There isn't all that much maintenance required for the pond. I don't feed the fish, so they don't poop excessively. I feed the large green frogs for fun but not for sustainment. The frogs are cannibalistic, so in theory they should keep their numbers in check. The pond has no filter to maintain.

Every month I throw in a "mosquito dunk" to keep mosquito larvae from developing.

Leaves are the worst. The first fall I didn't do enough to keep them out and I got tons of leaves in the pond. The muck at the bottow was plentiful. The plants (especially the water hyacinth) didn't do very well in 2023. I tried putting in some beneficial bacteria tablets every week but I didn't notice much benefit.

Fall of 2023 I put a fence and a big net across the top. I hope that does a little better. We'll see how the water looks in 2024. I can't drain out the pond without bothering the frogs and tadpoles at the bottom. All I can do is scoop out the muck in March/April and check for tadpoles as I do it.

In 2023 and 2024 I was disappointed with the clarity of the water. I tried a filter but it didn't really work much. My current theory is that the fish are eating the roots of the plants and preventing them from filtering the water.