You build a pond to make your home more beautiful and to create a relaxing environment. But these purposes will be defeated if you have an ill-maintained pond.
So here are some important tips to on how to maintain a pond.
Why Build a Pond?
The right answer to this question is: Why not? Why shouldn’t people build a pond?! It’s actually quite beautiful.
There are actually practical reasons why people have a pond.
Here are some of those practical reasons:
Aesthetics
Ponds are beautiful. So in a way, a pond will elevate the overall look of your home.
This beauty could also hide imperfections.
How?
Say your property has an area where the weed just gets unruly and crazy. You can always mow the weed down every few days.
Or
You can permanently remove it and replace it with a pond.
In the same manner, if there is a part of the property that is elevated and landscaping it would cost a lot of money–then you are better off spending your money in building a beautiful pond.
See?
Aesthetic is not just a vanity thing – it has practical importance as well. Not only will it elevate your property’s look, it will also increase its market value.
Not that you would want to sell if after investing on a majestic pond!
However
If you don’t properly maintain your pond, it will just be an eyesore. As such, it would just destroy the overall look of your property.
Relaxing atmosphere
Having a pond is very relaxing. It is a stress reliever.
Water, by nature, has a calming effect. It’s why people love going to the beach so much.
Did you notice?
A lot of the people on the beach don’t necessarily spend the entire day wading and swimming in the waters. More often, they just bask in the sun.
But if basking in the sun is all people are after, they could just do it outside their homes.
But guess what?
People go to the beach to bask! That’s because of the mental and emotional effects of the water.
Here’s another scenario:
Camping.
If you have ever been camping, you might have experienced just listening to nature. The sound of the river always has a soothing effect.
Still not convinced?
Who’s been in the spa? Many of you, I would surmise.
Did you notice that there is always a sound of flowing water in the spa? That’s because the natural sound of water always helps us feel at peace.
Needless to say
A pond is a relaxing addition to your home. Especially if you have healthy plants and fish living in it.
Sadly
The relaxing effect may be surpassed by disgust if the pond is murky, dirty and ill-maintained. The fish may not even survive the pond!
Natural noise
So this is a bit related to the former–you build a pond because of its natural sound.
I separated this reason because of its different practical reason: drowning noise.
Let me elaborate
This is important for people living in spaces near the street or anywhere else there is noise pollution.
If you live near a major street, you are bound to hear traffic noise especially every morning and during peak hours.
Think about it
If you have a pond, you can drown that mechanical noise with the environmental sound of the pond.
The quiet trickling or rushing of the water in the pond makes for a more soothing ambient sound.
Also
At night, the chorus of frogs and crickets will add to the tranquilizing natural music.
But hang on a minute
An ill-maintained pond will not give off the same level of satisfaction.
This brings us to the next topic…
Healthy Pond, Healthy Aquatics
A pond is an extension of your house. It is part of your home.
Just as you take care of the house to prevent termites from invading it or to stop dust from covering it, you do the same to the pond.
So here we go
It is only when you maintain a pond that it can truly nurture life like the different types of fish and aquatic plants.
Maintenance means keeping the pond clean and healthy.
Otherwise
Your reasons for having a pond will be defeated if you don’t want to maintain it.
If you feel too lazy to clean or do maintenance activities on your pond, you can always call someone who will do it for you.
Frankly
You shouldn’t entrust this activity to somebody else.
The aquatics are living things–they are basically your pets that you cannot physically pet.
Quite simply
You should take care of your own pets. Consider them your babies.
As such, you have to take care of their home–the pond!
Besides
The pond is an extension of your home.
So if you can, do your own maintenance work on your pond.
This is a promise:
It’s not that difficult, and it is not that frequent.
Having said that, let’s get to the details…
How To Maintain a Pond
The first step–and the most basic one at that–is to keep the pond clean.
1. Clean the pond regularly
It is inevitable that dirt and things will start floating in your pond. The most common things floating around would be leaves.
These things can release toxic waste that could damage the ecological balance of the pond.
As a result
Your pond will become unhealthy.
It is paramount that you collect the unwanted debris as soon as you see them floating around.
This is quite simple. You just need a skimmer net to remove those leaves and other floating particles.
There’s really nothing much to it
You should visit your pond every day. It is relaxing after all and it would be nice to check up on your aquatics–the fish and plants.
As soon as you see the debris, take it out immediately!
Okay
If you really can’t do this every day, then once a week shouldn’t be too difficult for you. Don’t wait more than a week to do so.
2. Vacuum the pond
You’ve probably heard of spring cleaning, right? Make pond vacuuming a part of your spring cleaning.
Actually, you can also do this during the summer or early autumn before it gets too cold.
Why?
Over the course of a year, the pond is bound to collect some sludge at the bottom. So you really need to vacuum that muddy part.
A pond vacuum will also remove the decaying organic matter at the bottom of the pond.
3. Grow aquatic plants
A major part of keeping the pond healthy is actually growing healthy aquatics. Among the more popular and practical aquatic plants are lilies, marginals, marshes and oxygenators.
Know the appropriate amount of plants you can grow based on the size of your pond. You don’t want to overwhelm it.
Likewise
If you have fish–as you should–you have to know the proper ratio of fish to plants that would live in your pond. Again, this is usually based on the size of the pond.
You have to remember that some of these plants are fish food as well. So make sure you don’t use toxic fertilizers on the plants.
In any case
Keep the plants as healthy as possible.
Then
If the aquatic plants are overwhelming the pond, remove the excess with a garden rake.
If there are dead plants, remove them as well. Dead plants may form toxins that could be ingested by the fish.
4. Monitor algae
Algae are good, but too much algae is bad.
First of all, algae are good source of food for the fish. These organisms are also essential in the process of photosynthesis.
However
You cannot allow its growth to get out of control. Chances are, the algae would also compete for nutrients with other aquatics.
When you see that there is too much algae in the pond, remove the majority of them. Leave a minimal amount behind.
Anyway
The algae will eventually repopulate again. When the pond experiences another algae bloom, just repeat the process of removing excess organisms.
You can use the rake to remove the algae.
5. Maintain right water level and right temperature
Water level and temperature are dependent on the season.
During the hot season, the temperature of the water is also expected to be higher. The water level, on the other hand, is expected to drop.
What happens now?
You can sprinkle some cold water to keep the temperature at the right level. When the water level also goes down, you may pour CLEAN water to increase the volume.
On the other hand
During colder months, you may install a heating system to prevent ice from forming in the pond. This could also keep temperature at the appropriate level.
In conclusion
Maintenance of the pond doesn’t sound too bad, right? Rest assured, you will be proud of the pond when you put a lot of effort into maintaining it.
I suggest doing the maintenance yourself rather than hiring somebody else to do it.
Summary
A pond is a great addition to the home. It is also considered an extension of your home. Just as you keep your house clean, you should do the same with your pond.
A healthy pond entails healthy inhabitants, which usually include fish and aquatic plants. When these inhabitants are healthy, the pond is more vibrant and more beautiful.
So always keep your pond clean and healthy!
You Might Also Like
How do you keep your pond healthy? Check out our tips.
If you are looking for an efficient pond vacuum, check out my review of the OASE PondoVac 4 or our round up of the best pond vacuum cleaners on the market.
And if you still don’t have a fish pond, here is a step-by-step guide on how to build one.
Useful Resources
- 7 Tips to Keep Pond Water Clean – Aquascape Inc.
- 10 Best Pond Fishes You Should Know – Home Gear X
- Cleaning Out a Pond: When and How to Clean a Garden Pond Safely – Gardening Know How
