Pond Maintenance 101

So prevention is the primary key to low maintenance in a water garden. But having said that, many shortcuts will make it less time consuming and more enjoyable.

Above all, if you have got the right filtration system (mechanical filtration and biological filtration), the maintenance is much more comfortable. This filter combination is going to reduce your pond maintenance or attention around the pond dramatically.

With the installation of a proper pond skimmer (on the side of your garden pond) pond care is easy.  You will have an automated system that skims the pond water surface (easy to clean, like emptying a lawn mower box). The pond skimmer will remove the floating waste continually on a 24-hour basis. The surface skimmer will collect lots of leaves as they fall into the pond with its sweeping motion. 

If you do not have any form of mechanical filter, it becomes a problem. You will have issues and high maintenance as you become the slave to the fish and plants without an automated filtration system. That is in total control of any nutrients or the decaying vegetation in the garden pond. 

You must get a fishing net or a pan net with a long handle to fish out the remove dead leaves. Removing the leaves physically by hand is hard work as their are always odjects in the way. Or another option is to cover the pond with a pond cover net. These cover nets will stop the leaves (or slow the leaves down) going into the garden pond.

With these shortcuts, you can make the pond maintenance a lot more enjoyable. It becomes more like pottering around the garden. Then a more significant task of pond cleaning. Making sure that there are only a few leaves in your garden pond. Without the right mechanical filtration is backbreaking work if not thought about beforehand.

Pond Plants can reduce pond maintenance.

You can also grow many different water plants to reduce the pond maintenance. For instance, without the plants, you are in total control of nitrates (nutrients). You have seen a green pond right this is directly down to the number of nutrients. Mother nature is fantastic at providing a solution to problems, but that does not help the garden pond owner. 

Enjoying a green pond is not much fun you can’t see your fish. Most of the wildlife will leave the garden pond. Waiting for mother nature to process or kill off the load on the body of water. It is a case of you need to do some pond maintenance grow more pond plants.

Pond Maintenance
Pond Maintenance

Growing faster-growing plants will reduce that amount of maintenance.

Fast-growing plants will outcompete the algae for food. Not only will they outcompete the algae for food but they will block out the light. 

Fast-growing rafting plants are an excellent low maintenance tip. But you do still have to carry out pond plant husbandry. This husbandry (cut pond plants back) is a lot easier than remove single-cell algae.

Now sometimes you will get a bit of blanket weed or filamentous algae growing in certain areas in a pond.  The reason for this is there is a lot of nutrients in that area.  Now if you are getting blanket weed everywhere, that is because you are not growing enough plants in your pond.  Now you might not want plants in your garden pond.  

You might want a koi pond or a fish pond.  

Then, you have no choice you must have the correct mechanical and biological filtration. That will break these nutrients down or flush them away.  These fish ponds can be natural to look after, but a lot of attention is needed. Routine maintenance is a must, cleaning those filters and looking after the beneficial bacteria.

Also, other tips are you can have rocks and gravel covering the surface of your pond liner. Stones and gravel provide a better look and feel to a fish pond. It is like the forest floor. It creates a lot of surface area for beneficial bacteria.  

Now if you do not do the right pond maintenance, this forest floor dies. These rocks and gravel will get covered in a fine layer of silt. Stopping the oxygen and reducing the surface area then a pond clean is needed.

Providing you are doing a good level of pond maintenance on your fish pond. Rocks and gravel can reduce the amount of work that you have to do. Less work is down to the beneficial bacteria that live on the rocks and gravel.  Some people think that stones and gravel in a pond is a lot more of maintenance. 

When they come to clean the garden pond out the gravel is full of waste. Well, it still would have been even without the rocks and gravel. Read more here.

Garden Pond Maintenance

Garden ponds do not have to be sterile.  But if you want a barren pool with fish swimming around. Then bottom drains, and a small drum filter is needed.  You then want a fish pool rather than a fish pond.

What type of pond maintenance service is right for you?

Regular pond maintenance is essential to keep your pond not only looking its best. But to avoid any longer-term pitfalls along the way. Being in the garden, and perhaps ‘out of mind’ during the Winter months.

Overlooked pond maintenance can lead to a slow build-up of chronic problems. A regular maintenance contract not only keeps your pond and its inhabitants in tip-top condition. Pond maintenance visit also gives you peace of mind.  We can be spotting and treating potential issues early.

PLANT HUSBANDRY AND CONTROL

Keep that healthy balance of aquatic plants is an integral part of pond ownership.  Small pond maintenance is a must for any garden pond owners. Not only do plant help with natural pond maintenance that can create a head-turning water feature in your garden.  Here at Any Pond, we have an unrivalled understanding of aquatic plant husbandry. Planting to get the very best from your pond and surrounding landscape.

We can offer expert advice and planting of the best plant species. To introduce and the quantities required to establish your pond quickly. For those developing a natural pond system. We can advise on oxygenating plants and introduction at the correct levels to give a balanced environment.

Consequently, all aquatic plants will benefit from some maintenance and control. Such as correct planting and installation, to regular maintenance, Any Pond will keep your pond plants balanced, detailed and thriving.  Furthermore, invasive plants can be a problem in some ponds mainly if they have not been correctly set-up in the first place.  Offering physical and chemical control of invasive plants (such as blanket weed). We also provide advice on how to reduce the nutrient levels that promote unwanted plant growth. Hence its all part of the service.  Any Pond Limited also specialise in farm pond maintenance.  Therefore farm ponds owner can sit back and watch us tend to the needed control of the unwanted water plants. Especially relevant are all the pond and water lilies in larger natural ponds.

Eight benefits of seasonal pond maintenance service contracts:

1 – First of all, regular pond maintenance, we are always removing detritus and keeping filters in top condition.

2 – Seasonal pond maintenance visits, give that extra sparkle during the summer months. As well as all the other times of the year but if these visits are not made then the summer will suffer.

3 – Seasonal administering of pond products to control blanket weed, keep water sparkling and to keep fish in top condition.

4 – Regular expert inspection of your garden pond fish. Experienced verbal suggestions and health reports. Not forgetting the other aquatic wildlife. Especially relevant is the knowledge of the right diagnosis and treatment of potential problems.

5 – A winter pond tidy-up to remove the cover net and the last of the fallen leaves in the garden pond. The debris is easy to spot in the colder months, and fish ponds are less active. Therefore, our winter pond maintenance visit focuses on the pond waste and the pond muck and its removal. 

6 – Seasonal pond inspection and maintenance of pond pumps.  Including the pond electrics, filters and Ultraviolet filters.  To keep them working in top condition and reduce the chances of expensive repair bills.

7 – Diagnosis and reports back on any recommend repairs or upgrades, with temporary replacement cover available when required.

8 – The aquatic plant management & husbandry of excessive growth above and below the water.

Our Seasonal Pond Maintenance Service

Thank you for reading this far down the pond maintenance page.  Any Pond Limited is now happy to offer you another pond maintenance services with seasonal pond visits.

The seasonal service runs every three months with the seasons. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter

Your very own leading pond technician will carry out pond maintenance service around your garden ponds needs.  Serving that are sometimes included:

  • Clean skimmers out (proper pond skimmers help no end, probably the best way to save maintenance time), if you don’t have one, we can use our lighting fast ninja pond cleaning net to remove visible items from the surface of your pond.
  • Check and adjust the pond water levels (while you keep on top of this in hot weather).
  • Clean the mechanical filtration media like a pond skimmer filter mat.
  • Remove pond debris, the use of pond vacuums is available. So we can be very efficient on small pond cleaning visit or clearing and draining large filters.
  • Check the output on the pond pump for proper water flow, pump servicing with safe cleaning products and safe for fish chemicals.
  • Treat the pond with our Beneficial Bacteria – Multi Aqua
  • Seasonal pruning of dead aquatic plants and lilies, including on the autumn visit bulk cut back of all marginal pond plants (apart from the evergreens), deepwater aquatics and lilies
  • Winter Pond Maintenance – Keep the water features running all winter, ensure that there is a hole in the ice for adequate oxygen for optimum health of fish, install bubbler, heaters, or aerators as needed
  • Recommend Pond Upgrades & Enhancements
  • Report and issues

The cost of the pond maintenance depends on the size of your pond.

You might be asking yourself. How much does it cost for us to maintain your pond?  Well, the cost of us supporting you (or taking over) depends on a few things. Garden ponds and water features prices vary each season.  The rate depends on your location and the size of your feature. Would we need to set up a better more efficient filtration system? 

The first thing to getting a firm price is sending us a picture of your pond or water feature. Please contact us today so you can sit back and enjoy the fish instead of worrying about them. 

Our top VIP Koi Pond Maintenance Service cost the most. Plus they are not entirely hands-free, but we can teach and support someone.

How much does pond maintenance cost?

Your Payment Choices Our Easy:  

  • Billed after each visit (most popular choice),
  • Charged once a season (spring, summer, autumn and winter),
  • Prepay for the entire year in the spring (and benefit from a 10% discount!),

Do pond pumps use a lot of electricity?

Most new pond ponds don’t use a lot of electricity. But this all depends on the make and the model.

You can buy an energy efficient one that will cost you more in the short-term. But these pond pumps require a lot less energy long-term. So to answer the question do pond pumps use a lot of energy. The answer is yes compare to other forms of moving water. But it depends on what you are asking it to do?

Seasonal Pond Maintenance Service Exclusions –

These following products & services are not part of seasonal maintenance visits as not every pond needs them.

  • Pond Supplies. Charged as extra items, Any pond equipment. Pond care products or other water treatments (pond dye or bacteria for algae control).
  • Full Drain and Cleans. Our pond cleaning services – As this service might not always be needed. This service includes draining of the pond or water feature. Safe removal and cleaning of pond muck.  Keeping your lovely fish or aquatic wildlife safe at all times. The only service that lets us remove all the nasty pond waste out of the pond. We even wash down all the sides of the garden pond (including any rock and boulders). After the drain and clean has taken place we refill the pond with filtered water. Water conditioning products used on the raw tap water (safe pond treatments to de-chlorinate).  Then introduce the fish and aquatic wildlife back into the pond.
  • Pond Repair Services. Our pond maintenance visits will probably avoid significant work. We will keep you up to date with the health of your pond at the end of each service call. 
  • Autumn Pond Netting Service. Full installation of pond netting and the returning visits for the removal of the pond net.

What’s best for you? With us maintaining your pond

In conclusion, a pond maintenance contract is the best way forward. Besides, this contract will ensure that your treasured pond does receive the very best care possible.  VIP pond services with the minimum of time and expense.  It is peace of mind for the pond owner.

For more information on the topic of pond maintenance. Including pond maintenance 101 and other pond advice.

Follow the author Mark “The Pond Advisor” on social media  @thepondadvisor, Google +Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter

10 responses to “Pond Maintenance 101”

  1. Mark Wilson says:

    thank you

  2. Mark Wilson says:

    The cost of building a pond can change a lot,

    https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZs9Qomck7t8&usg=AOvVaw13Cc4c-hEBNj6qe3ciRama

  3. iola wells says:

    Thanks for the excellent manual

  4. Pam McNay says:

    Interested in a maintenance contract

  5. Maria Watson says:

    Hi,
    We have a 10’ x 5’ x 2’ pond, above ground, rigid liner, brick construction. We have about 12/14 varied fish. Koi, goldfish, shubunkins, ghost fish etc. we are looking for regular pond maintenance as we are now struggling with it. We live WV14 9TE. Do you know of anyone that covers this area? How much is the maintenance likely to cost please?
    Many thanks,
    Maria

  6. Thanks for pointing out that proper drainage is also essential to consider when it comes to pond maintenance. I’d like to find a good pond maintenance service soon because I want to turn my garden into a place where I could meditate. Having a clean pond there with fish in it would be a good idea.

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