A healthy pond can be an amazing feature for any property, and while proper pond care is crucial, there are ways to limit the labor needed to maintain the water quality. At Healthy Ponds, we can provide you with easy-to-use pond maintenance products and some tips to help make pond care as simple as possible.
1. Install Aeration
When you keep the water circulating in your pond, this can prevent stagnation and keep water temperatures lower. An aeration system should be powerful enough to circulate the water twice in 24 hours. With a shallow pond, a pretty fountain aeration system can be a fun option, but with deeper ponds, it’s best to opt for a bottom diffusion system that circulates the cooler water from the bottom of your pond toward the surface.
2. Install A Filter
A pond filter can be a good way to ensure that your pond doesn’t end up with a heavy sludge layer. Pond filters can remove excess fish waste and any uneaten fish food as well as other debris.
3. Add Beneficial Bacteria
The easiest ways to prevent a stagnant pond are by installing aeration and using beneficial bacteria for ponds. When ponds are stagnant or perhaps exposed to runoff from your lawn, this introduces excess nutrients into your pond, such as nitrogen and phosphorous.
The nutrients can encourage the rapid growth of floating green organic matter and lower oxygen levels, which can be harmful to fish. Beneficial bacteria consume these excess nutrients, preventing many common pond issues.
We recommend treating your pond monthly with AquaSpherePRO®, which is a biodegradable beneficial bacteria product that you simply toss into your pond every 30 days.
We also recommend adding Natural Blast® at the beginning of your warm season to ensure that your pond has a healthy dose of beneficial bacteria on hand to combat rising water temperatures. Natural Blast® also can be used whenever you begin to see signs of floating organic matter forming at the surface of the pond or if your pond has a sludge layer if you notice foul odors emitting from your pond, all of which indicate excessive amounts of nutrients in the water.
Natural Blast® and AquaSpherePRO® can be used together and you cannot overtreat pond water with beneficial bacteria. However, you can undertreat the water, so it’s always best to have a bit more beneficial bacteria than you think you need. Both of these products are all-natural, veterinarian-approved, and safe for fish, wildlife, pets and people.
4. Add Beneficial Plants
Some beneficial floating plants can be an excellent addition to your pond and help reduce temperatures during the hot summer months. These plants also provide oxygen for pond water and even attract insects for small fish to nibble on. We recommend purchasing plants from an aquatic nursery and speaking with the experts at the nursery to ensure proper plant selection.
5. Create A Shoreline Barrier
Runoff from storms can be a huge contributor to pond water quality issues. Creating a barrier with beneficial plants and rocks can prevent some of this runoff from entering your pond and also helps to prevent shoreline erosion.
6. Feed Your Fish Appropriately
Overfeeding fish can impact water quality, so we recommend speaking with a fish expert to determine the correct amounts of food and when to feed. Fish waste also can become an issue as this contains excess nutrients. Filtering the water, using beneficial bacteria and maintaining a proper fish population can ensure that fish waste doesn’t affect water quality.
7. Remove Debris
It’s a good idea to get outside, grab a skimmer and remove any debris floating on the surface of your pond. This is especially important after a storm or wind event and during the autumn months when falling leaves can enter the pond. These dead plants and debris sink to the pond bottom and decompose into pond muck. A heavy layer of muck will be unpleasant for swimmers and also reduces water quality.
8. Install A Pond Net
With a small water feature or koi pond, adding a pond net can be a great option to consider. Not only will this ensure that falling leaves and other debris don’t enter the pond, but it also prevents predators from harming your fish.
9. Test The Water Often
Testing pond water quality and checking the water temperature is always a good idea. You will want to regularly check the pH levels, ammonia and nitrite levels to ensure that these are in a healthy range for any pond inhabitants, such as fish and other aquatic creatures. When water temperatures are above about 74 degrees, you typically start to experience water quality issues and drops in oxygen levels.
During the hot summer months, it can be smart to use pond dye. Not only will our natural pond dyes improve the aesthetics of your pond, but these dyes can also block some of the UV rays, which can help reduce water temperatures.
10. Bag Up Your Grass
While leaving some cut grass behind can be beneficial for your lawn in general, it can be smart to bag up the grass in areas that are close to the pond. Grass clippings can contain lawn chemicals and this debris, in general, can add to your sludge layer.
11. Switch Your Fertilizer
Using fertilizers without nitrogen or phosphorus can prevent these nutrients from entering your pond as runoff. Keeping the grass longer (between about 2 and 4 inches) also can improve the quality of your grass and soil, which makes it better able to soak up excess rainwater.
Our Dr. Connie’s Lawn product also can be a beneficial, natural addition to your lawn. This product is ideal for any ornamental law as well as sports and playing fields and improves the root development of the grass, which, in turn, ensures a better uptake of nutrients and a greener, denser lawn.
12. Add A Pond Heater or De-Icer
Winter pond care can be tricky if you live in an area where pond water temperatures drop drastically or freeze over. A pond heater or de-icer can be helpful, but for any ponds with fish, we do recommend talking with a pond expert about the best options for winter pond care.
Got Questions? Contact Us At Any Time!
At Healthy Ponds, we are always happy to answer your questions about pond management and our pond care products. We also offer free personalized treatment plans for any size water feature at https://healthyponds.com/free-pond-plan/.
