What Can You Do to Maintain Your Pond's Ecosystem?

Maintaining a healthy ecosystem in your backyard may seem like a challenging task if you are a beginner to backyard ponds. Providing a healthy environment for Plants and fish, or even just cleaning your pond can sound difficult at first, but with at great lakes Pondscapes, we know that maintaining a healthy backyard pond is easy when you know what to take care of. If you are considering getting a backyard pond but feel dissuaded by the task of maintaining a healthy ecosystem in your backyard, here are the five key components of cultivating and sustaining your backyard pond.
Whether you are a beginner to backyard ponds or are experienced in keeping sprawling backyard waterscapes, properly maintaining your pond remains an essential task. With all backyard ponds from great lakes Pondscapes requiring the same basic components, providing proper care to your pond is easy.

Filtering out Debris and Keeping Your Pond’s Water Flowing

Mechanical components may not be what you would initially expect to be necessary when it comes to cultivating a healthy aquatic environment, but it takes a good mix of mechanical and biological components for your pond to have a healthy and thriving ecosystem. Having a good filtration system means just the same thing, with biological filters that help cultivate beneficial bacteria, and mechanical filters that remove debris from the water’s surface, both helping to maintain a natural environment with clear water.

Another mechanical component, pond pumps, help to simulate the flow of water found in real ponds and streams. Helping to keep your backyard pond’s water aerated while preserving the aesthetics of your pond, having a proper recirculation system not only keeps water and water features flowing, but it also helps you to maintain proper oxygen levels for bacteria, plants, and fish in your pond.

Maintaining Your Ponds Ecosystem with Biological Components

While gravel and aquatic plants may seem like decorative additions, they do come with several benefits for your backyard pond. Helping to protect your pond liner, while also creating a space for beneficial bacteria to grow, gravel plays an essential part in protecting and sustaining your pond. Not only does it cover your ponds liner, protecting it from ultraviolet light, but the bacteria the gravel allows to grow also helps maintain your ponds ecosystem by breaking down organic debris and excess nutrients.

Providing a natural filter, as well as shelter for any fish you might add to your pond, plants offer more than just decoration. Thriving off excess nutrients, having aquatic plants in your pond can help to filter out the nutrients that algae need to sustain itself. Providing natural filtration, aquatic plants are a key component in maintaining your backyard pond.

Introducing fish to your backyard pond can almost feel like you are adding to the amount of work it takes to maintain your pond’s environment, but fish also provide a key function in your pond’s maintenance. Feeding off string algae, fish aid in keeping your pond’s water, and gravel free from the buildup of algae that could put your pond’s health at risk, while also making for enjoyable pets.

Keeping these five components in mind can help you to create and sustain a thriving ecosystem in your backyard pond. Check out the pond supplies that can help you maintain your pond at our pond supply store or contact us today to learn more about how to sustain your ponds ecosystem.