No matter if you have a garden pond, a small pond or larger pond offers you a peaceful haven where you can watch the lily pads float and see the sun glisten off the darting koi. That starts to get a bit tough to enjoy when it all gets gunked up with algae and murky from clogging debris. Just like are places around your home like your garage, basement and even your refrigerator need some occasional cleaning, so does your pond. It is just part of the regular pond maintenance that needs to be done so you continue to have a nice-looking pond.
Your Pond Gets Dirty – Have Your Pond Cleaned
Your pond is out in the elements and a lot of things fall into it. From leaves, twigs, grass clippings. As this organic matter begins to decompose, it releases nitrates and other materials. That diminishes the water quality.
As this debris decomposes it lowers the amount of dissolved oxygen that is in the water. This threatens the health of the fish you have in the pond. Over time your clean peaceful pond will start to look like muddy tea.
What Does Pond Cleaning Process Entail?
There are methods that professional pond cleaners use to return your pond back to the clean, clear water it once was and make your fish happy again. Here is a list of what they do:
- Drain your pond by pumping the murky water out of your pond. First, you want to remove any fish and put them in a temporary holding tank.
- Take out all the debris like dead leaves and twigs to dead frogs and any dead plants and fish that could be in your pond.
- Power wash and rinse your pond.
- Trim back and fertilize pond plants.
- Check and replace any underwater light bulbs or fixtures and do any pond repairs to the liner if necessary.
- Readjust rocks and gravel.
- Remove debris from the skimmer, and clean filters and the skimmer box.
- When everything is cleaned, replace the water. (City water is chlorinated and that will kill your fish, so adding a de-chlorinator before reintroducing fish to the pond is necessary.)
The Best Time to Have Your Pond Cleaned
This is probably one of the most common questions we get. The best answer we can give to you is to judge your eyes. Is the water clean or dirty? The spring or fall is often the time of year many go for professional pond cleaning.
Fall Cleaning
Doing fall cleaning will remove the muck from the bottom which can create a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. As the muck decomposes, the release of ammonia and other chemicals can get trapped in the water under the ice. As this builds up it will kill your fish over time.
Spring Cleaning
Giving your pond a good spring cleaning can help reduce many diseases and parasites that evolve as the pond warms up for the summer. It will also deter algae growth.
