How to Clean Small Ponds & Fountains

Keep your ponds and fountains clean with regular cleaning and maintenance.

Fountains and small ponds are one of several ways to landscape your lawn or garden. Adding extra details not only helps with the overall aesthetic of a home, but also adds to your personal enjoyment. However, just like any lawn fixture or ornament, fountains and ponds require regular maintenance to ensure the cleanliness of the water -- regardless if they contain wildlife or not. Both ponds and fountains have a number of ways they can be cleaned, ranging from simple water and soap to chemical-based compounds that help your water-based lawn decorations remain beautiful year-round.

Things You'll Need

• Dish washing soap
• Scrub brush
• Pool skimmer
• Water treatment solution

Instructions

1. Drain or remove most of the water from your fountain before cleaning it. For general cleaning, you can use regular dish soap with a scrub brush. After the water has been removed from the fountain, pour a little dish soap into the bottom of the fountain and mix it with the residual water left in the fountain. Use the soapy solution to scrub the fountain clean. Rinse it thoroughly with a hose and then refill the fountain.

2. Skim the surface of the pond with a pool skimmer to clean excess plant waste prior to adding any water treatment solutions. If the water is clear and any wildlife is in good health, you do not need to worry about adding any solution. However, if the water is murky, cloudy or otherwise tainted, you will want to take measures and use a chemical solution to help maintain the cleanliness of the pond.

3. Determine what type of cleaner your small pond needs. Algicides are used to keep algae levels down or remove excess algae so that the water remains clear, but they are hard on plant life and should only be used if your pond doesn't have wildlife that relies on the plants. Flocculents and bacteria-based pond cleaners that are safe to use with fish and other wildlife should be used instead of algicides in those cases.

4. Add your water treatment solution to your pond according to the manufacturer's instructions. The size of your pool and the type of pond you are dealing with will change the amount of solution you need to ad. If your pond relies on a filter to keep the water clean, ensure that the filter is clear of debris and filtering the water correctly so the solution can do its job.

References

• Best Fish: Pond Maintenance
• Pond Fountains: Balancing the Water in Ponds and Large Outdoor Fountains
• Edenfield Corporation; How to Remove Fountain Algae; August 2010