Back to Infomation
Return back to the Useful Information Home Page

Back to Useful Articles
Back to the list of useful article categories

Routine Maintenance

The solution to a clean, healthy and successful pond is no secret; it is simply a case of regular maintenance. In order to maintain your pond successfully you should perform the following chores as regularly as possible but do pay attention to the seasonal requirements as well.

Daily

• Check that the water level is normal.
• Inspect your fish each day and pay particular attention to any fish that are behaving oddly (not swimming with the rest or not feeding etc) as they may well be suffering from an illness.
• You should feed your fish only enough food that it is all eaten within five minutes and only feed your fish when the temperature is above 10 Degrees Celsius.
• Ensure that you are using the correct food for the time of year.

 Weekly

• Test the water for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels.
• Clean your filter (using pond water not tap water).
• Remove any leaves, blanket weed or debris from the pond.
• Clear any debris from the pumps.

Monthly

• Give your pond a small water change of around 10 to 20% and make sure that you add a dechlorinating liquid.
• Check all pipe work for leaks.
• Check that all electrical components are operating correctly.

 Spring

• Replace any worn out media within your filter.
• Submerged filter pumps should be lowered to the deepest part of the pond.
• Ensure that you replace the light bulb in your UVC if one is fitted.

 Summer

• Strong sunlight and increased temperature will mean that algae, blanket weed and pond life in general will become much more active so you must clean the filter regularly.

Autumn

• Raise submerged filter pumps to a depth of around 18” (450mm) as this avoids circulating chilled water during the winter months.
• Pay particular attention to the removal from the pond of fallen leaves.
• Place a pond cover net over the pond to stop more leaves falling in.

Winter

• Make sure that the pond cannot completely ice over (you can add a small pond heater). If the pond does ice over the gases produced by decaying matter within the pond cannot escape and could kill your fish.
• Leave your filtration system running all year round.
• There should be little need to clean filters during the colder months.

[back]