Cleaning pond

[Deniseho]

I really need to clean my pond completely empty it and put clean water in when is the best time to do this as I am not sure if my fish have spawned yet can any one advise please

 

[addy1]

I really need to clean my pond completely empty it and put clean water in when is the best time to do this as I am not sure if my fish have spawned yet can any one advise please

Don't clean it that way, it is really hard on the fish. Scoop stuff off the bottom with a net, do a partial water change if you want, but don't drain and scrub.

 

[Deniseho]

Don't clean it that way, it is really hard on the fish. Scoop stuff off the bottom with a net, do a partial water change if you want, but don't drain and scrub.

Can I drain and scrub later in the year

 

[addy1]

Can I drain and scrub later in the year

No it is best to never do that

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Why do you feel you need to drain and scrub?

 

[Lisak1]

I agree with @addy1 and most ponders as a matter of fact - you don't want to completely drain and scrub a pond unless you absolutely have to, like maybe chemical contamination or something like that. Your pond has worked hard to build up the eco-system. If you break it down and scrub it out, you'll be starting all over again. Hard on your fish, your plants and you!

I'll echo @bettasngoldfish - what makes you feel you need to deep clean it?

 

[Deniseho]

Why do you feel you need to drain and scrub?

Because the water is filthy and the linen is thick with algea and I can't see my fish

 

[Deniseho]

I agree with @addy1 and most ponders as a matter of fact - you don't want to completely drain and scrub a pond unless you absolutely have to, like maybe chemical contamination or something like that. Your pond has worked hard to build up the eco-system. If you break it down and scrub it out, you'll be starting all over again. Hard on your fish, your plants and you!

I'll echo @bettasngoldfish - what makes you feel you need to deep clean it?

My pond is filthy and I can't see my fish the linen is also very dirty

 

[Lisak1]

OK. A few more questions. What kind of filtration do you have? How many gallons is your pond? How many fish do you have? How often and how much do you feed them? How old is your pond? What's making the pond water "filthy"? Is it murky? Do you have a lot of organic material in it causing it to be dark? Scoop a jar or glassful of your pond water and see what happens when you let it sit for a bit - is it suspended material that's floating around? Or is the water discolored? Do you have trees that drop leaves into the pond?

And that algae? That's your ponds best friend. A liner covered with algae is not dirty - it's alive. It's part of your biological filtration system. Scrub it off and you lose all the benefits that it provides. Stop feeding your fish and let them take care of cleaning up the algae.

 

[mgmine]

When I open my pond in the spring I can't see 6" down. I drop the water level a few feet (at least 1/3 of the pond) then I scoop whatever I can out of the bottom. I can't get it all because I can't see the bottom and I'm just stirring up more trying to clean it. Then I refill the pond and turn on the filter and the UV light for a few days. The key is the UV light. It won't kill the string algae but it clears the water of whatever is making it unclear.

 

[Donna Saverino MI]

If I could please add to Deniseho question, I need to do mine so I can add lights and rearrange rocks and plants for better placement. If I don't take down the water how can I do such maintenance? I planned to take and save most of the water with the fish then get the pond how I want it then add the water and fish maybe days later. Any suggestions?
About 350 gal, at deepest part 3 feet down with 6/8 foot stream, 3 Shubunkins, zone 5, Detroit area , the beginning 2nd year with this pond

 

[Lisak1]

@Donna Saverino MI it's perfectly OK to empty the pond if you are able to save the water. You just don't want to get rid of all the good pond water and the biofilm on the rocks. Move things around, add lights, take out any large debris, but don't scrub or power wash your rocks. And do try to get it all done quickly - the faster you get your fish back in the pond, they happier and healthier they will be!

 

[poconojoe]

Agree, agree, agree! Never, ever drain and scrub/power wash your pond unless absolutely necessary! You can do a partial water change in you really feel the need. Maybe 1/3 of the water, but you probably don't even need to do that.

All that growth on your liner is all good stuff. It's part of your pond's natural filtration cycle and if you scrub it off, it will take some time to get it all back into proper balance. Besides, what would you rather see...a layer of natural looking good stuff or a black rubber liner?

I have a pool net that I very slowly run on the bottom to catch any winter debris that has collected.

Most ponds will suffer with green water in the Springtime until the plants kick in and starve the algae of the excess nutrients.

 

[Bluerooster]

Yes, Best to never drain and clean the pond unless absolutely necessary. I did it once due to a leak in the bottom of the liner. Didn't do much "cleaning"/scrubbing, except where the patch was applied. I did take the opportunity to sweep debris from the bottom.

 

[GBBUDD]

If I could please add to Deniseho question, I need to do mine so I can add lights and rearrange rocks and plants for better placement. If I don't take down the water how can I do such maintenance? I planned to take and save most of the water with the fish then get the pond how I want it then add the water and fish maybe days later. Any suggestions?
About 350 gal, at deepest part 3 feet down with 6/8 foot stream, 3 Shubunkins, zone 5, Detroit area , the beginning 2nd year with this pond View attachment 127660

Bravo for keeping a realistic fish load and not trying to keep too many