Recommend a Filter for a 500 litre goldfish pond

[steerpike]

Hello,

I have a 500 litre pond with 5 or 6 growing goldfish. It's become evident that the Blagdon 6000 all in one pond filter is not up to the task. It clogs within days and the cheap plastic and bad design are making it ineffective.

Can anyone recommend a good alternative? I'd like to keep it in-pond if possible but am open to suggestions for running water out and down a small (currently unused) waterfall. Prime concern is fish health but I'd like to keep running costs as low as poss.

Thanks

 

[TheFishGuy]

before we start with the speech about how you shouldn't have that many goldfish bla bla bla, I will say that filters are not the only thing that should be keeping the pond clean, yes they can help, but a pond is a closed system, so you will also have to go out their and remove some of that muck yourself, I can recommend some filters, although with my pond, I only use a UV every other day, and some biological filtration.

here are som filters that may fit your pond: https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Aurora-Pressure-Filter-Sterilizer/dp/B078WL4K5N/ref=sr_1_4?crid=32U8P27GKGZC3&dchild=1&keywords=small+pond+pressure+filter&qid=1595003782&sprefix=small+pond+presuure+,aps,215&sr=8-4#customerReviews

this filter may be a little big, but it does have a UV light, so that should also help with any algea problems you may have been having!

 

[Mmathis]

@steerpike Hello and welcome!

Have you considered a bog filter? It’s a form of filtration, where, as in nature, we allow the plants to filter the water. Your pond is small, but many on here have made a bog as an add-on. Water gets pumped through a tank (there’s more to it than that, but don’t want to confuse you this early in the game) filled with pea gravel, percolates up from the bottom where the plant roots come in contact with the dirty water, then the clean water flows back into the pond. Search this site for “bog filtration.” The possibilities are endless and you have a nice little garden to enjoy along with your fish!

 

[steerpike]

thanks both for the advice. Happy to concede I may have overestimated the capacity though I do have some mature oxygenating plants, air stones and I regulary clear sludge by hand. It may be more humane to re-home 2 or 3 fish and just keep a few over.

I'm looking at quite low maintenance and easy to fit so a bog filter might work but I don't have much room to work with.

I was considering one of these https://www.swelluk.com/clear-flo-kit/

 

[Mmathis]

Can you post some pictures of your pond, and include the area around it. I’m sure we can give you ideas.

 

[TheFishGuy]

thanks both for the advice. Happy to concede I may have overestimated the capacity though I do have some mature oxygenating plants, air stones and I regulary clear sludge by hand. It may be more humane to re-home 2 or 3 fish and just keep a few over.

I'm looking at quite low maintenance and easy to fit so a bog filter might work but I don't have much room to work with.

I was considering one of these https://www.swelluk.com/clear-flo-kit/

the one you were looking at looks quite large, but as long as your fish have space to get away from the intake/ output flow then that one seems like great quality! ( and with such a large filatration system you should be good with your current amount of fish, just as long a you do regular maintnence and they dont breed

 

[j.w]

@steerpike
If you can make room for a bog that's what I would do.