Repairs:
When you first create your water lily pond, it is typically perfectly level. However, pools can often tilt for many different reasons. Tilting most often occurs because pools are built to match the ground level and not the water level. It also may occur if part of the structure settles on soft ground while the other part settles on hard ground. If water seems to be higher on one side of the pond than the other, then your pond has tilted. The tilting of a pond id not a serious issue as most people think, There is not much you can do about a tilted pool, the easiest method to cover it up it to strategically place shallow water and border plants.
The two biggest issues with ponds are leaks and cracks. Small cracks may take awhile to find because water will naturally evaporate causing water loss anyhow. Repairing small cracks is best done when the pool has been drained for regular spring cleaning. If it is a small and fine crack using a few touches of special pool paint is all that is needed. For larger cracks, you should mix 3 parts cement, 1 part fine sand and a little water to make a plaster. Cover the interior of the pool to a thickness of 1/8th of an inch. After this is done, cure the pool with vinegar and water treatment. This must be done before plants and fish are returned to the pool.
If the crack is a large crack, you will probably have to replace the pool. You may be able to slide by using the cement mixture for a few seasons.
Maintaining Your Pool:
Learning and understanding how to care and maintain your water lily garden is extremely important for the novice water lily gardener. The main factor in maintaining your pond is keeping the water clean and clearing the area from scum. Scum forms right away, and it can be very frustrating. Scum is basically just debris from planting and bits of dust of earth. After the first major cleaning, the scum should not come back in large quantities. You can remove scum by scooping it out to one side with a broom, or by raising the water level so it flows past the overflow.
The next step is to make sure the water color is correct. The water should have a slightly greenish color, and not be totally clean. This is a result of the algae that naturally forms in the water. To test the water color, place your hand about 12 inches below the water’s surface, if you cannot see your hand well, then the water color is perfect!
If the water is very cloudy, then you have too much algae in the water. Adding fresh water mussels to the water can help to remedy this issue. Potassium permanganate can also help to fix the algae situation if you do not want to place anymore organisms in the pool. The keep is to measure the water volume in cubic feet, and multiply the cubic feet by 7.48 to get the amount in gallons. For every 100 gallons add half an ounce of fined potassium permanganate. In a few days the water will return to the proper greenish shade. Be careful to measure exactly, because too much can kill your goldfish, and too little will have no effect.