How to Maintain a Backyard Fish Pond

Maintain your backyard fish pond to keep your fish healthy.

The key to enjoying your backyard fish pond is in the maintenance. By maintaining your fish pond on a regular basis you will prevent problems that can occur such as algae growth, weeds, water problems and fish diseases. Proper building of your pond will allow for easier maintenance once the pond is complete and stocked with fish.

Things You'll Need

• Pond skimmer
• Rags
• Shop vacuum
• Garden hose
• Ammonia and nitrite testing kit
• Floating plants
• Fertilizer
• Garden netting
• Aquarium for plants
• Aquarium for fish if needed

Instructions

1. Check your pond daily for signs of problems, such as low water level, algae overgrowth or dead fish. By keeping an eye on the pond you will see problems before they become too big to handle on your own.

2. Skim any debris from the pond before it sinks to the bottom. Sunken leaves remain on the bottom and as the vegetation rots it causes bacteria to grow.

3. Remove all the water and fish from the pond once a year to clean the pond. Scrub the bottom and sides of the liner and rinse dirt out of the pond by using a shop vac. Remove any debris that has accumulated and trim the dead vegetation from your plants. Refill the entire pond and add de-chlorinator before adding the fish back into the pond.

4. Check the filter and the pump in the spring to make sure they survived the winter and are in good working order. Clean the filter to remove any debris and clean the pump while checking for any cracks or broken seals.

5. Top off 10 percent of the water with a garden hose every so often and add de-chlorinator to keep the oxygen level balanced and refresh the pond. Aerating the pond is especially important in summer as warm water does not contain as much oxygen as cooler water. Ensure the pump used can pump at least half the volume of water in the pond every two hours.

6. Test the water for ammonia and nitrite levels on a regular basis. High levels of ammonia and nitrites in the pond water can cause the fish to die. Add neutralizers to the water and re-test the water after 48 hours.

7. Add floating plants to the pond if there is not a lot of shade. Water lilies provide enough shade to keep the water cooler for your fish in the summer sunshine. Fertilize the water lilies often to keep them growing strong.

8. Spread netting over the fish pond when the leaves start to shed from the trees in the fall. This will keep all that vegetation out of the pond and provides your fish protection from birds as the plants get thinner.

9. Remove plants that will freeze and die into an aquarium inside the house for the winter. Stop feeding the fish completely when the temperature drops below 50 degrees F. Remove fish from the pond only if the pond freezes solid. If the water does not freeze completely the fish can remain in the pond as they go into hibernation.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a second pump in the hot summer months to add more oxygen to the pond.

• Do not over stock the pond with fish.

References

• Pond Lady: Routine Maintenance
• UGA: Construction of Backyard Water Garden
• ABC Ponds: Maintain a Healthy Backyard Fish Pond