Goldfish pond

[SharonA]

I have had a pond for about ten years, I pump all water out every spring and clean old leaves and debris out before putting fish back in. Any thoughts about not cleaning leaves out and just try to keep water clear as possible

 

[mrsclem]

Hello! Can you put a net up over the pond to keep leaves out? Doing a complete water change can really stress the fish. Tell us about your pond- fish, what type and how many, size of pond and your filter system.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

How big and how deep is your pond? A net cover will help keep debris out, and a good pool net will scoop out whatever is in there, including bottom gunk. It’s not necessary to have the pond be immaculately clean, so wouldn’t think draining or removing the fish would be necessary. Also, a good pond vac can be helpful (I have a POND-O-VAC that does a great job.)

 

[j.w]

@SharonA
Most pond owners never do a total clean out of their ponds. Just use a net to keep the leaves out when they are falling. Any muck can be netted out w/a long handled net. I sometimes do a water in from a hose while letting water out w/a pump slowly as a refresh and for evaporation. Rain does a pretty good job here most of the time for keeping it full tho.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

Using a couple of different nets - one course & one fine - allows me to simply scoop & remove either larger leaves/debris or finer 'gunk', without having to drain the pond for cleaning purposes.

If you do need to do a more 'overhaul' type of cleaning, I'd suggest getting a large container (like an Intex pool) which can hold the vast majority of your water. Pump almost all the water into the holding pool, catch & pop your fish in there too. Dump the little bit of water left, remove large debris, divide plants if necessary, fix/reset rocks, etc... (just don't scrub everything TOO much) Refill with the saved water, reintroduce fish, & then top up with fresh water if necessary. Done.

Not an every year chore - maybe once every several years (or never!) depending on the amount of accumulated organic material your pond receives.

 

[JRS]

Welcome!

 

[SharonA]

Hello and welcome!

How big and how deep is your pond? A net cover will help keep debris out, and a good pool net will scoop out whatever is in there, including bottom gunk. It’s not necessary to have the pond be immaculately clean, so wouldn’t think draining or removing the fish would be necessary. Also, a good pond vac can be helpful (I have a POND-O-VAC that does a great job.)

it is about 8 x 12, deep end about 3 ft and lower end about 2 ft

 

[GBBUDD]

Every time you wash out the pond your washing away all the bacteria, microbes ,inverts and Mother natures fight to sustain the pond. Yes you need to remove the leaves i suggest as others have to make a cover in the fall over the pond that beeing netting on some pvc piping or at that size maybe a wood tee pee. as to the leaves buy the strongest pond vac you can. if you have oak leaves you''ll unquestionably need the best.

 

[JamieB]

Welcome. I agree with the others, doing a full drain and change can be hard on the fish.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum!

I never drain and clean mine.

 

[SharonA]

Thanks for all replies, I will be getting a net before fall this year. I always have a lot of gunk in bottom of pond, should I just leave that?

 

[addy1]

I always have a lot of gunk in bottom of pond, should I just leave that?

Get a swimming pool net and net out what you can. I used to but then found out there was never enough to pull out. I do net out any amount of leaves that might fall in.

 

[brokensword]

SLOWLY scoop it out, take your time, watch for critters. Don't worry as your water will eventually clear. The slower you do this, the less issues you'll have.

Get a net that is small enough weave so the little leaves don't get past, too!

 

[addy1]

This one works great

 

[Lisak1]

I have the same one that @addy1 posted - don't waste your money on the ones most pond suppliers sell. They won't last a season. I've had the pool net for 6 years. It stays outside all year round, still looks like brand new. In fact, mine came with two nets - it'll be years before I need the replacement. We bought ours at a pool supply store.

We don't empty and clean our pond either. Just do a bit of scooping every day and you'll soon have most of the leaves out. It doesn't have to be perfect - mostly clean is good enough. The muck on the bottom is fine, as long as it isn't deep. I stick my net all the way into the muck and mulm and scoop as much as I can and just stir the rest up. Getting it moving in the water column can help send it to your filter or even just help break it down faster. I get in the pond in the warmer months to groom the plants and make sure to shuffle my feet in the bottom gravel to stir things up a bit while I'm in there. Like others have said, check your net for small critters. We have Japanese snails in our pond and are careful not to toss them out!