How To Clear Pond Water Quickly And Keep It That Way
Clear Your Maryland, DC, Or Northern Virginia Pond So You Can Enjoy It To The Fullest Again
“Is your septic tank overflowing?” It might not be that bad yet but your pond can start looking like it. Prevent it by learning how to clear pond water. There are a few different ways to do it and we cover them right here from chemically to naturally.
You can learn all the ways to clear your pond water in the post below.
Clear Skies But Cloudy Water
“Hmmm, this isn’t great, is it?”
Hunter looks up at the clear blue skies and then down at the pond. There’s no reflection of that same sky unless it got grey and cloudy in the 2 seconds it took to look down.
Michelle looks worriedly from him to the pond and back again.
Neither of them knows what’s causing this cloudy water or what to do about it. They could contact a pond contractor but they’d rather try to figure it out first.
“The first place we need to look is Google,” Hunter says finally. He pulls out his phone and searches ‘how to clear pond water’ while Michelle looks over his shoulder.
Here are the methods they find.
How To Clear Pond Water
- Clean your pond
- Barley straw treatments
- Introduce beneficial bacteria
- Install other filters
- Pond chemicals
“Alright, we know how to fix it but we need to know what’s causing it so we can choose the best method for clearing pond water,” Michelle points out.
The couple scrolls down to find out.
What Causes Cloudy Pond Water
“Looks like there could be a few culprits.”
Dead algae, koi food and poop, rock leaching, and dead plants can all cause or add to cloudy pond water.
Dead algae (usually planktonic) cloud up water like fast-approaching storm clouds up a clear sky. Leftover koi food floating in the water breaks down and creates a mushy mess. The food dye can leak out and cloud up the water too. If your fish are eating too much then they’ll poop too much too…
“Ewww and I almost touched it,” Michelle squeals in disgust.
Rock leaching happens when your pond doesn’t have quality rocks. Some rocks can leak particles in the water that cloud it. Dead plants decompose in the water and cloud it up as well.
“Now we know the causes, so let’s get into the ‘how to clear pond water’ part.”
1. Cleaning Your Pond
“Yeah, this would be a good thing to try first.”
Sometimes a mix of things is clouding your water. You can fix most of them by cleaning your pond using a 9-step full pond cleaning process.
“That’s a lot of work but we may need to do it or have it done,” Michelle sighs.
They scroll down to the next option to see what it says.
2. Barley Straw Treatments For Clearing Pond Water
“Clear pond water and destroy algae without breaking the bank, huh.”
Barley straw can clear your water on the cheap and it won’t harm your plants and fish. As it slowly decomposes it kills pond algae, helping clear your water. It can take a few weeks but then it keeps on working!
“We can start that at some point, but let’s see if there is a quicker way,” Hunter says before scrolling down.
This is what we mean by barley straw treatments >>
3. Introducing Beneficial Bacteria
“Wait, so they’re already in our pond?!”
“Seems like sometimes there’s too much waste in the pond and the bacteria can’t keep up. Putting in more beneficial bacteria helps clear the water but you need to clean the pond to treat what’s causing the cloudiness in the first place,” Hunter reads.
The couple scrolls to the next way to clear pond water.
4. Installing Other Filters
“I guess more filters would clean the water faster and keep it clearer.”
IonGens are one of our favorite water clarity enhancers. It uses metal ions (fish, plant, etc safe) to clean the water and keep it cleaner. You can also add in more skimmers and biofall filters.
“We should look more into IonGens and other filters for our pond,” Michelle says. “We should also make sure the ones we do have are clean and working,” Hunter points out.
They scroll down to the last way to clear pond water.
5. Using Pond Chemicals
“This certainly is the fastest way to clear pond water.”
There are many different chemical treatments for clearing pond water. Most are fish and plant safe but you’ll want to check to make sure.
“I’d rather leave this for last,” Michelle says. Hunter agrees so now they just need to come up with a game plan.
The Game Plan For Clearing Their Pond Water
“First we should get the pond cleaned to see if that works. Maybe whoever cleans it can also tell us if anything is wrong with it,” Hunter suggests.
“Oh, like this exploratory drain and clean option,” Michelle points out.
If the cleaning doesn’t work the couple decide to do the barley treatment and the beneficial bacteria to see it that works. Now they just need to find someone to clean their pond.