How To Keep A Fish Pond Clean | Keep Pond Fish Healthy By Reducing Ammonia In Ponds

How Do I Maintain clean fish pond water?

It is important to understand that I don't just mean clean, crystal clear water. I actually mean a healthy, stable environment where the pond water chemistry is in equilibrium and the pond inhabitants are healthy, stress free and free from illness and disease.

What is the perfect environment for pond fish to live in? To be honest I am not sure what the perfect environment is and I don't speak fish.

I can only assume that a perfect environment is one in which your Koi, goldfish and other pond fish varieties can grow, develop and live what appears to be a happy life! It is far easier to point out what will definitely make their life pretty miserable.

High ammonia levels in ponds combined with high nitrite levels and pathogenic bacteria will definitely make them want to relocate to somewhere else.

Unfortunately if this is the state of play within your pond then they will get their wish; unfortunately the place they will be relocating to is that great big fish pond in the sky, with halos and angels.

So how do you ensure that your pond fish can live in a safe, clean, healthy pond environment? The secret is to ensure that first and foremost the levels of ammonia and nitrite in your pond are kept under control. By reducing ammonia in ponds you are at least going to stop your pond inhabitants: Koi, goldfish, Rudd, frogs snails etc from falling victim to ammonia poisoning.

Remember the goldfish you had as a child that lived in a goldfish bowl? The poor thing didn't live long did it? That's right poor Goldie the goldfish lived in its own toilet, without adequate oxygen and a way to remove ammonia. In the end he fell victim to ammonia poisoning. Thankfully this doesn't have to be the case for your pond fish because you can quite easily prevent this by reducing ammonia in ponds using a biological pond filter...

Controlling Ammonia In Fish Ponds

Reducing ammonia in ponds is critically important. The secret to controlling ammonia in fish ponds is to use a biological pond filter, also known as a biofilter. A fish pond biofilter carries out the nitrogen cycle in your pond and removes these harmful chemicals by converting them into nitrate, which can be used by your aquatic plants as a food source.

It is important to regularly check your pond water using a pond test kit; check for ammonia, nitrite and pH at a minimum. The way a pond looks can be deceiving and does not necessarily mean that all is well below the surface.

Your pond may have crystal clear water and be free from algae blooms but that doesn't always mean it is a healthy environment for your fish to live in. On the other hand a fish pond with small algae blooms might look dirty but because ammonia and nitrite levels are under control, it is in fact as near to a perfect environment as possible.

How To Keep A Fish Pond Clean & Keep Pond Fish Healthy

  • Use a correctly specified pond bio filter ... As stated above ensure that you use a garden pond filter that is suitable for the size of your pond. For small to medium sized ponds the traditional gravity discharge filter and pressurized pond filter models are your best bet. Reputable manufacturers include Fishmate, Little Giant and Oase to name a few. Please be aware of the marketing hype out there! Just because the pond filter in question is a big filter doesn't mean that it designed for a big pond containing lots of fish. The secret to a successful pond filter, no matter what the size, is the choice of filter media used, in conjunction with the amount of oxygen, turbulence and ammonia ... read interaction between nitrifying bacteria and oxygen to get a better understanding.

  • Avoid Sand Filters ... When selecting the choice of pond filter make sure that you use a biological pond filter and not a mechanical sand filter, commonly used as a swimming pool filter. Mechanical sand filters are very bad for backyard ponds as they produce ammonia and encourage build up of heterotrophic bacteria. They will ultimately pollute your pond and severely interfere with the pond water quality.

  • Reduce the causes of high ammonia levels in pond ... Reduce the opportunity for ammonia poisoning to take place. Routinely remove uneaten fish food after a few minutes, before it has chance to sink to the pond floor and decay. Always use floating fish food, unless of course you only have bottom feeding fish such as sterlets. Use a pond vacuum to remove sludge and debris from the pond floor, from time to time. Prune back trees and bushes near to the pond so that leaves don't fall in to the pond.

  • Ensure that your fish pond has enough oxygen ... Always make sure that you provide a constant supply of oxygen to the pond filter media, as they will die without it, within 5 to 6 hours. For this reason you should never switch off your pond pump for more than a couple of hours while you carry out routine pond maintenance work. A pond can never have too much oxygen.

  • Remove organic pond surface debris ... Installing a pond skimmer is an excellent way to rid your pond of unwanted leaves, twigs, pollen and other floating surface debris. This simple piece of pond keeping equipment will remove organic waste, and in doing so will reduce the load placed upon your pond filter in converting ammonia. A pond surface skimmer also removes fine particles such as pollen and silt that would otherwise cause the pond water to appear cloudy.

  • Don't let suspended algae take hold ... Use a UV Sterilizer to prevent algae blooms from taking over your pond, turning it into a slimy green hole. Although some algae is beneficial to Koi and goldfish, as they use it as a tasty morsel and also as a sun shade and hiding place from predatory birds, too much is bad as it starves the pond of oxygen. Remember ponds need as much as oxygen as possible for the nitrifying bacteria to convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate.

  • Don't let blanketweed ruin your pond keeping experience ... Does your pond suffer from blanketweed problems? Blanketweed is an absolute nightmare for many pond owners and is known as "pond scum" .... says a lot really doesn't it? Traditionally barley straw treatments have been applied to combat this string algae nuisance. Now there is a far better and low cost solution that works by removing the food source from the pond. The Viresco Microbial Blanketweed Solutions not only completely remove blanketweed but are also extremely effective at removing green pond water and pond sludge. Take a look at the questions and answers taken from an Interview with the developer of Viresco, John McLauchlan...

Recommended Garden Pond Filters For Clean Fish Pond Water...

It is important to know your pond volume to within 80% before you go any further. Once you know your pond volume you will be able to make an informed decision, and avoid complications further down the line.

Always go for a pond filter model that is larger than you need as this will be able to accommodate increases in fish loads without putting too much stress on the filter. Remember that Koi eat 3 times as much as the same sized goldfish and produce much more liquid and solid waste, containing poisonous ammonia.

Pressurized Pond Biofilters

As a rule of thumb, if you are a pond owner with a small to medium sized fish ponds then a pressurized pond filter will be more than adequate for your needs. These units are far more compact than gravity return filters (gravity discharge box filters) and are much more flexible. They are easy to hide and can be placed away from the pond. Their pressurized operation allows these versatile biofilters to power water to a waterfall or other water feature.

If you are looking to purchase either of the two best models on the market then choose from the Oase Filtoclear or the Fishmate Powerclenz filter.

Pressurized Bead Biofilters

For professional Koi pond filtration then a fluidized bed filter, usually referred to as a bead filter is one of your best options. The constant thrashing together of ammonia, oxygen, water and bead biomedia in the turbulent bio chamber ensures that large amounts of ammonia and nitrite are quickly converted to nitrate. Many models incorporate blowers and bead agitators to break up the beads to prevent them clumping together. This reduces routine maintenance.

The best selling bead filter in the USA is the Aqua Ultima II bead filter range by Aqua Ultraviolet. Other popular models include the Aquadyne Bead Filter, the GC Tek Aquabead and the Fluidart Challenger range. All models are supplied with excellent warranties, some with life time guarantees.