Garden Pond Cleaning

Do you need a professional pond cleaning service?

TEAM AnyPond recommends a minimum of one service call per annum (by a pond maintenance company or an experienced individual that you know).  This is to check the garden pond is running smoothly, how it should be. To show you what to do with the system you have!

Pond cleaning services will keep your pond looking good and all the inhabitants thriving. This service call or pond M.O.T. is alongside a regular maintenance regime. Pond maintenance needs to be set up monthly or every few months for the best results and trouble-free fish pond keeping.

The first pond cleaning service of the year on any pond. Should be done without draining out any pond water. It’s very quick and easy with the right pond-cleaning tools.

But I don’t have the time!

Quick Pond Cleaning
Pond cleaning in the UK – Are you the type of person who needs to book us in for a service call? Do you need someone to clean your pond? Then call our team today for your very own professional pond cleaning service on 01327 878149.

If you don’t have the time or the right pond-cleaning accessories, then give us a call we can help you with this service.

What are the advantages of having a quick service call instead of a full-blown pond cleaning service”drain and clean”?

  1. The water level stays the same and is not significantly reduced in the garden pond. Thereby lessening the chances of in-falling (collapsing) of the pond edges and your marginal plants drying out.
  2. Fish and plants can stay in the garden pond at all times, which hugely reduces the amount of stress and the risk of damage.
  3. Our quick service call is a holistic approach. It works short and long-term! The natural bacteria in the garden pond even help the pond cleaner. The beneficial bacteria colonies do not significantly alter. The natural chemical balance of the pond water stays the same, thus making it sympathetic to the pond environment.
Garden Pond Cleaning

If you are unsure what to do, contact us via the contact form or give us a ring at 01327 878149

Looking to clean the pond yourself or understand it a little more!

Pond Cleaning Services Northampton
Not sure what to do with a pond like this? Then take your time and read on!

Does your pond look like this one above,  But you just do not know where to start?

Have you just moved into a house with a pond like this? I know you just want to get it cleaned out and back up and running with some fish.  But do you know where to start?

Why is the pond looking like this in the first place? Has it been neglected for years and years? You can’t see any fish, and there’s lots of weed in the pond. Then what you need to do is pause.

You are lucky that you’ve inherited a nice big pond. It just needs some TLC.

If your garden pond starts off the season like the one above, you will probably need to do some major pond cleaning. Normally in the form of a full drain and clean.  But first, you need to think about a few things.

Don’t jump straight in and start clearing out all the mess (if you are unsure at all).

The first question you need to ask yourself is what you want the pond for. Is it just to have an ornamental feature in your garden? Do you want to keep and look after a fishpond? Or is it all about the wildlife and what the pond will bring into your garden?

After you’ve decided what type of pond you want. The next question we would ask as pond professionals is:

Can you see any filters or pumps? Do they work?

If not, then the next question should be:

Why do you think the pond is looking like this?  Has it been left to fend for itself?

The next question we hear a lot here at TEAM AnyPond is: What do I need for this pond? Which pond pump & which filter? If you’ve not had a pond in a garden before, you are going to be pretty clueless about the type of filtration.  So find some help, reach out to us!

The biggest mistake you can make is! Just start cleaning the pond out yourself, the way that you think it needs to be done!

It’s not just a case of grabbing a pump, totally emptying the pond, and starting from scratch.  This is one of the worst things that you can do (the pond will take 4 to 6 weeks to mature). If you do have pond fish lurking at the bottom, you could lose them all!  If you do have any wildlife in the pond, they will leave and find a new pond until yours is suitable again.

your pond is brown.
Pond Cleaning because your pond is brown.

DIY – Fish Pond Cleaning Service

If you have the right pond cleaning equipment installed on the pond. You should never have to drain and clean the whole pond in your garden.  You want a pond filter that provides both mechanical and biological filtration. This system will remove particles from the water, and you will be providing a nice breeding area for the needed beneficial bacteria to process all the toxins produced by the things in your pond.

Think of the filter system. The same way as you think about the bin men in the UK.  They need to collect the rubbish on a weekly or biweekly basis to avoid the waste building up.  If you don’t process the waste,  the bin men will not take the waste away, and this is when you need to get the skips in. To remove the backlog of waste.  If you have the equipment, then why not give it away?

Here are some useful Fish Pond (including Koi) Cleaning and maintenance Tips.  

But before you start cleaning your own fish pond in your garden. 

I will start by clearing up a very important mistaken belief about clean fish ponds.

To you and me, a pond that is sparkling clean is clean. When you think about a lovely clean fish pond, do you think of a crystal clear environment, like a swimming pool with lovely big koi playing around and enjoying themselves?

To a fish, the fact that the water is clear means very little. Clear fish pond water certainly does not mean the fish have clean and healthy water in their living room.

What do most garden pond fish want?

Most garden pond fish (and some other aquatic wildlife), in fact, prefer to live in coloured pond water!

Most garden pond fish (including koi) preferably want to live in somewhat coloured water. Cloudy or coffee-coloured ponds would suit most pond fish better (as long as the water is highly oxygenated and healthy, without large amounts of waste lying around).

Just think of a natural mud pond (or a flood plain) where most of them come from.  Ask yourself, “What colour is the water? Is it clear all year around”?

You may have seen a clear lake in the summer, but go back in the winter after heavy rains.  They are not clear!

Natural ponds and lakes are not closed ecosystems. The ones that have fish in are not always clear.  In fact, the clear water is a great sign that there are not many fish living in the water. These clear ponds have lots of water plants as they are allowed to grow freely.

Therefore what do we mean by a clean pond?

It one seen through the fish’s perspective, but this is not the perspective of most garden pond owners.  Yes all fish pond owners want healthy fish, but we want to also see them.  Feeding your pet fish is a great relaxation tool. But we can’t have a sterile environment if we want pet goldfish, as the fish would just die. It’s a garden pond, after all, and we should not use any chemicals.

If you prefer the sterile look, then your best option would be a water feature.  One you can add chemicals to to keep it sterile.  The close environment you will get to this (if you want to keep fish) is a koi pool, one with a great filtration system and a few gadgets.

Here at TEAM AnyPond have seen whole sheds, garages and outer buildings taken up to just looking after the koi pool water. It’s possible to keep this type of system, but it’s not for everyone.

We only recommend this type of system to dedicated hobbyists who have owned other types of garden fish ponds before. Then and only then will they know the amount of attention needed. Koi pool will need attention every day, to look after (due to the amount of fish in a small space).

Growing water plants will help you as a fish pond owner.  The fish will also enjoy being in the water as well (get advice about pond plants before just adding any into your fish pond).

Pond plants will help keep the water clean but they are a long way off from being sterile.

We provide you with a pond-cleaning service! But you might want to jump in and give the pond cleaning ago yourself.

Balanced Koi Carp and Pond Plants
Balanced Koi Carp and Pond Plants

In a balanced fish pond, you can have “Koi carp and pond plants together”!

Are you looking for a fish pond cleaner?

To pond fish like Goldfish and Koi, a clean fish pond is:

A pond that’s free of harmful chemicals and any waste is removed by bacterial purification.  These methods to us as humans may go against the grain, but mother nature has been looking after aquatic life for years and years.

Mother nature has her own way of pond cleaning. She can’t wait for a fish pond cleaner, but she is very hardcore.  If there are too many fish, she will reduce the load on the system, letting the fish die; as pond keepers, we can work with her, however.

All the ammonia (our form of liquid pond waste) that is constantly generated by all pond fish is filtered out by microorganisms and other useful bacteria strains.  Quite simply if this elimination of ammonia failed to take place. Any fish in the garden fish pond would have a very low expectancy, and by that, I mean hours or days at the most.

Can we clean a pond too much?

Do you recall keeping a goldfish as a child?  Within a bowl that you loved so much but could not keep alive.   This goldfish that you might have won as a prize (don’t get me started on winning a goldfish, however).

Do you ever remember it only lived sometimes a week before dying?  This was because the bowl was way too clean and even sterile. Every week we would clean out all the water and add this and that to the water. But sometimes, they would die because it was poisoning themselves to death in a clear goldfish bowl that was actually a toxic trap.  Please do not clean out any goldfish tanks or bowls.  Have proper filtration systems and keep them in bigger tanks or ponds if possible.

Fact: Did you know the goldfish is the hardest fish on the planet?

anypond-servicing-maintenance
Here’s what you’ll need to get started with pond cleaning.

So yes, it is very easy to over-clean freshwater ecosystems.

Why is Pond cleaning so important?

Before we start to do any pond cleaning or any pond maintenance, we need to look at the condition of the pond.  Including this fish, are the plants healthy, is the clarity of the water good, is the pond flowing around freely in a garden pond or a fish pond. The first thing that we like to do here at TEAM AnyPond.  

We want to make certain that all things are as they should be. Is it natural? Is there anything out of balance before we start doing any pond maintenance or pond cleaning?

Pond cleaning can be so critical towards the health and well-being of the pond fish, plants and wildlife within the pond ecosystem.

What pond cleaning service do you need?

Fish Pond Cleaning
Fish Pond Cleaning

This ecosystem fish pond above only needs its filter cleaning. The filter pads are located at the top of the waterfalls.  

Let’s pretend this picture above is your pond. Please use your imagination

What would you do to maintain this garden pond?

Not all garden ponds need major pond cleaning that’s including any pond (garden ponds for fish or wildlife). All healthy ecosystem ponds don’t need much pond cleaning. But they all need maintenance at some point. 

This is an example of what we would do as part of a pond cleaning service call. So the pond (pictured above) is going to have a professional service call (or what an experienced pond keeper would do).

Services call an example of a garden pond that does not need one of our one-off pond cleaning services. It’s Only some quick pond maintenance required on this garden pond.

So really, the only pond cleaning that needs doing is maybe a quick net around to see if anything is out of place.  By netting around the pond with a pond-cleaning net.  We can stir up and clean out any unwanted particles.

There could be waste that has been trapped by the pond plants. Plus, we would check the pond skimmer on the side of the pond, cleaning out the skimmer basket and the pond skimmer filter pad.

These eco-system fish ponds need very little cleaning as the whole pond is a living filter.

A properly managed pond is healthy and balanced.  Which is going to be the focal point in every garden.  The aim is to maintain clear, healthy pond water and to ensure that the pond plants don’t just take over.  A fish pond in our book is more than goldfish or koi living in a body of water in the garden.

pond cleaning services midlands-uk-1
This picture is of a fish pond in Northampton. The photo was taken after one of our pond-cleaning visits! Pond Cleaning Services – Northampton

This garden pond (above) even offers a more advanced cleaning system known as a compact life support system.

What is good about having the bio-media? Is that the waste is picked up off the base of the pond instead of the skimmer which just picks the debris off of this top for the pond?

A fish pond is not the same as a fish pool.

Fishpools are all about the amount of fish you can possibly keep in the space.

A raised fish pond

Fishpond cleaning v a koi carp pool cleaning.

A fish pond, to us as pond professionals, is a pond that has a balance of the right plants and the right amount of beloved pond fish.  If you don’t have plants in a fish pond.  Then you simply have a fish pool and not a pond (nothing wrong with a pool, but we do need to label them correctly).  Managing a fish pool is very different.

A koi pool is like a swimming pool, but you keep it dedicated to koi carp.  Sometimes it’s the best scenario for the large pond fish but needs to be classed as a pool, not a pond (due to the lack of plants).

You don’t need to clean these koi pools (sorry to say) as the filter is always sweeping up after the koi.  You do on the other hand, need to do a lot of pond maintenance. Daily attention is needed for koi carp pools.  By having this system, you should never have to clean out the pool. But you really do need to know what’s going on because you’re operating a life-support machine.

Koi pool or pond cleaning services or, in fact, koi pool maintenance services. Should be carried out regularly and not left to Mother Nature unless you have a very large body of water with only a very small handful of fish.

Owning a balanced fish pond requires a lot less attention than any fish pool.  As there is not this harmony in a pool there is a common surge in the algae growth.  If your pond or pool is not balanced or in running correctly in a pool. You will have to carry out more backyard pond or pool maintenance.

Water Garden & Pond cleaning services.  

Pond Plants
Pond plants can help a lot with the amount of pond cleaning.

Most water gardeners are aware of the importance of decent quality water and the role the plants play in any pond habitat.  Not knowing how to achieve or keep water quality can prove difficult for some pond owners.

Their water could be clear, but the fish might not be happy and acting very strangely; this normally can signify that something might be wrong or a little off in your pond water.

Every season work will need to be done in and around your garden pond.

The cleaning services might consist of us providing you with the following services.  

Below is a list of the types of pond cleaning work we offer: 
  • Pond pumps cleaned and serviced,
  • Pond filters serviced and cleaned,
  • Ultraviolet clarifier serviced,
  • Water features, including fountains and waterfalls serviced and cleaned,
  • Pond netting and debris removal,
  • Fallen leaf clearing,
  • The pond is refilled with aquatic safe water.
  • Fishpond’s serviced and cleaned,
  • Fish-safe water chemistry, sampling and improvement,
  • Pond maintenance and draining with a clean-out pump,
  • Cleanouts with power washing,
  • Goldfish pond overhauls,
  • Koi pools management and maintenance,
  • Koi pool bottom drain purging and repair as needed,
  • Water features repair work
  • Total pond emptying and restocking,
  • Waterfall washing and stream management.
  • Aquatic plant control and weed removal.
Small Pond Cleaning
A small pond is already cleaned out and ready to go. part of our small pond cleaning service.

When would it be a good time to clean a fish pond? 

Fishponds need to be kept clean throughout all the seasons here in the UK.  Listed below are a few top tips.

They are designed to guide and help you if you’re a DIY hobbyist.

How your fish pond can be kept clean?

Fish Pond Cleaning Service – In the Spring

  • The water begins to get warmer, bringing your pond back to life. This is actually the best time for general maintenance on your pond and pond lining to prepare for a healthy balanced, flourishing summer for your fish and plants.
  • As soon as the water temperature warms to around 55 0r 10C. The fish and the pond plants emerge from their winter dormancy. Begin the pond cleaning procedure by taking away any waste that has fallen into the pond that might be the Sat of the base of the pond.
  • If waste is left. It will cause an increase in nutrient levels, resulting in algae growth as summer begins. This will be a job that need not be done to absolute perfection. If you carry out a complete cleaning, you will upset the natural balance and then have a harder time with algae control.

Fish Pond Cleaning Service – In the Summer

  • Keep algae under control. Rake away long filamentous algae through the water surface.
  • Check the fish pond filters daily and clean them regularly.  Healthy fish pond filters need cleaning every 4-6 weeks at a maximum.  If you are having to clean your filters more regularly than this it’s a good sign you need a bigger filter to hold or process the load on the system.  Wetland filters only need cleaning once or twice a year again, depending on the size of the system.
  • Warm water induces the growth and presence of parasites on or around fish.  So when feeding your fish, get as close as possible and check for any signs of parasites.  However, please note there are only a few visible parasites to the human eye.  It’s better to just be aware of parasites instead of stressing the fish out all the time to check for them.
  • Feed fish regularly with an impressive protein food to encourage growth and fat reserves for the coldest months. Warm water temperatures stimulate metabolism, so less of the food eaten is going to be excreted.  Koi fish are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal matter, such as algae, aquatic plants, larvae, worms, and crustaceans. Therefore, they can supplement their supplied diet with what is available in the pond if required.
  • Use a net to sweep leaves from the surface of the pond to help keep the water free of decaying vegetation and eliminate dead leaves to avoid decomposing vegetation build-up. Prune back excess growth of submerged plants, making sure that a great amount of light penetrates your pond to allow plants to continue photosynthesis and renew oxygen levels.

Fish Pond Cleaning Service – In the Winter


  • Continue to remove the dead leaves in the pond and every other debris from the water’s surface.
  • Remove dead leaves from pond plants
  • Your hardy plants will need protection in very cold winters (for example, lilies). Move them towards the deeper part of the pond to stop their tubers from being frozen if growing on shelves (remember to move them back in the spring).
  • Don’t feed the fish!  What they eat naturally in the pond in the winter is not for the purpose of growth or colour. But only to maintain energy. Koi are cold-blooded, so metabolism is based on water temperature.  If you feed this time of the year in a pond you will only feed the algae!  In heated koi pools, yes, feed the fish, but don’t be tempted on a sunny day in February in an unheated pond.  When you see your pets for the first time swimming around the surface.  This will be for an hour or so.

Seven tips for keeping any pond clean.

1. Maintain a healthy fish population

For those who have more than 10 fish for every one hundred gallons of water (450 Its), your pond is likely over-populated. Excessive fish waste may cause instability in pond water. Consider finding a few of them a new home.

2. Do not overfeed your fish

As soon as you feed fish more than they can eat, the uneaten food is left to decay in the pond. Be careful never to feed your fish more than once per day, and no more than they may be able to eat in two to three minutes. Remove all excess leftover food.

3. Create the ideal balance of plants

At season’s peak, you ought to have no more than 50% to 70% of the surface area of the pond, either shaded or covered by plants. Too many plants may cause oxygen deficiencies at night because of the photosynthetic process when the plants take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.

4. Select the right size of pump for the pond

You should be circulating the whole pond’s water volume a minimum of once each hour. Make sure your pump’s flow is not limited by debris, and get careful not to ever pump water higher than it was intended. Every pump has its flow limitations

5. Clean particles from the pond

Before they have the opportunity to decay, mixed with fish waste and leftover fish food, may cause ammonia levels to increase in your pond. Clean out your pond and add the useful bacteria found in Multi Aqua (See our products page).

Beneficial Bacteria is to aid the pond cleaner and help look after a pond with fish in. Ponds need these bacteria to stay healthy and clean.

6. Decide on proper filtration for your pond

Your filtration should match the dimensions of your pond. Remember, most manufacturers rate their filters based on ideal circumstances, and in case you exceed those, your filter becomes less efficient.

7. Keep your pond cool throughout heat waves in the summer.

Did you know fish can suffer from heat and sunburn?  While pond water exceeds 80º Fahrenheit, it offers a more difficult time retaining acceptable stages of absorbed oxygen. It’s required to have your garden pond shaded by rafting plants.

Got a koi pool that needs shade then why not add a lovely pagoda?

How to clean a small pond with fish!

Then we clean a small fish pond we want to remove all the unwanted pond waste. Including the silt, any plant waste, all fish waste, and so on.  All the pond water is double-filtered on the way out and again on the way back in!

Maintain most of the pond water in large holding vats. Make water changes if required; see below!

Never do any more than a 50% water change, even if toxins enter the fish pond.  Yes, change 50%, then a few hours later, change another 50%, and so on.  Just no major or larger water changes as they will only put more stress on the system and the livestock in the pond. 

It is possible to flush the system with safe mature water with no problem, but raw tap water is a big no-no! 

Had a problem with water loss?

Then Yes, fill the pond back up; any water is better than no water! You must re-fill a pond that has accidentally been pumped out overnight. You might have had plumbing issues but never put unnecessary stress on your fish when pond cleaning!

When should I pick one of your Full Pond Cleaning Services?

Our Gold Service is for ponds that need a large quantity of pond waste removal. These ponds have a tremendous amount of waste within them and may require an additional filter upgrade or extra water plants.

This service is for removing all the unwanted pond waste, silt, plant and fish waste. Any Pond will double filter all the pond water. We hold as much of the mature pond water as possible in our large holding vats. So we can filter the pond water back into the garden pond. Water changes are made, but we always aim to reuse most of the fish-safe pond water.

Any Pond will never undertake more than a 50% water change unless we are carrying out a sterilisation service. The sterilisation service is mainly carried out on old fish pools, but if you have fish to go back in, then you are not looking for a sterilisation service anyway.

All the wanted aquatic life, like the beloved pond fish, ornamental water plants and all the freshwater animals, will stay in well-oxygenated pond water at all times. This 100% safe and eco-friendly pond clean removes all the unwanted decaying debris at the bottom of the pond. Water quality tests are taken at regular intervals when required in the warmer months.

The cleanouts take away decaying debris at the bottom of the pond.  Water quality examinations are taken at regular intervals

Does your Garden pond need one of our Pond Cleaning Services? 

TEAM AnyPond is a pond company based in Daventry, Northampton, which is in the Midlands, UK.

Serving all the home counties and beyond for some services

the main counties include

Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire

If you are looking for more pond cleaning information:

Then why not watch Mark talk about Pond Cleaning in his Video’s like is one :- 

Pond Cleaning Services – Northampton | TEAM AnyPond | UK – https://youtu.be/QJwPvW_5e9Y

Fish Pond Cleaning in Solihull | TEAM AnyPond | UK – https://youtu.be/MjboqQA93b0

Pond Cleaning Service – South Oxfordshire | TEAM AnyPond | UK – https://youtu.be/9KtM9mWjKp0

Do you have any fish pond cleaning questions? Please comment below!

Is there any pond fish that will keep a pond clean?

Quick answer: NO

Long answer: Pond fish will sometimes help keep your pond clean, as they will eat algae, plus they will stir up the pond waste to help the pumps and filter work in a better way. But most of the time they produce more pond waste than Pond cleaning.

What to Know More?

Do you have a picture? or are you finding it hard to send us a picture if so, give us a call or send us an email.

We can’t wait to have a quick chat with you.

Ofhow to clean a garden pondfice 01327 878149

Email sales@anypond.com

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