This is a quick, simple guide for how to clean your pond after a flood.

The question of how to clean a fish pond after a flood is not a particularly common question...

...but when it is asked, an answer is usually required quite urgently.

Floods contaminate the ecosystem of garden and fish ponds. They wash out fertilisers and food.

Floods also introduce new, inappropriate nutrients and bacteria which encourage algae growth. This will turn your pond water green, brown and/or dirty rather quickly.

Hence, your pond will require a deep clean as soon as possible.

The problem? Most people don't have knowledge for how to do this.

So this guide serves to simplify the process as much as possible. So that you can DIT clean your garden pond after a flood.

Cleaning Your Garden Fish Pond After a Flood: 6 Simple Steps

Before explaining the simple steps, it's important that you understand what you need.

When your pond is contaminated to the levels that flooding causes, a deep clean is essential – which includes the removal of the pond's water. Therefore, it's not going to be an easy job if you don't have a water pump capable of removing the water.

Without further ado...

Step #1: Temporarily Re-Home Fish and Plants

This first step requires that you find a temporary home for your fish.

It is extremely important that you don't put your fish in just any old container with any old water. It is dangerous to change all your fishes' water. Fish are sensitive. So getting this step wrong and drastically changing the ecosystem of their water could be fatal for them.

You should ensure, then, that you use clear pond water (NOT tap water and air from an air-maker) for their temporary homes. If your pond water is too dirty, then wait for the dirt in your pond's water to settle.

And do your best to save as much of this clear water as possible, too! Store it in containers for the fish's temporary homes, and also save as much extra pond water as you can to put back into the pond later. The more of the old pond water you can save, the better.

DON'T store your fish (or even saved pond water) in containers that have been used to hold any chemicals, washing powder, paint, etc. This would be awful for the fish, and highly likely to kill them.

A child's paddling pool would be fine! Or a basic, large tub. If you happen to have a large aquarium tank spare, then that would be great.

In any case, a body of water large enough to hold your fish while also remaining open to let oxygen naturally into the water is important.

And once you have prepared this temporary home for your fish, you can simply net your friends out of the pond and into the containers.

Step #2: Pump Out the Water

Unfortunately, in the case of a flood, the water in your pond will be too contaminated to clean without draining. Therefore, pumping the water out is essential.

As mentioned in Step #1, saving as much of the clear pond water as possible is preferable here.

And when draining any excess water away, you should save the sludge, debris, dead leaves, etc. They are great fertilisers for trees, bushes, and plants.

The easiest and fastest way to pump the water out of your pond is by using an industry-standard water pump. If you don't want (or can't afford) to buy a water pump, then you can either outsource pond cleaning services from pond cleaners who have their own equipment.

Or you can drain your pond with a more long-winded method, such as siphoning. Be warned, though! Siphoning will take a very long time to drain a whole pond.

Step #3: Remove The Sludge

Your pond lining is probably going to be covered in sludge, grime, debris, and dead leaves.

How you remove all this mess is entirely up to you! You can do it by hand, with a spade or an improvised scooper (just be careful not to damage the pond lining!), or using a pond vacuum. In general, we recommend doing it by hand.

Whatever the method, make sure you get all the gunk out of there before moving onto step #4.

And try to save the sludge, too! As mentioned in step #2, pond sludge is an excellent fertiliser for trees, bushes, and plants. If you don't want to use it all for your own garden, then you might find someone locally who would like to use it.

(Don't just wash gunk down the drain – it could cause blockages).

Step #4: Clean The Pond Thoroughly (including the lining, rocks, water features, and filters)

It is a rare opportunity that your pond would be so utterly empty – so make the most of it!

You will want to clean the pond to the best of your ability, of course (this can be done by hand if you choose, but we recommend using a pressure cleaner ... never use chemicals!!).

But this is also an opportunity to address things that you might not have chance to address for a while.

While your pond is empty, we recommend that you:

PRO TIP: If you are unable to save much of the clear pond water, then don't scrub out ALL of your pond's algae. Leaving a small amount of algae in the pond will encourage the right kinds of bacteria to regrow in your pond. This is especially important when you have fish who loved the previous pond's chemistry.

If you have managed some save a fair amount of your old pond water, though, then scrub away to your heart's content.

Step #5: Refill The Pond and Treat New Water

If you are using tap water to refill your pond, then you will require the reintroduction of pond nutrients into the ecosystem.

And before that, the chlorine from your tap water will need to be neutralised before putting your fish and plants back in.

There are several products you can use for this process. For example, water conditioners such as this one.

Step #6: Put The Pond Water, Fish, and Plants Back

This sixth, final, and most satisfying step in this process is reintroducing your pond to its old inhabitants. The pond water you have saved, the fish who live there, and all of your plants.

After that, you can sit back and enjoy your beautiful, newly cleaned pond!

Conclusion

Cleaning a fish pond after a flood is a fairly straightforward process; but that doesn't mean it is easy.

It requires a lot of time, energy, and work. If you have these in surplus, and don't mind getting your hands dirty, then you will manage just fine.

But if you don't have these in surplus, then you might want to consider outsourcing pond cleaning services.

We provide pond cleaning services (as well as pond health checks, water feature cleaning, and water tank cleaning services) for the Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast metropolitan areas.

Contact us for a free quote, if you are looking for some help.