Learn How To Drain A Pond Effectively

It doesn’t matter if your backyard/garden has a small or a large pond. Maintaining it has to be the number one priority on your checklist. It not only looks ungroomed but can also be a power-packed house of diseases, if left neglected. Learning how to drain a pond seems like a good way to go if you are new to this since it will help you reduce any mistakes that you might make.

Draining a pond refers to emptying the pond for any good reason. There can be various objectives behind it, which prove to be extremely good for pond management. They are as under:

• If you need to make your pond deeper
• To get rid of unwanted fish species and vegetation control
• Redesigning/Renovating
• Moving your fish or checking for injury
• Parasite control
• Replacing old liners

Draining a pond can seem like a daunting task but if handled in an easy way you can achieve this goal in less than an hour. It is almost impossible to see your pond covered with algae and not frown.

But before getting started with the process of draining the whole pond ask yourself, is it necessary? Can it be cleaned?

Even if it seems almost impossible to carry forward without draining your pond, it might mess up the ecosystem of the pond entirely. It may contain a vast variety of life forms such as oxygenating pond plants, microorganisms, fish and frogs, and good bacteria as well. It can take almost a month to rebuild the ecosystem once again.

Ways to Clean your Pond without Draining It

There are many ways by which you can clean your pond without the hassle of draining it.

1. Use pond net often

If your pond is surrounded by trees, the possibility of leaves and other stuff falling into it can be really high. These, when left unattended, can sink to the bottom which might cause a problem in the long run. Whenever you see any insects or leaves just floating on the surface of the water, quickly grab a pond net and remove it. It will help in the long run since the debris may sink to the bottom and add more to the silt. Buy a pond net with a long handle so that you are able to reach the middle surface of the pond.

2. Skimmers

Pond skimmers are automatic machines designed to get rid of quality problems and removing debris before it settles on the bottom of the pond. A pond skimmer is placed on the surface of the water and has a type of a filter that draws in dirty water with the help of a pimp, filters impurities and pushes the clean water back to the pond.

3. Remove the sludge with a Rake/Shovel or Pond Vacuum

Cleaning the bottom of the pond may seem impossible without draining the water out. The good news is that it can be done with the help of a shovel or rake. A long handle of the rake or shovel can help you get deep into the pond and scrape out the debris which can be later collected and thrown away.

Also, an efficient pond vacuum will provide you surprising results while cleaning the bottom of a pond. Just pay close attention while buying it so that you end up getting the one with extremely good suction. It helps remove the sludge from the bottom of the pond without you wasting a lot of energy.

4. Add good bacteria to your pond

Some amount of bacteria is useful for the pond. However, be careful while choosing the same so that you don’t end up disturbing the natural ecosystem inside the pond.

This can be done by two methods. You can add pond sludge removers containing a high amount of bacteria that break down any debris in the pond. Also, the other bacteria which can be used are beneficial bacteria in order to enhance the nitrogen cycle naturally. This proves to be safe if you have any living organisms inside the pond like fish.

5. Control Algae

Algae is a naturally growing underwater plant that feeds on the nutrients present in the water and might add to the buildup of sludge. Therefore, it is important to keep a check on the algae buildup on a regular basis.

A natural way to stop the algae from growing is to put oxygenating plants in the pond. Below are certainly effective methods by which you can get rid of pond algae:

• UV Pond Clarifiers can be used to destroy and control algae cells. The ultraviolet light can get rid of both green and blue algae. There is no use to remove the fish from the pond as UV light doesn’t affect them.
• Once algae are removed and controlled, pond dyes can be put in the water to further control the buildup.
• You can also remove algae manually with the help of a suitable rake if you have a small pond. Although this method is completely useless when it comes to large ponds.

Buy Hornwort - an excellent oxygenating plant.

Ideal Time to Clean the Ponds

Whenever you see leaves, insects or pollen on the surface of the water make sure you remove it as soon as possible so that it doesn’t sink to the bottom and turn into a problem. Ideally, you should check for debris or algae once every month, vigorous cleaning should be done before the onset of spring and the end of the autumn season when there’s a high possibility of leaves falling on the surface of the water.

Methods of Draining a Pond

If thorough cleaning has still not satisfied you, you can opt to drain the pond. A small pond can be emptied with the help of a bucket, but it will require a lot of energy to drain a large pond if you think to do it with the same method. Below mentioned are some tips on how to drain a pond with the help of not so bulky machinery.

1. Pumps

Pumps are not only be used to remove sludge but can be used as the most effective and easy way to drain the water out of the pond, especially submersible pumps. These are placed at the bottom of the pond with a long hose placed somewhere outside. We suggest you empty it across the dense area of your garden to enrich it with nutrients.

Quick results on how to drain a small pond can be achieved by a solar pump. It is quite cheap and proves to be really helpful if you do not have much water to be drained especially during summers when there is intense sunlight. These are mainly recommended for shallow waters since there water their water lifting capacity isn’t much powerful.

2. Vacuum Cleaner

Vacuum cleaners are not only a reliable source when it comes to cleaning the pond but can be used to drain the water from the pond.

Pond vacuum cleaners are not only used to drain the water but can be used to clean the pond in the long run.

A heavy-duty, premium Vacuum Cleaner is ideal to use in order to drain large ponds.

Siphon Hose

For small ponds that are elevated, you can easily siphon water using a water hose. You can do it both manually or physically. The water is pumped and is drained outside the pond.

The question of how to drain a pond without a pump, if you don’t have any can be answers by a siphon hose.

Refilling your Pond after Draining

Treating the water before refilling with tap water is a very necessary step since it will provide a suitable ecosystem for any underwater life. Tap water contains chlorine which can cause the elimination of good bacteria and promote algae formation. It is also suggested to add beneficial bacteria to promote a healthy ecosystem quickly and effectively. 

Video Introduction

Conclusion

Ponds are an extremely beautiful addition to any place but if the water is allowed to remain stagnant it can cause many problems for organisms living inside the pond or even outside it. It should be checked thoroughly and replaced with some amount of clean water every once in a while. Cleaning the debris stuck at the bottom of the pond is an essential maintenance task in order to keep the underwater environment in a good condition.

Draining a pond doesn’t always have to be super exhausting. We hope you get started with the help of this blog and enjoy the scenic view of your garden after all the mess is balanced!