL

8. Add a single layer of fist-sized round stones across the bottom and on any shelves in the pond. This prevents fish from stirring up dirt that collects on the bottom of the pond.

9. Make sure your garden pond is not receiving runoff from the lawn or any surrounding ground. Raise edges a few inches with stone and foam to direct the runoff around instead of into the pond. Ban the use of fertilizers and pesticides in your yard. Remember – pond water is a more effective fertilizer than anything that you can buy in the store.

10. Do a 10-20% water change every 2 weeks. Be sure to purge the water from the bottom of the pond and add a de-chlorinator if you use city water to refill it.
Recommended product:
Pond Detoxifier


date Posted on: Tuesday, July 15th, 2014 at 3:23 pm
Category Pond Products, Pond Tips.
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One Response to “10 Steps to Clean Pond Water”

  1. Giovana

    Thanks for the great tips on how to improve pond water quality. A pond can be a beautiful feature for any backyard, but only if it is maintained. If a pump is damaged or a pond is neglected, the pond can become murky and dirty. Then it just becomes a nuisance. http://www.konalandscape.com/pond-repair.html

    June 3rd, 2015 at 11:59 am