The pond awakens!

[Linda P]

I've now gone through a complete cycle of seasons with my first pond. I used a heater over the winter, and the water lilies have survived and are leafing out. I didn't take the goldfish in, and it appears that at least one of them survived. The frogs are back in serious numbers, filling the night with their courting songs. I know some people would consider it a nuisance, but I love it! The pond is right elow my bedroom window, so I hear it all night long. It's wonderful, after the silence of the long, cold winter!
Now, I have to get the pump back in, and get to cleaning out the gunk. I do not plan to take everything out and scour it (I have a friend who does that) but want it to stay more natural looking.
Anyone have any pond-cleaning tips for me?
Linda P

[eastwood2007]

Can't wait to see the pics this year!

[JoshS]

You've got the right idea, Linda. Power washing and scrubbing removes that slimy layer of good algae and bacteria that helps keep your pond healthy. Preserve that as much as possible. The main thing is just to remove the majority of the muck that accumulates on the bottom. If there isn't a whole lot, a fine mesh net may do the trick. It doesn't need to be spotless - it's a pond, not a swimming pool

[Annie]

I just got done doing that yesterday

I drain part of it first.
Then use a pool net to scoop the bottom of as much gunk/leaves as I could.
Then I filled it back up and all fish are doing great

[Linda P]

Annie, that's pretty much what I was planning on doing. I was hoping to do it today, but the weather isn't co-operating. Yesterday was a perfect day, but I had too many interruptions and couldn't get to it. I think that my fish fed a fat raccoon this winter. DH saw one ambling across the yard away from the pond early one morning about 6 weeks ago.
Josh, I agree. I've never quite figured out that endless scrubbing. It's a little self-contained eco-system, so why clean it all up, and then put tons of chemicals in there to keep the water clear...just so you can see the liner in the bottom?!?? Not my cup of tea at all. I've got a swimming pool skimmer that works pretty well for scraping up the leaf gunk. With the forecast calling for lows in the 30's early next week, I'm going to wait a bit before I put the pump out.
Thanks for the help!
Linda P