How To Clean And Maintain A Farm Pond | The Complete Guide

If you’re operating or maintaining a farm, you’d know the importance of having a good supply of freshwater. Farm ponds fit the bill for your water-storing needs.

A farm pond is a reservoir or tank for storing water. Although the water here isn’t drinkable, it can be used for many purposes. For example, the water in the pond can be pumped for irrigation, cattle feed, or fish production.

Several farm ponds in a given area can also help control flooding; this is particularly ideal in rain-fed farming. Excess rainwater or run-off surface water generated from the catchment area flows towards the ponds, often through a series of canals or channels. However, to maintain the quality of this water, it’s important that proper pond and lake management be carried out on your property. 

To ensure sufficient and good-quality water is used for farming purposes, your farm pond should be clean and well-maintained. Otherwise, contaminated water can wreak havoc on your crops. Silted water can also reduce the efficiency of your irrigation system and could even damage it.

This article provides essential tips on how to keep your farm pond in tip-top shape. It also explains a bit more about pond geography, so you’ll understand the dynamics of a farm pond.

How To Keep A Farm Pond Clean And Clear

Whether you’re dredging, vacuuming, netting, or using water treatments, each is efficient in increasing the water quality of your pond. Clear and clean water is crucial for your crops and irrigation systems and beneficial to fish, crustaceans, or any other marine life you may be growing in your aquaculture.

Water cleanliness and clarity is your biggest goal, and with proper maintenance, it can remain that way for significant amounts of time. Some other ways of maintaining water cleanliness include:

Pond Filter

You can install a pond filter, which is a device that helps remove algae, leaves, and other debris and organics from your pond. Filters can be mechanical, biological, and ultraviolet (UV).

Mechanical filters get rid of debris that is visible to the naked eye. These include leaves, twigs, watercress, uneaten food, and more. Biological filters help improve water quality by removing nutrients that enable algae to grow while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive. UV filters destroy bacteria that cause algae to bloom.

Ensure you have a filter system installed in your pond. Your pond filter supplier can let you know how to install, set up, and operate your filters. This simple installation is essential for your farm pond.

Pond Aeration

Pond aeration refers to a process of increasing or maintaining the volume of oxygen in a pond. This is done by using the natural or mechanical movement of water. The movement breaks down the pond’s surface layer, allowing the water to make contact with air. The more air contact, the higher and more consistent the oxygen levels there are in the water.

Natural forces of nature such as the natural flow of water, wind, and rain naturally aerate waterfalls, streams, rivers, or lakes. In fishponds and farm ponds, aerating fountains, mechanical circulators and submersible pond aerators are used instead. Types of pond aerators include:

• Aspirators – transfers oxygen from the water’s surface using a venture tube.
• High-volume aerators, mixers, and diffusers. – pumps vast amounts of water above the surface
• Mixers – circulates the water horizontally.
• Diffusers – creates underwater bubbles.

Proper aeration enhances water quality, removes phosphorus, reduces algae, and improves fish health. It also breaks down harmful bacteria, controls mosquito outbreaks, and removes foul odours. 

For more information specific to your pond, speak to your pond equipment supplier to find out their recommended aeration method.

Eliminate Contamination

Pond pollution can be solved and prevented. While there are specific methods to deal with more minor, unique issues, there are general measures that you can do to eliminate and prevent contamination.

• To avoid incorporating extra nutrients, regularly remove unwanted aquatic vegetation such as watercress, weeds, algae, and fallen leaves.
• Utilise natural remedies to inhibit pollution. These include planting vegetation near the shore, planting oxygenating plants, natural erosion control, and more.
• Aerate your farm pond constantly.
• Use natural bacteria and enzyme blends to prevent the accumulation of excess algae-producing nutrients.
• Use pond herbicides and algaecides as a last resort.

How To Make Muddy Water Clear

Your irrigation and watering system draws water from a reservoir—in this case, a farm pond can be used to supply irrigation water. If you read your pump’s user manual, you would come across a basic yet essential tip: keep the water clear.

Even though agricultural water is not potable (i.e., safe for human consumption), the cleanliness of such water is essential. When used for irrigation, sediments in the water can contribute to the poor growth of your crops. It can also severely damage or lessen the efficiency of your irrigation or watering system.

It could wreak havoc on fish, crustaceans, and other marine life you’re growing if you’re using a farm pond for aquaculture. The issue is farmed fish often feed by sight, and muddy water limits their sight, impeding their feeding ability and thus making them malnourished.

Muddy water can also stunt the growth of seaweeds if you’re cultivating seaweeds as a source for carrageenan. The silted water restricts the reach of sunlight, disrupting photosynthesis.

It’s relatively easy to see if the water contains sediments; it turns muddy. This is especially true during the rainy season. This is caused by suspended clay particles that are carried by the runoff water. It can also be the result of shoreline erosion as more and more soil enters the water.

Like all other things, the best and most effective way of having muddy water in your farm pond is to prevent siltation. One way to do this is to spread bales of high-quality hay or barley straw around the shoreline. The hay or barley straw bales act like a dam or strain to prevent run-off sediments from entering the pond. In addition, the acids that are formed as the hay or barley straw decays enable the particles to settle down. Around two bales of hay per surface acre should be enough to clear the water.

It’s also a good idea to put some sort of erosion control such as stones and lush vegetation near the shoreline. Livestock shouldn’t be allowed in farm ponds and should have their own designated ponds for bathing and drinking. 

Hyperactivity from carp, bullheads, mudfish, crayfish, or catfish can also cause muddiness. If this is the case, you might need to drain the pond and eradicate the pests. Before refilling the pond and restocking the fish, you will need to protect the inlet by adding a filter gate.

Finally, you can add agricultural gypsum, or alum, into a pond. This is ideal in a situation in which the pond’s muddiness stems from a past pollution problem that continues to circulate. The salts in agricultural gypsum force phosphorus out of the water and lock the mineral in the sediments, improving water clarity.

Dredging And Desilting

Without human intervention, a pond will get smaller through natural elements such as erosion and water evaporation. Soon, the pond will transform into a bog surrounded by bushes, trees, and other vegetation.

In general, sunlight does not penetrate beyond one and a half meters, helping the pond regulate plant growth. However, due to erosion and other natural factors, the pond becomes shallower. This also enables vegetation to flourish even more. Erosion, unchecked vegetation growth, decaying vegetation, and activity at the bottom become excessive, contributing to the mud and siltation.

Should I Dredge My Farm Pond?

When this occurs, then it might be the right time to dredge your pond. Dredging allows you to remove a few feet (often 0.5 to 1.5m) of muck from the pond’s bottom. If you’re planning to stock the pond with fish, you might want to dredge it 3 to 3.5m in depth.

Doing so does a couple of things that lead to clearer water quality:

• Drastically reduces the nutrients needed for excess vegetation to grow
• Reduces siltation and mud
• Makes the pond deeper.

It’s important to consider the geographical characteristics of your farm pond. If it has a firm bottom of gravel, sand, or rock, dredging the soft muck on top of this substrate provides greater depth, increases oxygen, and reduces algae formation. However, if the pond has a soft, muddy bottom, the exposure of bottom sediments via dredging may increase algae growth.

It’s also important to note that dredging cannot solve the issue of excess nutrients or sediments that occur from runoff water. If runoff is a problem, you may want to consult experts on long-term pond management solutions.

How Much Does Dredging Cost?

The cost of dredging a farm pond depends on several factors, such as the pond’s dimensions, the desired depth, the pond’s location, where the sludge will be transferred, topographical layout, soil makeup, and more. If the dredging process involves machinery, then the cost would also increase.

A ballpark figure would be $4 to $8 per cubic yard. Mobilisation fees range between $26,000 and $65,000. It should be noted, however, that this is only an estimation. You should contact your pond maintenance provider and have the firm survey your farm pond for exact quotes.

How To Dredge A Pond Yourself

If you have a small pond or if you have a friend or neighbour who has the right equipment, you may be able to dredge it without spending thousands of dollars. Dredging can be done by hand or by a machine.

Here are some general steps if you want to dredge your pond farm yourself.

• Cut or rake the surrounding vegetation.
• Using a shovel or an excavator, cut a channel from the pond to your designated draining area. This step is advisable during winter where the water is frozen solid. When the water thaws, the water drains out. It also gives the pond ample opportunity to dry out during the summer. Alternatively, you can extract the water out using a water pump.
• Dredge the pond. Remove the sediment layer and dried muck. However, don’t destroy the base layer—usually clay or bedrock—that actually holds the water. Make sure you follow the contours of the pond to avoid erosion or and prevent cave-ins.
• Use the muck to enrich the soil of other areas of your farm. The muck is often rich in nutrients.
• After reaching the desired depth and cleaning out the contours, refill the pond. You can pump the water in or simply wait for the rainy season for the rain to fill up the pond.

Dredging a pond as a DIY project is a complex and labour-intensive task. Unless you have dredging equipment and experience, it’s better to consult with a pond maintenance provider.

Pond Vacuum

Even the best-maintained ponds can become magnets for siltation and debris such as twigs or fallen leaves. You can use a net to catch the contaminants, but this method is time-consuming and labour-intensive. An easier, faster, and more efficient way is to vacuum the pollutants off the water.

A pond vacuum works like a regular household vacuum cleaner. A pump sucks the water along with the contaminants. In some models, the sludge is dumped elsewhere via a discharge tube. Other models have filtration systems and collection containers that enable them to trap the debris.

A pond vacuum can keep your farm pond clean for many years, so it’s a good idea to invest in a high-quality model. These are some of the crucial considerations you need to keep in mind when choosing a pond vacuum. 

• Type: you can choose between hand-operated or motorised. A hand-pump vacuum is perfect for small household ponds, often no more than a few meters square. For larger ponds, however, an electric-powered motorised model is ideal. It can move lots of sludge and debris in just a few minutes.
• Maximum suction depth: this determines how deep the vacuum is capable of cleaning.
• Suction power: this refers to how powerful the vacuum’s suction force is. Bigger and deeper ponds, which accumulate more debris, often need equipment with more powerful suction.
• Attachments: Pond vacuums often come with an assortment of attachments for cleaning specific areas. It’s best to be aware of the attachments you need for your pond when choosing your vacuum.
• The number of chambers: most pond vacuums feature a single-chamber design. Once the chamber is full, you need to discharge the sludge into the chamber. Some more expensive models are designed with two-chamber systems for bigger capacities.
• Capacity: the bigger the capacity, the more sludge is stored, and the longer you can operate your pond vac in a single cleaning session. A higher capacity unit is far more convenient and is worth considering when choosing your model.
• Mobility: ideally, your pond vacuum should have wheels, so it’s easy to move it around. Given the terrain that usually surrounds a pond, it’s important to choose a mobile unit.

If you’ve used an indoor vacuum cleaner, then using a pond vacuum shouldn’t be a problem. It works similarly for the most part, although there are some things that you should be aware of to ensure the proper and safe operation of a pond vacuum. The manufacturer should be able to provide specific instructions for your pond vacuum model. 

For a shallow pond, it’s perfectly reasonable to vacuum a pond yourself. However, for deeper or bigger ponds, you may want to enlist the help of a pond maintenance specialist.

With Chemicals

Dredging, filtration, and vacuuming can help make pond water clean, but these may not always be enough. Sometimes, you may have to use chemicals, particularly gypsum. Gypsum, sometimes called alum, is a water-soluble mineral used to make plaster, drywall, and fertiliser. You can use either recycled or new gypsum.

Gypsum naturally attracts clay particles in the water. These form clumps called floccules. As floccules get larger, they get heavier and sink to the bottom of the pond.

Before applying gypsum to your pond, you need to do a simple test first:

• Fill two buckets with water from your pond. Place the bucket indoors and away from sunlight.
• Drop a small piece of drywall or gypsum into only one of the buckets.
• For one week, check the buckets once every 24 hours to see if the water clears up.
• If the water in the water-only bucket becomes clear, it means sediments in your pond may have been disrupted by physical activity such as animal activity, erosion, or weather patterns.
• If the water in the water-only bucket remains murky, then it’s reasonable to assume that the cause is a chemical factor.
• If the water in the water-and-drywall bucket becomes clear, then gypsum application is advised.

To apply gypsum, follow these steps:

• Determine how much gypsum is used. As a rule of thumb, you need about thirty kilograms per one hundred cubic metres of water.
• Premix the gypsum with some of your pond water; check the label for actual proportions. You can apply the gypsum to the pond using three means:

-Pumped to the pond.

-Sprayed as a surface slurry.

-Distributed via the propeller wash of an outboard motor.

The treatment should make the water clear in a few days and remain so for a few months. Increase the amount and frequency of gypsum applications if the water stays muddy.

Do note that gypsum application is only partially effective if the problem’s source—soil particles caused by erosion—is not effectively addressed via proper practices in land management.

How To Get Rid Of Algae In The Pond

One of the problems you may need to address to maintain is the overabundance of algae. A pond with algae means that it’s healthy. However, too much algae, particularly the blue-green variety, can reduce the oxygen in the water, inhibit photosynthesis, and make the water smell foul.

To get rid of algae naturally and without having to harm fish, follow these steps.

• You can manually get rid of the algae, especially if your farm pond is small. Use a rake to remove the bulk of surface algae.
• Add plants. Plants absorb nutrients from the water, preventing excessive nutrient buildup and starving off algae. Start out with floating plants such as lilies and lotus, which reduce direct sunlight and provide shade for the fish. Then add submerged plants such as hornwort and parrot’s feather. These plants help oxygenate the water.
• Put marginal plants around the pond’s shorelines. These augment the other plant’s oxygenating capability. They also help reduce soil erosion.
• If you’re growing fish in your pond, make sure you feed them with high-quality fish food. Since the fish completely consumes and digests the food, their excrement will have fewer nutrients for algae to feed on.
• Install ultraviolet (UV) clarifiers. A UV clarifier is an installation that exposes algae cells to high levels of UV light, negatively affecting their reproductive capability.

Sometimes, you may need to use an algaecide to get rid of algae. Algaecide is a biocide that kills or prevents algal growth. Barley straw placed in mesh bags and left to float in fish ponds is an example of a natural algaecide and has been used in England for many years. Barley straw extract for ponds can be used as a safe or non-toxic algae treatment option.

There are also natural blanketweed or string algae treatments on the market helping to tackle this persistent form of algae.

Synthetic algaecides are also available. Benzalkonium chloride, bethoxazin, copper sulphate, cybutryne, and dichlone are examples of commonly used algaecides.

Each brand of algaecide has its proper method of application. Generally, you need to mix a certain amount of algaecide with a prescribed amount of water. The exact amounts and ratios depend on factors such as the size of the pond, the depth of the water, or the severity of the algal bloom.

Using a sprayer, spray half of your pond’s growth with algaecide. Wait for a few days to a week; if algae on the treated half is killed off, you can start treatment on the other half.

How To Get Rid Of Duckweed / Watermeal

Does your pond look like it’s covered with a green carpet? Like it’s covered with pea soup? The green material could be duckweed, watermeal, or both. These plants, which float on the water’s surface, are not only unsightly but thick growth of duckweed or watermeal can reduce sunlight from reaching the depths of a pond. This robs other underwater plants of the ability to photosynthesise and, therefore, oxygenate the pond. That lack of oxygen can stress or kill fish.

It’s important, therefore, to get these plants out of your pond. This can be done with either non-chemical or chemical methods. Non-chemical options include:

• Reducing the use of lawn fertilisers, leaf litter, and feedlot drainage
• Skimming the plants off the surface with a net
• Drain the pond and remove both the offending plants and the bottom sediments

Chemical options include:

• Spraying the plants with a contact herbicide
• Spraying the plants with a systemic herbicide

With a significant algae problem in your pond, it’s a good idea to consult an expert to determine the best treatment and ongoing maintenance solution.

Related Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about farm pond maintenance and management.

How Deep Does A Farm Pond Need To Be?

When making a farm pond, it should be at least two meters deep. However, it should not be more than four and a half meters in depth because sunlight can’t penetrate the bottom at that depth.

An important thing to note is that you should install a control mechanism for the water level. An example of such a mechanism would be a sleeved standpipe with a cut-off valve at the pond’s bottom

Can You Have A Pond Without A Pump?

In a natural pond in the wild, all the plants, animals, micro-organisms, natural elements, and the soil live in harmony. This balance makes the pond sustainable, requiring no human intervention to clean or aerate it.

But with an artificial pond such as a farm pond, human intervention is needed. As such, a pond pump needs to be installed; it’s often the heart of the system. The pump aerates and circulates the water, making it crucial for a pond’s health.

Vince Barbatano Vince

Vince is Managing Director of Hills Irrigation and is supported by Lisa in an administrative capacity. Andrew, Isaac and Megan look after the day to day needs of both online and shop customers. As Project Manager, Vince is also responsible for installation projects along with his team. It is his responsibility to work closely with clients to ensure that scope of work is understood and followed.