I Bought a House With a Pond: The 30-Day Survival Guide
Inherited a pond with your house? Here's what to check in the first 30 days, what can safely wait, and the mistakes new pond owners make — in order of priority.
I bought a house with a pond. Now what?
Practical, research-based guides for homeowners who inherited a pond and want it clean, healthy, and cheap to run — without becoming a koi hobbyist.
Start with the 30-Day Survival Guide Try the Pond System Sizer
Guides
Pond Aeration Guide: Diffusers, Compressors, and How Much Air Your Pond Needs
Why pond aeration matters, how diffused aeration systems work, sizing guidance for backyard ponds, and the signs your pond needs more oxygen.
Pond Filter Sizing & Maintenance: Pressurized vs. Gravity, and Cleaning Without Killing Your Bacteria
Pressurized vs. gravity (box) pond filters: how each works, how to size them, cleaning schedules, and why you clean filter media with pond water, never tap water.
Pond Flow Loss: Diagnosing Weak Waterfalls, Skimmer Problems, and Where Your Water Went
Waterfall gone weak? Pond losing water? A step-by-step diagnosis: clogged intakes, head height, liner leaks vs. evaporation, and pump wear — in the order to check.
Pond Pump Sizing Guide: GPH, Head Height, and the Filter Limit Nobody Mentions
How to size a pond pump: pond volume → turnover rate → gallons per hour at your head height, plus the filter max-flow limit that most calculators ignore.
Pond Seasonal Checklist: Spring Opening and Fall Winterizing in Order
The seasonal pond checklist in the right order: spring startup sequence, fall netting and winterizing, de-icers, and what to do (and not do) when the pond freezes.
Pond UV Clarifier Sizing Guide: It's the Flow Rate, Not the Pond Size
The most misunderstood spec in pond keeping: UV clarifiers are sized by flow rate through the unit, not pond volume. Wattage bands explained, plus what UV can and can't fix.
Pond Vacuums vs. Sludge Reducers: When to Vacuum, When to Treat, and How to Diagnose Muck
Thick sludge on the pond bottom? How to diagnose muck depth and type, when a pond vacuum is worth it vs. bacterial sludge reducers, and what actually prevents sludge.
What Does a Pond Cost to Run? The kWh Math, With a Calculator
Pond running costs are just watts × hours × your electricity rate. The math explained, typical costs for pumps, UV, and aeration, and a mini-calculator.
Why Your Pond Is Green (and the Order to Fix It)
Green pond water has a fix order: mechanical first, then UV, then biological. What each step does, what UV can and can't fix, and the mistakes that make it worse.
Tools
Pond System Sizer
One chained calculator: pond volume → pump size → UV clarifier size → monthly running cost. All the math shown, so you learn as you go.
Pond Running Cost Calculator
What does your pond cost to run? Watts × hours × your electricity rate, with a mini-calculator.