I recently moved into a new house that has a pond with small creek and waterfall. It has been neglected and I really have no idea what I need to do to get it back in shape. The water is green and pond is full of algae. I have drained the pond and have found the bottom full of sludge. Do I need to clear out the sludge or is it needed to support the pond. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Bob
There's a few folks here that have refurbished ponds and hopefully they'll show up and give you a hand. In the meantime, if it were me (and I don't have a pond), I'd totally clean it out and get a fresh start. And this will give you the chance to check the liner to make sure it isn't torn or punctured.
I am sure my pond needs cleaned out and dredged too. I am also sure it costs big bucks to do it. I saw some biological additive online --and I didnt save the page-- because the product was too pricey for my budget. It is supposed to clean up all that algae and make the water nice again. I dont know who would be willing to go into my pond and drag out the trash that people have thrown in. Kids maybe, but they are most likely the villains too. If I find it again, I will post the link.
You didn't tell us the size of the pond or the whether it is a liner or cement. If it is a liner they do have more of a limited life span so that might need to be checked out. Also if you have plants save some as they are expensive to replace. I clean the sludge out of mine every five plus years. I have found that by using PondCare products I can extend that time. Their AlgaeFix Algae Control for Ponds takes care of the algea and their Pond Zyme with Barley Heavy Duty Pond Cleaner gets rid of the sludge (so much so that my pond lilies sometimes come unrooted and the roots float). It has been safe for the fish and plants. Boy, I should get $ for advertising this company but it has saved me some heavy duty work. Post some photos for more specific and better help. The smaller the pond the easier the task.
I have calculated the size of pond to be 1400 gallons. It does have a liner, not cement. The house is only 6 years old so the pond shouldn't be any older than that. I plan on digging all the sludge out this weekend. Once I refill it, how do I keep it balanced. I have read a little about pond bacteria that keeps the pond clean. Any suggestions? Jewell, thanks for yours. I will see if I can locate some of that product. Another question, how do you keep all the leaves out of the pond in the fall? Do you cover them or what?
A pool skimmer works well for cleaning leaves. If you want, you could cover your pond with garden netting. Hopefully the trees aren't too close. Hopefully your pond cleaning went OK. Sounds like you have a really nice big pond.
I used to have a 1000 gallon pond and used a shop vac with a drain and long hose to get the sludge out. Just be careful not to vacuum any fish. I temporarily removed the fish into a stock tank for a serious cleaning. I had best luck keeping the pond clear by keeping a pump going at all times and running it through lots of plants in a filter. I always had at least some string algae at all times.
I have seen quite a few people on this forum that have ponds, and well kept ones at that. I am sure they will be able to give you some help and advice.
Hi Bob,We keep a net over our pond most of the year to keep out leaves.It is fine & not noticeable.It protects the fish from cats & other predators as well as keeping leaves out.You can get this netting at most garden centers in different sizes. sewNsow
Well this has turned into a big job. There is probably a ton of gravel in the bottom of the pond. Is there an easy way to strain the sludge from the gravel, or do I need to just hire 5 day laborers and have them blow out their backs. Guy with the shopvac and long hose...you may be on to something there. Let me play with that idea for a minute. Thanks for all the advise...I will take more.
Whatever you do, you want be very careful not to damage the liner, hiring five day laborers with shovels would be a good way to get holes in it. To have to replace the liner would be a reasonably expensive and labor intensive project. The soil and material in the bottom will not cause algae growth, that is caused more by the situation of the water. I would advise cleaning out what can easily clean out and not worry too much about what you cannot easily get. Put your efforts into a filter and making sure you are getting plenty of good water flow, the faster it is moving the less algae you will get. You could also look into fish to eat the algae. I have large clay ponds and they have a massive amount of plant growth in them, but I do not get a lot of algae. I have wild geese, wild ducks, domestic geese, domestic ducks, turtles and catfish all eating all the algae, and it seems to keep it in check for the most part. You might call a place that installs ponds or keeps them up and simply ask them what they think or would do.
