Can I clean my pond myself?

Andrew_Ryan_89

Hey guys, I recently moved into my first property back in December. We have a decent sized pond, probably 3x2 meters and at least a meter deep. We have about 7 goldfish, 2 carp looking fish and I counted 7 frogs who have recently laid a bunch of eggs.

Since we moved the water has never been clear. The previous owner couldn't get the pump working but said the pond has been fine without it (she's had it for at least a couple of years I'm assuming). Looking from above, it looks like a layer of dirt is floating on the top and from my non-professional opinion the pond needs a clean.

I've contacted a few local gardeners, none so far work with ponds. Posted an advertisement on Rated People and no one has got back to ne

I was thinking about having a go and cleaning it myself but was not sure if this was wise because of the frogs and the frog eggs and also the possibility of ruining the lining of the pond.

Just wanted to get an opinion if it is as complicated of a job as I'm thinking.

Many thanks,

pendragon_arther

It's a big job. My wife and I did ours a few years ago. There are pond clearing products which are wildlife friendly but these only work to clear algae etc. We caught the fish and frog spawn and put in buckets of the water then spent ages using buckets to empty the remaining water. The frogs hide in the sludge at the bottom which we cleared as best we could. We salvaged as many as the plant roots as possible then filled with a hose and put in the product which makes the tap water safe for fish then returned the fish and spawn. It didn't take long before the clean pond to return to normal. It took us a long morning.

gamston

If I was you I'd get a pump and a filter and run that, it will take a few days to clean it but use it all the time and the pond still stay clean
If you do get a pump and filter get them bigger than you need, even if you don't make the pond you have bigger it helps to keep it clean
I start with a pond your size, and over the years we have made it bigger, I've got bigger filters & pimps each time
get a secondhand filter or make your own, and buy a good pump

Davesnave

Or, being devil's advocate, you could sell the fish and have a nice wildlife pond without all that expensive $rsing-about!

You'll still need to do annual or twice yearly weed/plant clearance though, as pond plants soon choke it when left to their own devices.

lstar337

I would think you would need a good quality pump, filter, and UV system.

When my parents kept koi carp they had a 4M/2M/2M pond and that had at least a grands worth of filtration system. Even that still need vacuuming at least once a month!

phil24_7

As mentioned you need to get a filter system and uv. It sounds like your bond would also be helped by a bit of intervention first.

Get the frogs and spawn out and into a neighbours pond or provide some way of getting out of the pond, else they'll all just die! Buy or hire a pond hoover to help remove sediment from the bottom of the pond. Cut pack any pond plants and net and remove anything on the surface (this should be done whenever you see things floating). Set your filter system up and clean this every couple of days until the water has cleared. Then it'll need cleaning out once a month.

Depending on what fish you have in there will depend on what your regime will involve going forward. Koi are messy as they eat and pooh a lot. They also require very good parameters. Regular goldfish are very hardy and will put up with most things.

Regards
Phil

Grenage

It's not that bad, but it's not a five minute job. I moved into a house with a 4x4x2m pond - we used a large biological filter and a decent pump; I never cleaned the filter in the 5 years I was there, and I just kept the duckweed down with a net in summer. There were about 70 fish.

You can drain and clean it all out, but is best avoided unless truly necessary.

EssexExile

I'm with Grenage, it's not a big problem & it doesn't need a complicated answer. You say you've only just moved in, I'd leave it a while & see how things go. Clear out obvious mess like old plants & floating weeds, get some magazines or find some websites on the subject & have a good read. I've have ponds most of my life & never had pumps or filters or uv systems, some years they're nice & clear , others they're not, that's nature.

SplanK

Ironically, it being dirty is probably what's keeping the fish alive and the water from being deadly to the fish. It has created a sell sustaining eco system.


If you did want to clean it out:


1. Don't do too much in one go, do it in stages over a number of weeks.
2. Get a working filter setup and leave it to run for a couple of weeks to allow bacterial growth on the filter material. A model with a UV lamp should reduce suspended algae blooms but the bulb will need to replaced 6-12 months (each filter is different).
3. Do not replace all the water on 1 go, do 1/4 or 1/3rd at a time and use water dechlorinator.
4. Leave the fish in, use some sort of pond vac or syphon to suck up gunk from the bottom.


Planted material is really good for the pond, it helps take fish waste out of the water and somewhere for the fish to hide. However, dead/rotting plants contribute to an unhealthy pond so remove quickly.

Andrew_Ryan_89

Another quick question guys. The frogs have spawned an incalculable amount of eggs. How many of these will actually hatch and grow into full sized frogs?

EssexExile

Hardly any, that's why they have so many.