What Exactly Is All the Greenish-Brown Muck at the Bottom of the Pond & Filter?

[elizabeths]

Hi Guys,

What is all the slimy silt like material at the bottom of the pond & pump? Its the stuff that gets stirred up in clouds when there is any activity in the pond. It accumulates in the bottom of the filter quite a bit. Is it dead algae killed by the UV filter? Is it live algae? If so, what kind of algae is it?

It makes all the water a darkish color.

Thanks!

 

[koikeepr]

It's basically called mulm. It's decayed debris, leaves, poop, everything, etc. You really want to get as much of it out as possible. You can net it out which is a bit of work and everything is cloudy for a few days afterward until it all settles. Or you can suck it out with a pond vac.

But, you need to get all that stuff outta there.

 

[elizabeths]

Should my Japanese snails be eating all the mulm?

 

[koikeepr]

no. I don't know why people think that snails, catfish and other such bottom feeders are supposed to eat other animal's poop. They will eat food that drops, but they won't eat mulm.

 

[ZackThePondMaster]

see, but my pond has this problem also. it has no way of getting rid of it, and my filter becomes brown from it. Can we leave it till next season? hence me having no way of removing it since whenever my water stirs up it takes about 2 weeks to settle down if its a huge amount of mulm

 

[DrDave]

I think I would get in there with a net and start getting out the bulk. Then take a submersible and use it to stir up the water while another takes it through a fines filter. You may have to spend a day cleaning that filter every 30 minutes, but the end result is a clean pond. 1 day of dedicated effort is all it takes. Maybe a few pain pills and glass of wine.

 

[ZackThePondMaster]

sadly enough, my dad doesn't take me out to get things like you stated. I make my own money and work with I get/got. and I already have, I have it all at one end of the pond, since my pond is uneven. which makes it easier for me to drain it, and clean it. and two, I'm to young to drink. If you'd have read the whole pond forum about mine it states me as 12 (which is true) but, you're probably busy. so no worry

 

[DrDave]

Sorry for missing your age, I don't always read all the threads while moderating.

 

[ZackThePondMaster]

well understood DrDave. Hope not to cause trouble on these forums, and hope to be a helpful member.

 

[joshk87]

I have the same problem in my pond as well. Every day I clean the filters and stir up all the muck again. It seems to be slowly working. I just wish there was a faster way to do it. I'm thinking about what DrDave said though. Maybe just set up a temporary fines bypass filter to help out. I'd love to have a pond vac, but the good ones are just way too expensive and none of my local pond places rent one.

 

[anubias]

I call it fertilizer and use it on the garden.

 

[jason081180]

I have the same problem in my pond as well. Every day I clean the filters and stir up all the muck again. It seems to be slowly working. I just wish there was a faster way to do it. I'm thinking about what DrDave said though. Maybe just set up a temporary fines bypass filter to help out. I'd love to have a pond vac, but the good ones are just way too expensive and none of my local pond places rent one.

why not just use a shop vac or wet/dry vac. much cheaper, yes you have to empty it often but you dump it in the yard and free fertilizer. use the long hose to suck off the bottom muck. that's my plan for when I finish my pond anyway.

 

[joshk87]

why not just use a shop vac or wet/dry vac. much cheaper, yes you have to empty it often but you dump it in the yard and free fertilizer. use the long hose to suck off the bottom muck. that's my plan for when I finish my pond anyway.

I tried that and the shop vac filled up in only a few seconds. With the size of my pond that will take way too long to do.

 

[koikeepr]

right, that's why people buy pond vacs--because they empty themselves. Or they modify shop vacs to do the job.

 

[mailmam71]

This really peaked my interest, what is a temp fines filter? Something I can build? I have the submersible pump, I just never thought of using it this way. Thanks Julie