How to Keep a Small Fish Pond Clean

Like any home aquarium, fish ponds need to be clean in order to be attractive and to keep your fish healthy, which can be more difficult in an outdoor pond environment than a common fish tank, primarily because of the vast size difference. However, there are tips and methods to keepyour small fish pond clean without having to manually clean out dirt and debris every other day.

Things You'll Need

  • Water lilies
  • Barley straw bundle
  • Canister filter
  • Hose
  • Dechlorinator
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Instructions

  1. Keeping a Pond Clean

    • 1

      Put the open end of the hose underneath the water to start a siphon and drain about one quarter of the water from the pond.

    • 2

      Refill the pond with fresh water, making sure it is a similar temperature to the existing water.

    • 3

      Add the proper amount of dechlorinator to alleviate chlorine in your pond.

    • 4

      Install a canister filter, which is an external filter that sits around the pond and takes in water using one tube, filters it, then expels it back into the pond with another tube. Installation techniques vary, so consult the filter's user manual.

    • 5

      Place a bundle of barley straw in your pond in the area with the most water flow-near the filter or a waterfall. As the barley decomposes, it will release a chemical which prevents algae, a growth that dirties your pond.

    • 6

      Cover about a third of the pond's surface with water lilies, which block sunlight and absorb nutrients that algae would otherwise use, killing them.

    • 7

      Repeat these steps, minus the filter installation, about once a week.

    • 8

      Change the canister filter's filter cartridge about once a month