Hi Everyone! I moved to a new house about a year and a half ago with a small pond. Unfortunately I didn't realize it required maintenance and it has now been run over by muck and flies. It isn't a naturally occurring pond -- the previous owners created it. It has a couple of lily pads and some aquatics plants that I don't recognize but they aren't really doing much to control the muck build-up on the bottom of the pond. What do you all know about small [artificial] pond maintenance? Are there any must haves / must dos for keeping a small pond healthy?

I drain and clean out my liner ponds every couple years (I used to do it every year, but the physical activity has gotten harder for me), usually in early spring, just before everything wakes up. It's a good time for dividing lotus and lilies, which tend to get over grown, and for tearing out grasses, iris, and other marginals that spread like crazy if not controlled. You can dredge a natural bottom pond, but you need to be careful not to breech the clay containment layer.

Otherwise, oxygen is the main requirement for maintenance. As long as the pond gets enough oxygenation, either from submerged plant material or pumps, then aerobic bacteria will actively clear the water of debris and keep the foul-smelling anaerobes away.

Oh, and most of us have to worry about mosquito control, either with fish or regular additions of BTi.

if you have contact w the prior owners they may be willing to answer any questions or help you.