7 Tricks to Keep Your Pond Fresh and Clean
Whether you are a homeowner or environmental caretaker, keeping your pond clean with ease becomes a paramount issue for your koi fish pond or water garden. Follow our simple 7 tricks to keep you pond fresh and clean.
To that end, most vigilant water garden pond owners will know that clean water will factor into a salubrious pond. On the flip side, if you don’t know how to keep a pristine pond, this can be a challenge to say the least. And the telltale signs could be more subtle than you may think.
For example, your typical backyard koi fish pond or water garden water might look crystal clear, but if your fish are exhibiting unusual behavior, this could mean your pond needs to be cleaned.
With our 7 Tricks to Keep Your Pond Fresh and Clean, this process will be much easier for your precious water garden habitat.
1.) Curate and maintain a healthy fish population
Fisher in Oliver’s Pond by Clayton Sieg via Flikr.
One of the ways to determine whether your pond is sufficient to host a vibrant fish population is to assess the total fish to your gallon levels. For example, if you have a pond of 100 gallons or more, then you should have no more than 10” of fish. Otherwise, your aquatic paradise is likely over-populated, which can lead to a disproportionate level of fish waste.
If this is the case with you, then you may want to contact a pond retailer or third party contractor to buy your fish. This is generally an easy process and can be streamlined, too.
2.) Make sure to properly feed your fish
An artificial feeding pond for fishes by Avinashmambully via Wikimedia Commons.
This next tip should go without saying, but you would be surprised to find that many pond owners do not treat their fish well; and this can lead to some potentially intractable consequences. If you overfeed your fish, not only can this lead to likely potential health problems, but it can lead to detrimental issues for your pond, too.
For starters, the surplus amount of uneaten food will decay in the water. To prevent this, try to feed your fish no more than once per day and make sure to use quality fish food— preferably that floats. Always remove uneaten food.
3.) Sustain a healthy balance of plants
Fauna in a pond by FarfOuille via Pixabay.
During the peak times of the season, you should typically have anywhere from 40% to 60% of the surface area of your pond either covered in or shaded by flora. However, a surfeit amount of anything is typically not an efficacious scenario.
With too much flora, there comes an excess of oxygen which in turn stymies the photosynthetic process—which is crucial for plants to give off carbon dioxide. In other words, your fish need an ample amount of oxygen to survive. So a superfluous amount of plants could be detrimental to their survival.
4.) Choose the correct size pump for your pond
A solar-powered water fountain in a pond by Squigfried via Wikimedia Commons.
While this may seem like a trivial step, it’s crucial for the health and even safety for both the fish and the pond. Typically, you should be circulating the entirety of your pond’s water at a minimum rate of once per hour. Additionally, you should check the backfill of your pump to see if there is any internal obstruction.
As always, you want to make sure your upkeep products for your pond are up to date with exceptional quality. To better equip your aquatic masterpiece, check out our pond, which includes different filters (which we’ll cover later), pumps and other accessories.
5.) Invest in Quality Pond Tools
Girl using a fishing net by USFWS via Pixnio.
This could be the simple fix your pond desperately needs. With a pond brush and other quality products, you’ll be able to remove unwanted algae—a common occurrence—or other floating debris that can abjectly affect the environment your fish need to thrive. These are typically inexpensive items, so you won’t necessarily have to take a cut from your pond budget to make purchases.
The processes are simple, too, as you’ll only have to spend about 10 minutes per day removing leaves, twigs and other debris from your pond. At the same time, you may want to invest in a skimmer net. Routine pond maintenance is a key to a healthy and clean pond.
6.) Choose the correct filtration system
Traditional coping on an NSP pool with adjoined side pond by Enricoslasheric via Wikimedia Commons.
As with your pump, your pond’s filter should also be comparable to the size of your pond. As with any other filter, remember to clean it regularly according to the instructions. For the size, you want it to be outfitted as close to the dimensions of your pond as possible, too.
For filters, there are generally types you should be aware of as a pond owner. There are Biological and Mechanical pond filter systems. They can be further broken down into Gravity filters and box style filters, which utilize both biological and mechanical filtration techniques to optimize beneficial bacteria.
7.) Maintain beneficial bacteria
Cyanobacteria in a freshwater pond by Christian Fischer via Wikimedia Commons.
Speaking of bacteria, adding this to your pond is actually instrumental to a continual healthy life cycle. By specifically infusing biodegradable bacteria packs once per month, for instance, you’ll be ensuring a clean pond.
When adding any pond water treatment, you’ll need to know the total gallons of your pond. In order to properly add the appropriate amount of the aforementioned water treatment. Always remember to scrupulously read the instructions, and follow product guidelines.
For more information on how to clean your pond and help ensure you are using the correct products for clarity, health and appearance, make sure to check out our selection of pond filter media and follow these simple 7 Tricks to Keep Your Pond Fresh and Clean.
