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rrr1234_gw

How to clean gunk at bottom of pond without removing fish

rrr1234
10 years ago

Hi,
I have a 8' x 10' x 3' deep gravel bottom pond with 10 2" to 8" Shubunkins living in it. The pond bottom is covered in 1" of old oak leaves and other gunk. I've never been able to get the bottom clean in the 8 years I've had the pond. I usually drain the pond to 6" deep of water and hose it out, then use a 30 GPM pond pump to remove the dirty water. It doesn't really do a good job. I never can catch the fish... so I leave them in while cleaning. I can never get all water out (probably not be good for the fish)... so I need some advice on how to get the remaining bottom gunk out. Tried a wet vac, but it fills up the 5 gal tank in 15 seconds....so not useful. I'm thinking a sewage pump to pump solids.. but they are expensive. Or any easy way to catch the fish?.. then can drain the pond completely. Ideas? thanks!

Comments (14)

  • cherokee_joeshoeboot
    10 years ago

    My 2 cents worth, get rid of the gravel first. You will never be able to get all the muck out in a gravel bottom pond unless it's completely drained, the fish removed and all the gravel moved around to release all the stuff that gets trapped in, around and under them. I used to have a gravel bottom pond but never again. Maintenance is a nightmare in them. As CaraRose said you can buy a hose powered muck vac but my experience is they don't work that well and won't dislodge any thing stuck in the gravel. They have other vacs that are not hose powered but they are pretty expensive.

  • hosenemesis
    10 years ago

    I agree- get rid of the gravel, then you can scoop out the solids with a fine net scoop and throw it into your compost pile.

  • NCgardenmouse
    10 years ago

    I recently purchased a small vac like CaraRose described & I found it to work pretty good in my small pond- better (& easier) than what I previously did which was to bail out alot of water & then try to scoop & net out what I could. Definitely agree about the gravel- cleaning around any small obstacle is a bear! A plus side to the hose powered vac is that you are adding water instead of removing it- I found if I let the pond level drop a bit & then use the vac the pond is cleaner & my back is happier!

  • sleeplessinftwayne
    10 years ago

    I don't know how you are with do it yourself but Floyd's pond vac is a great little helper. Floyd doesn't post here anymore but his ideas have stuck.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Floyd's Pond Vacuum

  • ademink
    10 years ago

    *definitely* go through the trouble to remove the gravel - it's a long term nightmare. as for removing the fish...literally lower your water level to a foot or so...less if needed...get in there and net them into a rubbermaid tub or whatever you need to. Easiest to have someone on top to take the net from you and put them in your holding tank. my pond is 6' deep and i get the joy of doing this annually lol

    to remove the gravel w/o damaging the liner, I've found milk cartons fashioned into scoops work great. it's a paaaaaaaaaain when you're doing it but you will have a pond that is SUPER easy to clean!

  • mckool
    10 years ago

    Shalom - pump down even below the 6", the less water the easier to catch the fish, and physically clean it - the you can never have too much filtration or plants that will help keep the pond clean and you nee to be able to pull the water/gunk from the bottom.

    I bought a dirty water pump( not sewage) online for less than $100.00 and picks up particles to an inch - Been working great for 2 years

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    10 years ago

    I'd like to comment that removing the gravel is a great thing to do for the health of the pond. As far as expectations, your pond will probably go 'green' with the complete cleanout. Think of it as a phase that will pass :-)

  • mckool
    10 years ago

    Shalom - bit the bullet and be done with it

  • EssieG
    10 years ago

    As for catching the fish, I learned through 2 re-builds in the last year that it's actually easier to catch them by hand than in a net. Lower the water level, have a bucket of water nearby, and scoop under them with an open palm.

  • carolc51
    7 years ago

    I can remove all water and mud from the pond with a dipping bucket. Do I put in clean city water with chemicals in it? I can use the old water for flowers and garden. Thanks, Gardenerdude...

  • chas045
    7 years ago

    Unfortunately, I have a well and don't need to worry about the chemicals. I think it would be wise for you to start a new thread about chlorine or chloramine or whatever, to get better attention.

  • Donnie Loftus
    7 years ago

    One way you may be able to get some of that last little bit of water is siphon it out with a hose. I will take the garden hose, fill it with water, or take a shop vacuum cleaner and get the water going. once it starts to flow on its own you can leave it go and let it remove almost all the water, and not disturb the fish or rocks. I would recommend moving the hose around to various plants downhill from the pond to water them. That way you dont have all the water in just one area.

  • ldygardnermd
    7 years ago

    I have a 14 x 12 x 3' deep pond that has river rocks in the bottom. We live in the woods and net the pond each August to keep most of the leaves out. Some still get in and get trapped between the rocks. My pond is full of bull frogs, I also have fish and my fish breed and those babies are tiny, I have given up on draining and cleaning that way. I purchased a product that breaks up the organic matter and either use my pond vac or just stir up the water so that the filter can do it's job. My pond vac has a mesh sock that you put over the nozzle to prevent gravel, baby fish, tadpoles or snails from being sucked up into it. Also a heavy plant load in the pond can really help with the excess nutrients that cause the algae blooms.

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