Backyard Pond is a great place for any ducks. How to keep a backyard duck pond clean can be a headache for you, because ducks frequently poop and make it dirty.
There are many ways in which you can clean your duck pond. Natural ways include the introduction of fish and snails to your pond. The artificial methods involve draining, refilling, and using chemicals like chlorine. When cleaning the duck pond in your yard, you need to be very careful. Otherwise, you might end up harming the ducks or the surrounding environment.
There are various methods by which you can clean your duck pond. This article will teach you how you can maintain and keep your duck pond nice and clean.
Using Natural Ways To Clean Your Backyard Duck Pond
If you do not want to use any type of chemicals for cleaning your duck pond. Then you can use other options that are completely Natural. Some of them are:
Using Water Lilies
Water lilies are not only used for decorating purposes but also act as a cleaning agents.
The large leaves of water lilies deprive the algae of sunlight. Due to lack of sunlight, the algae die in the water. According to research, you need to cover more than 50% of the pond with water to kill algae. Also, if you get mature water lilies then all you need is to put them on the pond’s surface. This way you won’t need to nurture them at all.
Introduce Fish
Introducing some herbivorous fishes is a good way to get rid of unwanted plants. Apart from eating the plants and algae, you can also feed the ducks with it.
Bacterial pond cleaner
Using bacteria is another great way to clean your pond. The bacteria dissolve organic substances such as algae and other waste materials.
Another good thing about bacterial cleaners is that it does not affect the quality of water. Also, it prevents the building up of waste matter in the pond.
Barley straw
You can also use Barley Straw to clean your duck pond. It possesses some properties which help in cleaning the water. Although you cannot get rid of existing algae by using barley straw. But you can prevent its further growth of it.
Using Aerators
Aerators increase the level of oxygen in pond water. There are different types of aerators. Some aerators push the water high in the air so that it comes back with more oxygen. Others aerators pump oxygen into the pond water.
This process decomposes the ducks’ poop and waste materials. Bacteria do the whole process of decomposition which requires a lot of oxygen.
Oxygen is the need of a healthy pond. Lack of oxygen in the pond leads to the growth of anaerobic bacteria that can make the pond toxic.
Snails and Tadpoles
You can put snails and tadpoles to work. These creatures are excellent cleaning Agents and can filter a lot of water.
Snails and tadpoles consume clams and mussels. That is why you will see the bottom of the pond clean in their presence.
Using Artificial Ways To Clean Your Backyard Duck Pond
Besides natural ways, there are a lot of artificial ways with which you can clean your backyard duck pond. Some of them are below:
Draining And Refilling
Draining and refilling is an excellent ways to clean your duck pond. This is very useful if you lack the budget for the recirculating system. You drain the water every couple of days. You can do that either by using a drainage pipe.
Consider Using A Filtration System
A filtration system consists of pipes that connect the pond with filters. In this case, water goes out of the duck pond and comes back to it after filtration. You can also turn this into a beautiful waterfall.
In case you are on a tight budget then you should adopt the above method of draining and refilling.
Using Chlorine
Chlorine is very helpful when it comes to cleaning your backyard duck pond. Chlorine can kill algae and other pathogens in the pond. Apart from killing the pathogens, chlorine is also useful when one of your pond ducks is ill and you want to prevent the spreading of disease in the water.
But, using chlorine should be your last option as you might end up damaging the pond ecosystem.
Surfactants
Surfactants behave in such a way that breaks the water tension. This way brings the pollutants to the side for easy cleaning.
If you are planning to use surfactants in the pond, then don’t allow the ducks near the pond. Because drinking the treated water will harm them.
How often do you need to clean a duck pond?
You should clean your pond at lean once every one to two years. You can feel the need for cleaning by looking at the pond.
This also depends upon the size, type, and number of ducks in your pond, and many other factors.
Don’t let your pond get too dirty, otherwise, it would become too hard for you to clean it. Also, you should inspect your pond at least once a week and pick up weeds and other stuff from the pond.
Moreover, you must also check the PH of your pond once in a while. A PH between 6 to 8 is ok. A higher or lower PH value from this range is a sign that your backyard duck pond requires some cleaning.
How To Maintain Your Duck Pond?
There are many ways in which you can keep your yard pond nice and clean. The cleaning and maintenance of the pond also depend upon its size, use, and type. Usually, natural ponds need way less maintenance than their artificial counterparts.
Introduce the right animals and plants, along with a good filtration system. This will help you a lot in maintaining a nice and clean pond in your backyard.
Final thoughts on “How to keep a backyard duck pond clean”
The duck pond in your backyard is prone to becoming dirty with duck poop and other pollutants. You may want to clean your pond by using chemicals but you should first try other natural methods.
You can clean your pond by using any method listed above.
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