While a well designed pond requires very little maintenance, items such as topping off the pond, cleaning the filter equipment, pruning and fertilizing plants, dealing with nuisance algae, sticks and leaves, checking the health of the fish and checking the water quality should be performed at least once a month. Blue Marlin Aquatic Creations can provide you with any or all of these maintenance items.
In addition, seasonal cleanings are also a very important aspect of owning a pond. The most important cleanings are the spring cleaning and the fall cleaning and can be a labor intensive and very dirty process!
Blue Marlin Aquatic Creations can provide you with the following seasonal cleaning programs:
Spring Cleaning
• Remove fish and safely keep them for the duration of the cleaning;
• Carefully remove and hydrate plants;
• Drain all the water;
• Remove excess organic debris, known as sludge, muck, and slime;
• Clean filter media;
• Replace and dechlorinate the water; and
• Acclimate the fish and plants to the new water conditions.
Fall Cleaning
The fall cleaning is much less thorough than the spring cleaning. It is done mainly to get out any large amounts of organic matter, which decomposes and releases harmful gas during the winter. A buildup of that gas under a layer of ice could kill your fish. This is also the best time to winterize the plants.
• Drain all of the water out of the pond
• Set the fish and other critters aside in an appropriately sized clean container with pond water. Examine the fish for overall good health.
• Scoop the majority of the debris out of the pond with a skimmer net.
• Fill the pond with fresh water and add dechlorinator.
• Cut back the plants if it is time. If they are brown, cut the marginal plants a few inches above the waterline.
For lilies, cut off the brown leaves and stems and set the pots in the bottom of the pond. Remove and discard, or winter indoors all tropical plants.
• Return the fish and other critters to the pond.
We are happy to provide these services to those unsure of the proper methods, or veteran pond owners that wish to have this service done for them on either a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly basis.
