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Your pond needs a clean out when...
- there are lots of leaves decaying on the bottom of the pond.
- the muck is more than 3 inches deep.
- the rocks are covered in slime so much so that you haven’t seen the rocks in a very long time.
- you have to cleanout the skimmer basket/net very frequently because it is full of gunk, algae and leaves.
This pond is partially iced over.
With all these leaves and dead lily pads, it will need a cleaning in the spring.
What is a pond clean out?
A full clean out is when the fish and water are all removed from the pond and it is thoroughly cleaned. You might do this yourself or have a company that offers this service do it for you. If you are paying a company to clean the pond, this is what they usually do:
- Pressure wash the inside of the pond and continue to run a pump in the bottom of the pond to carry this dirty water away.
- Remove leaves and debris, sometimes even shoveling out muck.
- Clean the inside of the skimmer and wash out the filter pads.
- Pick out pine needles, leaves, and sticks from the stream/waterfall and if there is a Biofall press,they will wash out the filter media and filter pad in there too.
- When the pond is filled back up with water they should add beneficial bacteria and a dechlorinator. Pond water may be reused if it isn’t dark and murky.
- The fish are returned to the pond.
What if...
- the pond water looks good and the aquatic plants don’t need to be cut back or split.
As long as there is not a lot of debris then it may not need to cleaned this year.
- the pond doesn’t have a build-up of debris of more than a couple of inches.
It is perfectly acceptable to have some gunk at the bottom. It’s a pond! When the gunk is an eye sore, then clean the pond.
- the fish just recently had their eggs hatch and the babies are SO small….
Often babies of koi or goldfish (the real term is “fry”, don’t make it to adulthood at all.) If you would like some of these fish to make it, hold off on the pond cleaning!
- you think there is a leak in the pond?
If possible, get the leak figured out first. Read more about that HERE.
If you are interested in vacuuming up pond sludge without removing the water, the Oase Pondo Vac 4 has really good reviews! It has great suction and a long hose. Click on the photo to go get this bad boy!
If you vacuum the pond it will make the water murky. But don’t worry, it will clear up in a few days. (So do it well ahead of the party you are having!)
Kristi's Tips
Keep in mind that ponds are an ecosystem. You know in NATURE…. so gunk, insects, leaves and things that are living are part of that ecosystem. When we get the pond ecosystem in balance it looks beautiful!
Remember, there is going to be some algae and there are algae seasons. Cleaning the pond out without balancing the ecosystem will only temporarily make it clean. The algae will come right back if the environment is not in balance.