How to Clean a Preformed Pond
Preformed ponds, unlike flexible pond liners, are plastic manufactured shapes that you simply drop into a hole dug in your yard. The main thing that you need to keep in mind when cleaning a preformed pond liner is that you need to be cautious about using any kind of sharp materials when cleaning; otherwise, you could damage the liner of your preformed pond, possibly causing a leak. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Net
- Child's swimming pool
- Bucket
- Stiff brush
- Garden hose and water supply
- Shovel
- Gloves
- Dechlorinator
- Water treatment
Instructions
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1
Move your fish and plants to a safe location using a net. This can be another preformed pond liner or an enclosure like a child's plastic swimming pool. Try to locate this in the shade so that the pond holds oxygen better. Before you put the fish in, use the bucket to add old water from the pond. This will help the fish adjust to their new environment better.
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2
Drain the water from the pond. The easiest way to do this is by hooking your pond's pump up to an outlet hose and letting it drain the water out into the yard. The old pond water makes an excellent fertilizer for plants.
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3
Remove any rocks from the bottom of the pond.
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4
Brush the algae and gunk off the walls of your pond with a stiff-bristled brush. Do not use a wire brush, as this could damage the sides of your preformed pond. Use a hose with a strong stream of water to help wash waste to the bottom of your pond. You may have to pick off longer strings of algae by hand.
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Put on disposable gloves. Using a shovel, clean up all the muck at the bottom of the pond. This also makes excellent fertilizer.
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6
Check the pond for any cracks in the preformed liner. If you find one, purchase a pond liner repair kit and follow manufacturer's instructions.
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7
Clean out any biomechanical or mechanical filters that you have.
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8
Set your garden hose in the bottom of the pond and start filling it back up.
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9
Replace any plants or rocks as the water level rises. Give the rocks a good scrub before you replace them.
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10
When your water level is back to normal, reconnect any pumps and water features and allow the water to begin circulating.
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11
Add decholorinator and other water or fish treatments.
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12
Return your fish to the pond.
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Tips & Warnings
It's a good idea to change about one-third of the water in your pond every few days or so.
Be sure to keep any snails you find when cleaning out the water. These are beneficial to the pond ecosystem.
Wear disposable gloves when cleaning up the muck at the bottom. Harmful bacteria populates this area of the pond.
