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Now that you've decided to dive into the world of water gardening, you're probably wondering exactly what you need to do to maintain your new aquatic beauty, and keep it looking good.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there about the dos and don't of water garden maintenance so your head may be spinning, wondering which steps are necessary and which ones aren't. The whole point of installing your pond in the first place was to reduce the stress in your life, not add it to. 
Well, allow us to share a little bit of water gardening knowledge with you... the key to a low maintenance water garden is to keep your new ecosystem in balance! Read on and learn how to water garden the low maintenance way. So regardless of which type of water feature you own, we'll tell you the best way to maintain it with the least amount of work on your part!

Different Pond Types

Ecosystem Ponds

The key to keeping an all-natural water garden in check is general ecosystem maintenance. The five elements of your ecosystem all need to be balanced in order to insure that everything is working smoothly. They are:

  • Mechanical and Biological Filters

  • Pumps and Plumbing

  • Rocks and Gravel

  • Aquatic Plants

  • Fish

These elements must all be present in order for the system to really work. Once your pond is balanced, it's not hard to see why maintaining a well-balanced ecosystem is easy. With the exception of some seasonal maintenance, all you really need to worry about is tossing a little beneficial bacteria into your pond and cleaning out your skimmer net once every week or two.

Preformed and Container Water Gardens

When it comes to preformed and container gardens, maintenance is a little different. There are a few products that can be used to clean up your pond when non-algae problems continue. Remember, the smaller the system, the harder it is to achieve balance, so a more repeated dosage of beneficial bacteria may be necessary.

  • Pond Detoxifier® (dechlorinator) removes chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals rendering the water fish safe.

  • Beneficial Bacteria® works the same way as AquaClearerTM and should be added regularly.

  • Rapid Clear® (flocculant) for clumping single-celled algae together so it falls to the bottom thereby clearing the water.

  • Sludge and Filter Cleaner®  (enzyme) for quick debris breakdown.

  • Foam Free® to eliminate excessive foam build-up in water features.

Preformed ponds and container gardens also differ from liner ponds in the fact that leaks cannot be fixed. Preformed ponds and barrel liners are impossible to fix if cracked and must be replaced. Evaporation is also more common and much more noticeable because of the small amount of space. You can, however, follow the same steps when refilling them as you do a natural liner pond. Lastly, over-doing plants and lowering the fish load in your preformed pond or container water garden will help balance the system better!

Pondless® Waterfall

One of the greatest features of the Pondless® Waterfall Filter is that there is very little maintenance. The system can be run 24 hours a day or can be turned off and on when desired. Don't forget to periodically check that there is enough water in the Pondless® Waterfall basin to properly operate the waterfalls. When you hear the pump "gurgling" or sucking air, you know it is time to add water.