Pond specialists, and pond owners ourselves

I’m Matt Adlington, the founder of That Pond Guy. What started with my own interest in keeping fish and building ponds has grown into a family run business with six vans on the road.

Based in Burham, Kent, we clean, maintain and build ponds across Kent, London and the South East, and supply pond equipment and plants throughout the UK. Pond cleaning is still the part I particularly enjoy: bringing a pond back to its best, then helping its owner understand how to keep it that way.

This is the story of how I got here, and the experience behind the advice we give.

One of my earliest projects was helping build my mum’s pond. I was already spending much of my spare time improving ponds for family and friends, but this gave me the chance to think through a build from the beginning.

It taught me that a pond needs to be practical to look after as well as lovely to sit beside. The position, construction and filtration all affect how well it works once the tools have been put away. Seeing a family pond still being enjoyed years later means a lot.

In 2017, I started building my first proper koi pond. I was really interested in keeping koi, learning about the different varieties and working out how I wanted to build a pond of my own.

I spent a lot of time researching pond construction and the different filtration systems, including pump fed and gravity fed setups. I wanted to understand how to build a pond with a glass viewing window and keep the pipework and electrical cables out of sight. I wanted it to look right as well as work properly.

One piece of advice kept coming up on the forums and in Facebook groups: build the pond you really want, or wait until you can afford to. Otherwise, you can end up regretting the compromises and starting again a few years later. That stuck with me. I wanted to do it properly, so I installed an Evolution Aqua Nexus filter system, a bottom drain and a proper skimmer.

The finished pond was six feet deep. I dug the five foot hole by hand, which was every bit as hard as it sounds. I vowed I would never do that again! I built the pond myself, and it was the first time I had taken on anything like it, including laying concrete blocks. It took me a long time, but I learned a lot and loved doing it.

The original filter room had a gravity fed Nexus with an automatic cleaning kit, an EazyPod and an evo55 UV. In 2022, I upgraded to a Burtons BD300 Combi drum filter system. You can see the current Burtons BD300 Combi model in our shop. The photographs above show both filter setups.

We still keep koi ourselves and use equipment on our own ponds that we also install for customers. We have to clean the filters and look after the fish too, so our advice comes from using these systems ourselves as well as fitting them.

I’ll be sharing the full story of this build, with the photographs from the start through to the finished pond, in a dedicated pond showcase.

After building my koi pond, I found myself helping more friends, family and local pond owners. A bit of advice or a small repair would lead to regular pond cleaning, maintenance and upgrade work.

My first paid day of pond cleaning was on 9 June 2021, with two jobs booked. I had come up with the That Pond Guy name, set things up and started advertising, so actually getting out and doing those first jobs meant a lot.

I was working for Kent Police at the time, with the equipment travelling in the back of my car. At first, I was aiming to fill one or two days with pond work around my shifts. It grew quickly, and before long I was working most days between the two. I tried to keep Sundays free whenever I was not on shift.

A few months into doing this work part time, I ordered a new van. On 13 November 2021, I handed in my resignation from what had been the start of a dream career. I wanted to give my own passion a proper chance, and I was going fully self employed before the van had even arrived.

My first official day working for myself was 7 January 2022, exactly seven years after I had started at Kent Police on 7 January 2015. And, on that very first day, my car broke down. Sitting at the side of the A2 near Gravesend, I did wonder what on earth I had done!

I needed a vehicle there and then, so I cancelled the new van order and went out and bought my first van. That van is still working with us today. We now have six vans on the road, which feels a little surreal when I think back to that morning on the A2.

Why I still love cleaning ponds

Pond cleaning and maintenance are our bread and butter, and they’re still some of the work I enjoy most. Sometimes a pond has been neglected for a while. Sometimes the owner has inherited it with the house, or simply hasn’t had the time or help to keep on top of it.

Bringing it back to its best is rewarding, but so is showing the owner how to look after it afterwards. I want people to understand their pond and feel confident caring for it, rather than be left wondering what to do next.

If an upgrade would help, we’ll explain why. Our advice is independent and based on the pond in front of us: what could make it healthier, clearer and easier to maintain, and what the owner actually needs. A clean should be the start of enjoying the pond again.

What began with me and a car full of equipment is now a team with dedicated service vehicles and specialist equipment for cleaning, maintenance and construction.

We work across Kent, London, Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and Hampshire, with coverage depending on the service and the project. Our work ranges from small garden and wildlife ponds to koi ponds, commercial water features and lakes.

Whether we’re helping with a routine clean or planning a new pond, we take time to understand what the owner wants and explain the work involved. You can explore our pond services or ask us about your pond and location.

Choosing someone to work on your pond is a matter of trust. You can check our credentials and read customers’ experiences directly on the independent sites below.

• Which? Trusted Traders: our business profile and customer feedback
• Kent Trading Standards Checked: our directory listing
• Checkatrade: reviews of our work
• Trustpilot: customer reviews
• Yell: our business listing and reviews

There’s more feedback on our customer testimonials page. I’m grateful when customers take the time to share their experience.

Our online shop grew out of the work we do on ponds. It lets us help owners throughout the UK, including those outside our service area.

You’ll find pond filters, pumps, UV clarifiers, air pumps, Oase lake treatments and aquatic plants from British growers.

We choose our range with the benefit of working on ponds every day. Many of the products we sell are the same ones we use on customer projects and our own ponds. If you’re unsure what suits your setup, ask us before ordering so we can help you make an informed choice.

I’m proud of how far That Pond Guy has come, but the part I value most hasn’t changed: helping people enjoy their ponds.

We’ve built some ponds we’re particularly proud of. Our completed pond projects show the work and the finished results, while our koi pond building page explains our approach to planning and construction.

You can see the build photographs and read the customers’ own words in our Gravesend pond and garden renovation and Eltham koi pond renovation case studies.

You don’t need to be planning a large build to get in touch. A pond clean, regular care, a fibreglass lining or a filtration improvement can make a real difference to an existing pond. Tell us what you have and what you’d like to change, and we’ll help you work out the next step.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Matt Adlington
Founder, That Pond Guy