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Every pond owner wants to keep pond maintenance on a minimum. How to manage that? To make it easier, we prepared a little guide for you! Continue reading to find out how to minimize the amount of work at your own backyard pond. ⠀ HOW TO KEEP POND MAINTENANCE AT A MINIMUM There are few principle tips which can help you to keep your pond maintenance at a minimum. If your pond is small sized, you don’t need to bother yourself about regular cleaning. You just need to clean it once a year. In case of bigger pond, it will need to be cleaned often. Every two to four weeks, you will be obligated to do regular cleaning. What it means? Removing any debris, checking the level of water and adding if necessary. Remember to make sure if your pump system is working properly. These few tips mentioned above should help you keep your pond maintenance at a minimum. Season cleaning in smaller pond is very similar to typical autumn pond maintenance . It doesn’t require a lot of work, but it is very important.

What to do with the filter in winter? When can it be turned off and how to store the pond filter during this season? Learn about our winter maintenance of pond filters. ⠀ HOW TO CARE ABOUT POND FILTER IN WINTER Filter systems help keep your pond in good condition by operating most of the year. But what to do when winter comes and temperatures drop significantly? Each pond filter fulfills its role if the air temperature is kept above 50.0 °F , because it is at this temperature that the microorganisms that contribute to the biological cleaning of the pond become active. If the temperature does not reach 50.0 °F, the filter operation becomes pointless.  The filter can safely overwinter in the place where it was installed, in some models you should additionally remove filter sponges and UVC lamps. In the spring, when the temperatures exceed 50.0 °F, we restart the filter and use dedicated products to accelerate the multiplication of microorganisms.

In winter, not only animals hibernate. The pond also needs rest. If there are fish living in your pond, you must ensure that the entire surface of the water does not freeze. In this guide, you will learn what to look for when it comes to maintain ponds in winter. ⠀ WINTER POND MAINTENANCE IN NUTSHELL During the winter period, the garden pond requires almost no maintenance. But it is very important to secure it properly. Fish in the pond during winter Fish can be left in the pond for the winter without any problems – they do well in low temperatures. Although they can easily survive in the pond during the winter, it is imperative that the pond does not freeze completely. Only in this way will you provide the fish with an air supply. In winter, these animals do not need food: they reduce the activity of their digestive system and live on reserves set aside in summer and autumn. Protecting the pond from freezing A gentle way to protect a pond from freezing in light frost is to leave a piece of wood or a rubber ball in the water. In sub-zero temperatures, regularly pour hot water over these items to keep the cavity from freezing. Depending on the prevailing temperatures, it may be necessary to repeat this activity even several times a day. If your garden pond is shallow, you should, if necessary, move the fish to a warmer place during the winter, e.g. a special winter quarters. Depending on the number and size of the fish, you can overwinter them in a light-tight rainwater container that you can put in your garage or in a cool place in the basement.  Water heaters and pumps The water heater is an effective solution for protecting ponds against freezing in the event of long-term frost. These devices work on the same principle as heaters. They turn on automatically in sub-zero temperatures, and turn off automatically when it gets warmer. Good quality water heaters are equipped with circulation pumps that ensure the circulation of water around the device. This serves even better protection against freezing.

Many of you may wonder how to properly secure your pond before winter comes. We provided for you a short checklist to make sure that you didn’t forget anything! ⠀ Winter is coming! According to the motto of Stark’s family, mainly characters from popular series Game of Thrones, it is better to prepare to winter properly. With our checklist, you can stay calm and easily step by step secure your pond before winter come. Where to start? How to secure the pond before winter? We have prepared a list of the most important activities that you should do before the first frost which you can find below. Cleaning the leaves It must be remembered that no matter what the size of the pond, fallen leaves must be removed from the water. Otherwise, the leaves from the trees will start to settle at the bottom of the pond and rot, which in turn will lead to overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria. These bacteria break down organic matter, producing substances that are poisonous to plants and fish (e.g. hydrogen sulphide). Providing air access In a deep pond (over 3 feet), water usually does not freeze to the bottom, so fish and plants can safely overwinter there. However, they must be provided with constant access of air. You can forge an ice hole, but the vibration and noise of hitting the ice can stun the fish. Another way it to put reeds or straw in the pond, which will allow air to get under the ice. A piece of polystyrene will do the same. Transferring fish from a shallow pond Fish living in a shallow pond should be fished out and placed in an appropriate-sized container (it can be an aquarium, barrel, bowl). The size of the tank must be adapted to the size and quantity of the fish. We should install an aerator or an air filter in the tank.

As the winter comes, there are a number of activities that should be performed to secure our pond. These include, among others, the wintering of aquatic plants. Learn how to safely winter your plants so that they survive to the next season. ⠀ WINTER POND MAINTENANCE The pond freezing to the bottom is also not conducive to wintering aquatic plants, so we should move it inside . Thermophilic plants should be placed in a warm ( approx. 18-20° C ) and bright place (to allow the plants to photosynthesize). These include, for example, water hyacinths or melted hyacinths. Other aquatic plants (e.g. water lilies or water lilies) require slightly cooler conditions during winter: approx. 8° C.  Some plants should be kept in a completely dark place, e.g. tiger lotus or fine water lily. Some of them must overwinter in water (e.g. in a shallow aquarium), such as salvins. Other plants can overwinter in a container of wet sand or clay (e.g. water hyacinths). The method of storing plants during the winter depends on the species and the variety.