Backyard Lily Pads: How To Clean A Pond
We all have unique ways in which we cope with stress. Some of us drink after a rough day at work, and some of us prop our feet up and read a book.
Then there’s the special brand of people who unwind by the power of sights and sounds. Perhaps the pitter-patter of water droplets puts your mind at ease.
Or maybe the lovely aesthetic of stone and moss brings you closer to nature. Or maybe–just maybe–you like the idea of caring for a whole school of fish.
If any of this sounds like you, you may be interested in installing a nice pond in your yard.
Wait, You Can Buy Ponds?
Buy, build…whichever term suits you best!
Backyard ponds bring a beautiful aesthetic to many people’s homes.
From housing fish to building a stone shrine above, ponds can bring people a sense of serenity and peace. By either purchasing a pond or taking up the art of landscaping, you can own a pond of your own.
Feel free to flex that creative muscle of yours and get yourself a pond that will bring you a sense of peace after a rough day at work!
What have you got to lose, other than some stress?
But Aren’t Backyard Ponds Hard To Take Care Of?
Not if you put the necessary work into it, ladies and gentlemen!
With most cleaning jobs, the level of difficulty depends on a few core factors.
One, the size of the pond will determine how much time will need to be put into cleaning.
Small to medium sized ponds don’t require as much legwork while larger ponds take the better part of a day to keep up. If you have any extra bells and whistles added to your pond–such as decorate stone or even fish swimming in the waters–then the task may take a little longer, as well.
Secondly, the amount of work you’re willing to put into owning a pond will determine how hard it will be to take care of it. It’s not like every house in the neighborhood needs a backyard pond. Heck, not everyone can even afford one!
A pond isn’t meant to be a frivolous purchase; especially if you’re planning on housing fish in it! If you’re serious about owning a pond, be prepared to put the work into making it look nice and clean.
Okay, I Think I Can Handle It. What Do I Need?
You don’t need a large supply of tools, thankfully.
recommend purchasing both nets and brushes, as they can help with algae removal as well as helping the fish buddies out of the pond while you clean.
There’s also the option to use hydrogen peroxide, but this is mostly for extreme cases only. If your algae growth is fairly reasonable, don’t bother with chemicals. They aren’t really needed in this case.
Another tool that will come in handy when cleaning your pond is a vacuum. Nope, vacuums aren’t only used for cleaning up carpets!
Special water vacuums can be used to clean pond floors and walls whenever they are overwrought with sludge. If you need help deciding what kind of vacuum you like, check out floorscleaner.com.
Floorscleaner has all sorts of lovely guides for you to check out. You can narrow down the products you need and use the information to assist you with your final purchase.
You might as well check it out when you get a chance; looking never hurt anyone, right?
How Do I Clean My Pond?
First off, let’s get that unwanted algae out of your pond. While some algae can be healthy for your pond, too much can be very invasive.
Using either your net or brush, you can scoop loose algae out pretty easily. If any of the algae is stubbornly clinging to your pond’s walls, however, you’re completely allowed to cheat and use your hands.
Don’t worry, it’s totally healthy!
PRO TIP: If you’ve got an excessive amount of algae growing in your pond, you can kill it off by using some hydrogen peroxide. It won’t hurt the water, but you’ll need to clean the water out when you’re done. Plus, be sure to take your fish out before adding in any chemicals. Fish can’t breathe very well in chemicals, after all!
Next, remove your water filter and clean it out. Think of the filter in your drying machine. After drying a load of clothes, the loose fuzz and lint builds up in the dryer filter. You must remove the access fuzz or else your drying machine might catch on fire the next time you dry clothes.
That’s how ponds work, too. They may not catch fire, but the unclean filter will contaminate the water after a while. This is especially detrimental for the sea-life potentially living in your pond, as it can make your fish really sick…or worse. Don’t allow that to happen; clean out your filter.
For the next step, drain your pond. This is a pretty straightforward step here, as you’ll need to be able to clean the walls and floor of your pond. No doubt, there will be built-up muck and grime threatening to stain the pond’s interior. Once the water is out of the pond, you’re free to remedy this.
Once the pond is emptied, sanitize and clean the walls and floor before vacuuming. The reason why we say you should vacuum last is because the force of the suctioning nozzle can also assist in drying the initial cleaning that you do on the floor of the pond as well as the walls. Plus, any soapy suds can be sucked up through the vacuum, speeding up the cleaning process a little. Nothing wrong with a little speed advantage, right?
And once that’s all done, put the filter back in the pool. Fill it up with new water and gently return your fish to their home.
Have fun, you wild and crazy pond lovers!