5 Best Pond Vacuum Cleaners – Reviews & Buying Guide

Vacuum cleaners are really one of the most essential tools that a pond owner can have. It is important to clean the ponds quite regularly because ponds can get dirty quite easily and quickly.

The fish in the pond will inevitably produce a lot of waste which would then need to be cleaned.

Some people opt to do this by hand. Which is not only a very exhausting task, but it would take a lot of your precious time. This is the reason why many pond owners just don’t clean them so often.

Luckily for you, there are many great vacuum cleaners out there that would make the process much easier and much quicker than it is if you do it alone.

Vacuum cleaners provide an effective way of cleaning a pond without having to drain it first or forcing you to clean it by hand.

They will no doubt save you plenty of time and effort while also providing a very effective way of cleaning your pond.

Keeping the pond clean is very important to enable the fish in your pond to be as healthy as possible and enable them to live as long as possible.

In this article, we will cover the 5 best pond vacuum cleaners you can get for a reasonable price that will get the job done effectively.

Best Vacuum Cleaner for Ponds

Here, we will cover just about any type of pond vacuum cleaner. From cleaners for smaller ponds to larger ponds, even cleaners for deep ponds and shallow ponds.

Some of these are more powerful than others. But mostly they are very effective in their range and will prove to be very valuable tools for you. Consider these vacuum cleaners for your pond.

1. OASE Pondovac 5 – Dual Pump

This pond vacuum cleaner definitely falls into the category of more advanced pond vacuum cleaners. You can expect premium performance with this vacuum cleaner.

This OASE vacuum cleaner is a very strong cleaner for ponds which features 5 dual pumps to clean your pond in the best way possible.

These pond vacuum cleaners are quite popular with pond owners because they are very powerful and effective for cleaning your pond.

It has suction and drainage pumps that can run simultaneously. This allows you for effective and uninterrupted suction at all times. This definitely reduces the amount of time it needs to clean and it makes it more powerful.

This pond vacuum cleaner is great for ponds that are 7.5 feet deep or less. You can utilize its strong suction flow rate of 2100GPH very nicely when cleaning your pond. This would enable a very effective cleaning process.

A great thing about this package is that it allows you to adjust the flow rate totally to your needs, which would make sure that you do not hurt any fish and you can easily adjust the flow rate on your own.

This pond vacuum cleaner is definitely a great product and it enables very good performance for a reasonable price. It has 4 aluminum suction tubes, 1 transparent suction tube, and 5 nozzles – adjustable floor nozzle, string algae nozzle, wide nozzle, brush nozzle, and wet suction nozzle.

2. Matala Power – Cyclone Pond Vacuum

The Matala pond vacuum, the pond-vac is a great tool to use for cleaning your pond.

It features the dual pump system which allows the cleaner to use the suction and drainage pumps at the same time, allowing the cleaner to use full capabilities at all times and it enables effective use and it saves plenty of time and power.

This cleaner has a tank capacity of 9.5 gallons. It features the auto-fill and drain cycles, which allows for the quick cleaning process and then it allows you to get rid of the dirty water whenever you want.

Its large capacity tank will ensure that it will clean for a long time without the need of getting rid of the dirty water constantly.

When you start draining the dirty water out of the cleaner, the motor will shut down on its own and it will allow you to drain it. When you complete that process, it will turn on automatically again and start cleaning again.

This product is perfect for cleaning ponds of up to 10,000 gallons. The maximum depth of the hoses is around 6 feet, which allows you to go quite deep and clean effectively even in deep ponds.

Overall, this cleaner is a well-designed vacuum cleaner that allows you very effective use and great tank capacity that allows for prolonged cleaning activities. We recommend the Matala vacuum cleaner for pond owners who have ponds of 10,000 gallons or less and are no deeper than 6 feet.

3. OASE Pondovac 4

OASE produce some great pond cleaners, and the Pondovac 4 is a previous version of the Pondovac 5, which was already featured on this list. It is a slightly more affordable version, but it is still a very good pond cleaner.

  It is slightly less powerful than the newer version, but it will do a great job for many pond owners. The maximum flow rate of the Pondovac 4 is 1300GPH. It requires 120V/60Hz of power and it consumes 1800W.

The weight of the product is 30 pounds. This manufacturer is known for producing high-quality products for cleaning your pond. You need to note that this particular cleaner works best for ponds that are 7ft deep or shallower.

The whole system is designed in such a way that it enables you to clean the pond as quickly as possible and then it allows you to drain all the dirty water that has accumulated very quickly.

With the OASE Pondovac, you can expect top performance for the money. And it is quite an affordable version; it is slightly less powerful than the newer Pondovac 5, but you can expect very good performance still.

This product is highly recommended for pond owners who don’t have really large ponds, but it works great for mid-size and smaller ponds. It is also very effective and it is easy to use.

4. Pond Boss Pond and Pool Vacuum

The Pond Boss pond and pool vacuum cleaner is a powerful and effective vacuum cleaner that can be used for both ponds and pools. It can be used either as a dry or wet vacuum device.

This device is sure to save you plenty of time and effort with its effective cleaning process and very easy set up process. It’s also quite easy to clean the vacuum machine and use it again.

It has an 8-gallon single chamber that needs to be emptied in order to use it again. The contents from the chamber are emptied automatically, so you don’t need to bother with that as well.

You will then be able to discharge the contents wherever you want – into a compost pile or into the drainage system. The whole process of using this cleaner is quite simple and it does most of the work for you. This really saves a lot of time and effort from your part.

The cleaner has a 1200W motor which lets you clean ponds that are 6.6 feet deep at most. The package also has some very good essentials which will let you make the whole cleaning process much easier. It has a string algae nozzle, a crevice nozzle, and a floor nozzle

. You will also get four extension tubes and suction and a drainage hose. You can get this vacuum cleaner for mid-size and small ponds and you can be sure of effective use.

5. Matala Pond Vacuum II

Last but not least on this list is the Matala Pond Vacuum II. This vacuum cleaner will do just about everything for you; it will get rid of the algae, dead plants, sludge, other debris, and everything that is not wanted in a pond.

This vacuum cleaner also features the auto-fill and drain cycles which allows for a much easier cleaning process with less time spent on filling and draining the cleaner.

You can also set the filling and draining processes automatically; you can set it to 40 seconds of vacuuming and 20 seconds of draining (or at least until the chamber is drained).

This vacuum cleaner is great for ponds that are 6 feet deep or less. It has a 16 feet long suction hose and an 8 feet long drain hose. These lengths are perfect for mid-size and larger ponds, too. It is ideal for ponds that contain up to 3000 gallons of water.

The users report mainly positive reviews about this vacuum cleaner. Generally, its ability to work for extended amounts of time has been praised and has even been described as a workhorse.

Another positive thing is quick use, and the ability to produce very good results in short spaces of time. You can expect to get quite a good performance from this little vacuum cleaner.

Use this cleaner to clean your pond of debris and any unwanted pieces in the pond. It also has five extension hoses included in the package. So, you can extend its reach or adjust it to your needs.

How to Choose a Vacuum for Your Pond?

Choosing the right vacuum cleaner is quite an easy job once you figure out what you really need. You’ve probably already heard of the great capabilities of these vacuum cleaners by one of your colleagues or here, but you really don’t know where to start and which one to choose.

Here, we have gathered all the essential information that will help you choose the right vacuum cleaner for your needs. There are many factors to consider when choosing the cleaner for you, so let’s get started.

There are two main types of cleaners to choose from: hand-pumped vacuums and electrical power vacuums. The first type of vacuum cleaners is best for smaller ponds, and you have to pump the air into the cleaner for it to work.

Electrical ones don’t need that and operate automatically. The first ones are cheaper and better for small ponds. While the former is more effective and better for larger ponds.

The next factor you need to consider is the hose and suction depth of the vacuum cleaner. The hoses need to be long enough to reach the bottom of your pond. But you also need to consider the suction power of your cleaner. It needs to be strong enough to clean all the way to the bottom of the pond.

Suction power is also an important factor if you have a large pond. These tend to be way tougher to clean than smaller ponds, so you will obviously need more suction power to clean them effectively. A good indicator of suction power is the high flow rate.

You also need to keep in mind that the powerful a cleaner is, the more power it will consume.

How many chambers the cleaner has can also be an important factor; some have a single chamber, while others have two. Usually, cleaners with two chambers are more effective and powerful, so they are better for larger ponds.

Other factors to consider are weight and mobility of the cleaner. Some cleaners have wheels, which allows you to move the easier. Weight can also be an important factor. Other things to consider are the number of accessories it comes with, the number of nozzles and other attachments that come with it.

How Does a Pond Vacuum Cleaner Work?

Pond vacuums work like wet steamers. The motor or the pump provides enough power to get some suction going, which draws water into the intake hose.

This water is then passed into the filter canister or a filter that eliminates debris, leaves, dirt or algae that might accumulate in the water. Then the rest of the clean water is pushed back into the pond again through the output hose.

It is quite simple to use the pond cleaners; they are very effective and they work quite quickly. You can expect them to save you a lot of time and effort that you would have to put in otherwise.

From time to time, these filters from inside the cleaner have to be cleaned; you can remove the debris from the filter with your hands.

These cleaners will remove all debris, sludge, and algae from your pond without them harming your fish if you set them up correctly. You can get vacuum cleaners for quite good prices nowadays, and you will mostly get great performance out of them.

How Often to Vacuum Your Pond?

How often you should vacuum your pond depends on more various factors; the most important factor is how many fish there are in the pond and how big the pond is.

If you have many fish in the pond, then you should clean the pond with a vacuum cleaner at least once a month.

It also depends on how well you maintain your pond. If you clean it regularly and perform maintenance often, then you can vacuum it once every three months. Generally, it is a good idea to perform a vacuum cleaning process once every season.

It is important to vacuum it before winter – in the autumn to get rid of all the leaves and debris which would take away a lot of space from the fish.

In the spring you should also clean it with a vacuum, once the winter ends. There might be plenty of debris in the pond that might have accumulated throughout the winter.

It is best to vacuum it in the spring. Then once every month or every three months until the autumn again.

Can a Pond Vacuum Suck Up Your Fish? (and how to prevent it)

In general, the fish in your pond will try to avoid the suction of the vacuum cleaner and will not get in the way. But it might be an issue if you have some smaller fish or fry in the pond.

If you do have small fish or fry in the pond, then you can adjust the flow rate of the vacuum cleaner and set it to a lower strength. This would make sure that the smaller fish would not get pulled into the vacuum cleaner.

But overall, you should not really worry too much about fish getting sucked into the vacuum cleaner, especially the larger fish if you have them in your pond.

Conclusion

Pond cleaners are great devices that can save you a lot of time. They can clean the pond of debris very effectively and would ensure that you would not have to spend too much time on cleaning the pond yourself.

You certainly can’t go wrong if you get a pond vacuum cleaner. It is sure to enable you a clean pond while not spending too much time cleaning it yourself.

Hopefully, you have learned a lot about pond vacuum cleaners from this list and that you have learned what the best pond vacuum cleaner might be for your needs.