Comprehensive Guide: How to Keep Pond Water Clean?

If you want to prevent the pond owners’ nightmare – ropy algae spreading through the pond around a pile of dead fish, you better learn how to keep your pond clean.

With the best pond maintenance tips, you’ll find below, you’ll keep the pond water clean, and free of toxins and harmful chemicals, and your plants, fish, and entire pond’s ecosystem thriving. 

Regular Maintenance 

The foundation of good outdoor pond maintenance is consistency with the cleaning steps and methods. There are steps to take year-round to maintain high pond water quality.

Skimming Debris 

Skimming debris in your pond is one of the things you’ll have to do often. If the pond is near trees, you may have to do it every day or every couple of days. Purchase a net to capture, leaves, twigs, and debris and remove it from the pond.

Removing debris isn’t required only to keep your pond good-looking. Debris building reduces water quality and negatively affects the pond health by:

• Increasing algae growth
• Ecosystem disruption
• Oxygen depletion

Vacuuming the Pond Bottom

A pond vacuum is a must-have tool to keep the bottom clean and free of sludge and organic waste. How often you’ll have to vacuum your pond bottom depend on the environment and your pond ecosystem. But, here is an average tule of a thumb to follow if you are a rookie in pond care and maintenance:

• Large ponds – over 2,000 gallons – Once in three month
• Medium ponds – 500-2,000 gallons: Once in two months
• Small ponds – 500 gallons and less: Once every month

However, vacuum your pond bottom when you notice:

1. Layers of debris accumulation
2. Blooming algae
3. Murky water surface
4. Fish health problems
5. Foul smell

Cleaning Filters 

The last step of regular home pond maintenance is filter cleaning. You may have one, or several pond filter types which require regular cleaning and replacement:

Biological Methods

Introducing biological methods to your pond water maintenance is a great way to improve water quality while supporting natural ecosystem balance. At the same time, it helps the fish stay healthy and promote eco-friendly maintenance.

Beneficial Bacteria 

Beneficial bacteria in the bond break down organic waste. Products with these bacteria also control the level of ammonia in the pond. You can purchase powder, liquid, or granular products with these bacteria to add to your pond water.

When using these products for your backyard pond maintenance, it is important to follow the recommended dosage for the best results. A tip you can try is to pour the product near the pond filter, to ensure even product distribution.

Plants 

Carefully choose your pond plants to improve the water cleanliness and oxygenation of your plants. In addition, pond plants reduce the water temperature, provide shelter, and aid in nutrient absorption.

Try these plants for natural backyard pond cleaning:

• Water lilies
• Hornwort
• Water Hyacinth
• Cattails
• Elodea

However, using plants for garden pond maintenance isn’t without risks. If you don’t carefully choose and spread the plants, you risk overcrowding the pond which will limit the oxygen levels for the entire ecosystem. Some plants are also too invasive, spread too quickly, and require regular trimming.

Fish and Other Aquatic Animals  

Select species that consume algae, insect larvae, and detritus to set up a self-cleaning pond. Here are some of the fish used in ponds to clean the water, reduce algae growth, and pest control:

• Tilapia – good for the entire ecosystem
• Channel catfish – cleans the pond bottom from organic debris
• Suckermouth Catfish – best for algae
• Mosquito fish – reduce mosquito larvae and other insects
• Koi and goldfish – improves water clarity, eats algae

How many fish is too much? It depends on your pond size and the environment. If you plan to include fish as small pond maintenance, avoid overcrowding because it leads to waste accumulation. The rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per 10 water gallons. For large pond maintenance, 1 inch of fish per 5 water gallons is sufficient.

Chemical Treatments

Chemical pond treatment includes active ingredients formulated specifically to improve the water quality and eliminate the pests in the water. Every chemical treatment product comes with a strict how-to-use guide about the desired concentration, expressed in part of the product per million or ppm.

Algaecides

Algaecides come in two forms – liquid and granular. Their formulation and their purpose differ so they have different performances:

• Copper-based products – suitable for a variety of algae types, harmful for invertebrates
• Barley straw extract – natural algaecide, slowly killing algae, suitable for regular maintenance
• Simazine – great for filamentous algae
• Peroxide-based products – great for severe algae growth, kill the algae immediately.

If you opt for chemical treatment, make sure to follow the directions to use strictly to keep the plants and fish unharmed. Another tip is to use these products in the evening or morning when the water temperatures are lower, to prevent oxygen depletion.

Water Conditioners

Using water conditioners is an additional tip on how to keep pond water clean year-round. They neutralize harmful chemicals such as chlorine, ammonia, and heavy metals and maintain suitable water pH levels.

To keep track of water quality and pH level, purchase a pond water testing kit to understand the water features.

Get into a habit of regular testing and gradually introduce products while keeping track of fish behavior. Never apply drastic changes, because they can come as a shock to fish, and disrupt your pond ecosystem.

Physical Structures

Skimmers and waterfalls are great ways to enhance your landscape pond and create a healthy and aquatic environment.

Pond Skimmers and Waterfalls

Skimmers boxes are essential pond management add-ons to keep the water clean of debris, leaves, and waste materials. Water debris can clog your pond and harm the fish.

If you are looking for a decorative and functional improvement, consider waterfalls and fountains. Their benefits include improving oxygen levels in the water and promoting water circulation. What’s more, proper water circulation regulates the pond temperature and distributes the heat evenly across the pond.

Carefully choose a pump to ensure adequate water flow for your pond size. You can discuss your pump and preferences with pond retailers and contractors.

Pond Aerators

If you want to maintain a stable and sufficient oxygen level in your pond, consider adding a pond aerator. They come in different types:

• Diffusers – mounts on the bottom, and targets pond bottom for oxygen level improvement
• Fountains – decorative and functional purpose
• Surface aerators – great for larger ponds, improve oxygen exchange between surface and bottom
• Eco-friendly aerators – windmill and solar-powered aerator air pumps

Seasonal Care

In our How to Clean a Garden Pond guide, an important section considers seasonal care and explores slight differences in your pond maintenance.

Spring and Summer

As the spring arrives, remove de-icers and start with the warmer maintenance routine.

During spring and summer months, your ponds need more care. Aeration improves water circulation and regulates temperatures, preventing the water from overheating and harming the plants and fish.

Warmer weather supports rapid algae growth, so you can choose suitable algaecide for your pond to keep algae under control.

Fall

How to care for a pond during fall is an essential thing to learn to ensure your pond plants and fish survive winter. Regularly remove leaves and debris with a net to keep the water clean. Prune the aquatic plants properly to keep them healthy and prevent decay.

However, the essential step is gradual feeding reduction with the colder weather. When the water temperatures drop to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, stop the feeding.

Winter

If you live in an area with ice and heavy snow, invest in a quality pond heater and de-icer. It will keep the area ice-free with the proper gas exchange.

Don’t forget about water aeration, and keep them near the pond surface to maintain a consistent oxygen supply.

Preventive Measures

To avoid polluting the water in your pond and reduce the need for damage control, regular maintenance, and carefully considered preventive measures are the way to go.

Avoiding Overfeeding

Overfeeding fish in the pond is the most common mistake pond owners make. However, if you don’t feed the fish properly, you’ll risk the waste and reduce the overall water quality and heat of the entire pond ecosystem.

In addition, overfeeding can cause the ammonia and nitrite levels to increase and bloom the algae.

The rule of thumb is to feed your fish with only what they can eat in two or three minutes to minimize waste and prevent overfeeding. Regularly test the water to keep an eye on ammonia levels and monitor the fish’s behavior to get the right portions.

In addition, come up with a feeding schedule to maintain feeding consistency.

Controlling Runoff

Pond owners often neglect the negative impact of runoff, especially on the natural pond. You can use grass stripes or mulch to control and filter runoff and prevent fertilizer and pesticides from landing in your pond.

You can also consider different drainage systems to prevent contaminated runoff or install the pond away from chemical-treated areas.

Regular Water Testing

You don’t have to be a chemical expert to test the water for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and pH. The practical testing kits are easy to use and reveal different water characteristics. That way, you can detect problems with water quality and react in time. 

Testing water every week during warmer months is highly recommended, because the biological activity is higher during warmer weather. With the temperatures drop you can reduce the testing frequency. But, whenever a change such as a new fish or plant is introduced to your water or there is a noticeable change, testing is required.

Conclusion

How to maintain a pond requires a comprehensive approach, consistency, and regularity with preventive measures and problem-solving products and strategies.

Keeping the pond water clean and healthy for the living world inside is challenging, especially during the warmer months. You can choose between chemical treatment, natural solutions, or combining them. However, it is important to be thorough and consistent to control problems and come up with a suitable strategy on time.

FAQ 

How often should I clean my pond filter?

The cleaning frequency depends on the filter and the conditions in your pool. Generally, mechanical filters should be cleaned once every week, but other types can be cleaned once every several months.

Can I clean my pond myself, or should I hire a professional?

You can practice regular cleaning maintenance, such as debris removal and filter cleaning, but large pond maintenance and deep pond cleaning are better handled by professionals. With their skills and experience, they can combine different strategies and chemicals to achieve the best results without harming your pond ecosystem.

What are the signs of poor water quality in my pond?

The most common signs that your pond water quality decreases are algae growth and reduced water quality. However, strange fish behavior also suggests water problems, even though there isn’t physical evidence of issues with backyard pond cleaning.