Here is a quick overview of Minnesota Waterscapes’ annual pond maintenance and care routine! Use this list as an easy-to-follow pond care guide as you care for your pond in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Spring Pond Maintenance, decide if you’re going to do a Deep clean or Simple start:

• Spring Simple Start: Simple Start: Clean stream and dead plants, scoop leaves, clean Biofalls & skimmer, test lights, install pump, check for leaks, add starter bacteria, fill dosing system with Maintain.
• Deep Clean, in addition to simple start: Drain the pond, flush organics, pressure wash, trim plant roots, refill pond.

Summer Pond Care & Maintenance:

• WEEKLY or as needed: Trim plants, net debris, spot treat algae, clean skimmer basket, add bacteria/check dosing system.
• MONTHLY or as needed: Clean skimmer filter mat. Check/clean pump intake. IF heavy fish load, clean biofalls filter with pond water by rinsing the chunky stuff off into your landscape bed.

Fall Pond Maintenance:

• Below 55 degree WATER temp: Use Cold Fish Food & Cold Water Bacteria.
• Tropical Plants: Bring inside when air is below 50 degrees at night to extend plant season.
• All Other Plants: Trim if desired, or leave for winter interest. Remove the reachable leaves.
• Leaf Net: if desired, keeps birds out, they can get stuck. No leaf headache…

Winter Pond Maintenance:

• All Ponds: Remove pump (store in water in semi-heated place), vacuum waterfall line & cap, provide exit for small animals in Biofalls (stick).
• Fish: Decide if keeping indoors or in pond. Add aerator at bottom for under 4ft ponds, halfway up over deep ponds). Add floating heater (separate GFCI outlet).

Feed fish ONLY as much as they consume, extra food leads to algae. Don’t feed the skimmer! Use a quality food as the regular diet. 

Algae Treatments in the Pond and Algae Prevention

Sparingly use products that kill/reduce algae. These can often harm your fish and/or ecosystem.

• All Algae: Quick fix is an Aquascape Pond gummy.
• Suspended Algae (Pea Soup): FAST: Pond gummy. SLOW: or SAB (use in the morning) & Beneficial Bacteria (evening) daily for 3 weeks (long). Will not change until the day it goes from green to clear
• String Algae: SAB to reduce phosphates.
• All Algae: Sprinkle Ecoblast like you’re seasoning your dinner.
• Brown/Green Goo (Diatoms): Use a Pond gummy or do a pond cleanout. Check for excess copper levels in the water.

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