Is it a must to clean your pond?

by Vivian
(Québec, Canada)

I see a lot of advice about cleaning ponds but, even though our pond has a liner and waterfall, we are trying to create a 'natural' environment, i.e. with dirt on the bottom and natural lake conditions. We do not have a filtering system just a pump that pumps the water from the pond to waterfall but so far everything seems to be working well. The fish appear to be thriving as are the water lilies. Can I assume that we do not need to clean and just let it develop naturally. The water colour is greenish but very clear.

Doug says as long as the pond is "balanced" ecologically, it will be fine. If you allow too many fish to grow in the pond, it will turn ugly and green. Any disruption to this ecological imbalance - e.g. not enough plants will create problems. Sounds as if you're under control right now.

So - any size pond can be maintained without filters and pumps and modern equipment *but* the minute it gets out of balance, is the minute it starts to be less than nice to have around (think sewers).

Doing this trick usually requires severely restricting the number of fish you have in the pond and increasing the floating and submerged oxygenator plants to the maximum the pond will naturally support. Use hardy varieties so they'll come back from year to year.

Good luck

Dirty pond

by Cheryl
(Marianna, PA)

I was negligent in keeping the leaves out of my pond :( and the last time I tried to clean it by emptying out the water, I killed most of my fish (even though I put them in another container). Would a sump pump or something lowered into the very bottom (3 1/2 feet) clean out the sludge, then I could add more water? (I love reading your column - VERY helpful & thanks!) My pond is about 11x12 (with shelves of 18-20 inches on the sides & 3 1/2 ft. in the center and a bog above the pond.

Thank you very much! Cheryl

Doug says that a dirty pond is a pain in the anatomy for sure. But we all get a little on the lazy side now and then and that's OK (till you have to pay the piper with stinky pond gunk) :-)

You don't say what kind of filter system you have so I'm assuming you don't want to run the dirty water through there to clean it. And that you have a layer of sludge on the bottom. If you put the fish in brand-new water, you can indeed shock them (particularly if it's city water - chlorinated) and wipe 'em out.

Practically speaking, you can stir up the water and pump 1/3 of it out of the pond onto the garden with your sump pump. As long as the sump pump is 1) screened so you're not pumping out your fish too 2) able to handle solids (home-level sump pumps are not able to do this). Don't forget as soon as you start messing about with this sludge, you're going to get all manner of "stuff" - the dirt comes with chunks that will really mess up a household sump-pump. As you're pumping out the bottom, you can be washing down the sides with a high pressure hose to clean off the sidewalls.

Fill up the pond again with un-chlorinated water. Let it sit again for a week. Repeat the stirring up and pumping out 1/3 of the water.

You can repeat this several times to get a lot of it out.

But for a truly clean pond, you're going to have to learn how to handle those fish so they're not stressed all to heck and then clean out the gunk on the bottom by pumping it out while you're washing down the sides all the way to the bottom.

Then add the nice clean water - treat it - let it get to natural temperatures and re-install fish.

Stale Water Smell from Indoor Koi Pond

by Robbie
(Las Vegas, Nevada)

Hello,
I have a 200 gallon indoor Koi Pond, I just put it in a month ago, it is one of the pre fab ones. It is beautiful and adds a lot of humidity to the inside of the house. The only problem I am noticing is the smell of stale water, is there anyway that can be gotten rid of. I have seen pics of Koi Ponds going into the house from outside, but never an entire one in the house, I hope it does not turn out to be a bad ideal. I just had a problem with my 2 big English mastiffs going swimming in it and eating my fish.
Thanks for any comments you may have,
Robbie

Doug says you don't say if you have filtration in there or not. Think of an indoor pond as one giant aquarium and you're on the right track. If you're overfeeding the fish and don't have the right pump and filter system, then you're going to have problems.

If your dogs frolic in it and eat the fish stirring up the bottom gravel and plants, then you're going to have stinking water.

Whatever the cause, your system is seriously out of biological whack. And I can't tell you how to fix it because I don't know how you're running it.

But bottom line - start reading about large aquariums - set it up on that basis. And keep the dogs out of it.