Why Is Your Pond Water Cloudy?

Clear water is what we strive for.
If you're struggling to clear your water,
you may be treating the wrong symptoms.

The most common issue pond owners deal with in the summer is their water clarity. And every summer is different. Heat, rain, lack of rain, each issue can cause different problems in your water feature. 

If you're in a battle with water clarity, first you need to know what you're fighting. In the pond it's difficult to determine the issue. Take a clear glass and scoop out some of your pond water. Check below to see what type of issue you're facing:

The photo above is water is green! You have a crop of single-celled algae.
  Follow our instructions to get your water clear and healthy again.

This is a great example of debris in your water. It's common to confuse green water and debris filled water when looking in your pond. Read on below to see how you can clear this water!

So you have determined you have suspended debris issue... now what?

Three Ways to Remove Debris Front Your Water

The best way to remove the debris is a complete pond cleaning. 

A complete cleaning is best -- all the water removed, fish removed, then pumping and scooping out all the muck.  This will remove all the debris.  (Don't try to just do a water change -- that won't help.  As you remove water, the debris falls to the bottom.)  This is best performed when the water is coolish like March through April or October.  It's best for your pond's ecosystem and fish.  Never cleaned your pond before?  Check our our cleaning video or better yet, let us clean your pond for you!

This fine filter pad catches a ton of debris.

Debris Filter Pad

If you're not able to clean your pond, you might be able to remove some of the debris with some extra filtration.  A fine debris filter pad is a very dense but pliable filter that can be placed inside your skimmer net or basket. Be warned, this thing fills up with debris very quickly.  Make sure you can rinse it out with your hose at least once a day! You'll be shocked how much debris it filters out. This is not a normal filter you would find in your skimmer -- again it is very dense but pliable. You will want to temporarily place this INSIDE your skimmer net or basket. They are sold in a pack of 3 and are meant to be used a few weeks and then disposed of. They perform miracles on debris filled water!

The photo shows a new debris filter vs a debris filter that was only in a skimmer a few hours!!!

Adding clay.

Koi Clay

In order to get the debris to your filter faster, we recommend using koi clay. Seems counter-intuitive to add clay to a debris filled pond, but it's very effective. It binds the debris together making it easier to filter out. It's a simple powder that you mix in a bucket of pond water and pour around the perimeter of the pond.

It has the added benefit of beneficial minerals and nutrients for you fish!

IMPORTANT:  REMEMBER THIS

It's important to keep your pond from getting this way in the first place.  One common cause of debris filled water is a string algae bloom that is quickly killed.  When that happens, all that string algae breaks down into micro debris.  Stop the stringy stuff from happening by using Remove Away Plus weekly -- yes weekly. You'll thank yourself while you enjoy your clear pond.  Don't use algaecides to kill algae.  They work too fact and damage your ecosystem.

Another way water gets cloudy is from dirt run off getting into the pond.  Make sure all the areas around the pond slope away and not toward the pond.  If you have a skimmer with an overflow opening in it, make sure it works properly.  

More questions? Let us know -- we are happy to help!