Easy Tips To Keep Your Pond Clean

Ponds are beautiful little ecosystems that can enhance the look of your yard, neighborhood, or other local areas. Ideally, these water wonderlands are kept clean and clear so you can see the fish inside and make it a tempting place to take a dip in the hot summer sun. 

No one wants a mucky, algae-filled pond. Those ponds become an embarrassment and an eyesore. A pond is a phenomenal way to conserve water, help wildlife, and even increase property value. With some simple tips on the maintenance of your pond, you can make sure you have a clean, sparklingly clear pond within your view. 

You’ll want to check your pond about once every week. If you wait too long between your check-ins, your pond could develop issues that are harder to solve simply. With weekly check-ups, you can see if any algae or weeds are growing and deal with them right away before they become overwhelming. On top of that, you want to catch algae right away - just in case, it’s dangerous algae that might harm fish, animals that use your pond, or any of your pets that might sneak over to your pond.

1. Inspect Your Pond Pump

When doing your weekly checks, take a look at your pond aeration system, if you have one. Your pond aerator is there to keep a constant flow of oxygen going throughout your pond. 

1. Make sure you have the correct aeration system for your pond. If you have an improper system it will not do a good job at keeping it clean and healthy. If you’re not sure what would be needed for the size and depth of your pond or small lake, get expert analysis and advice from Jim at Organic Pond at (248) 290-8118.
2. Check the aerator system components for cleanliness. Your pond will develop issues over time that will be harder to fix as time goes by when your aerator is performing poorly, which can happen if it’s not kept clean, free of debris, and its filter not consistently replaced.
3. Listen and make sure the compressor and the cooling fan are working and sounds normal, especially after spot-checking/cleaning the components and replacing the filter.

2. Check The Pond’s Surroundings 

When you go out to your pond make sure to take a walk around the whole body of water. As you’re strolling around the shoreline it wouldn’t be a bad idea to collect any debris from nature nearby. This will include fallen leaves, sticks, twigs, and anything else of the sort to make sure these things don’t negatively affect the cleanliness of your pond. You can easily use a net to catch anything that’s not easily reachable. 

Most importantly, make sure that there is no garbage or plastic materials in your pond. Depending on what the garbage is, it could contain harmful by-products or chemicals that could damage the ecosystem of your pond or your pond pump. Plastic is one of the most common items of trash to be found in bodies of water and can do more damage than you think. For example, fish and other animals might try to ingest it, causing them to die.

3. Support Your Fish Friends

A major indicator your pond is doing well and staying clean is the livelihood of your fish. These majestic creatures are beautiful, calming, and are sensitive to their environment. Caring for your water is necessary to the aquatic life’s well-being. It’s vital to keep them alive and happy to help keep your pond looking as beautiful as it can be.

1. Feed your little friends. Most fish need to be fed every day. Make sure you choose the proper type of fish food for the species of fish you have. 
2. Don’t overfeed them. If you give them too much food and they don’t eat it, all the stray food can affect the ecosystem of the pond and help produce unwanted algae.
3. Don’t overpopulate your pond. Watching your fish swim around can be relaxing, but when there are too many fish it can become overwhelming for you and your pond. Don’t forget fish produce waste, so the more fish the more waste. If your pond is overcrowded the water will become less clean no matter what you do and the waste left behind from all the fish can create algae.

4. Check On Algae Growth

Left unattended, your pond will grow algae no matter what and you will need to address it regularly. All it needs to grow is nutrients and sunlight. 

There are many ways to help prevent or eliminate algae so that it never becomes too overwhelming. If you are walking around your pond and notice lots of algae developing, make sure to deal with it right away.

1. Use water treatments. There are chemically or naturally made products that help inhibit the growth of algae or even eliminate it altogether. Aeration (oxygenation), combined with beneficial bacteria and dye is your best bet for ponds that are growing algae easily.  This is because the nutrient load and sunlight can be reduced.
2. With this, it’s never a one and done situation. The treatment will eliminate the algae for the time being but the algae will continuously keep trying to grow. It’s best to use these products on a recurring basis.
3. Plant power. Add lilies to your pond to help fight the growth of algae. The lilies will take up room on the surface of the water, where most algae grow. Make sure not to overplant, though. If more than 60% of your pond has plants it could do more harm than good.

5. Monitor Water Temperature

In the summer when it's warmer out, make sure you check your pond's temperature. This is something that is easily missed by many pond owners. In the hotter months, your body of water will see a rise in temperature. Make sure that your pond becomes no hotter than 75 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid major damage to the pond’s environment. If the water becomes too hot, it will be much harder for the fish to breathe and could lead to their death. 

Throwing ice cubes into your pond won’t do the trick, you might have to look into installing an aerator. Farm Ponds, Backyard Ponds, Retention and Irrigation Ponds, as well as lakes all need Aeration. The Vertex Water Features Pond and Lake Aeration system with Vertex MicronBubble™ technology - available from OrganicPond.com - adds diffused oxygen to your water column, creating airflow so your pond can breathe. 

The high-efficiency, Super Quiet compressors, and diffusers provided by Vertex provide higher lifting rates with lower power consumption. It has proven to increase water clarity, reduce odors and muck, as well as eliminate thermal stratification and stagnation. This will allow for a better, thriving ecosystem within your pond.

Ponds are a great way to improve the aesthetic of your outdoor space. By making sure to keep an eye on your pond and doing weekly checks you can make sure your pond stays well-maintained, clear, and clean for a long time.