Been lurking !

[Ulfhedner1]

Hi to all ! Been lurking in the threads just reading and trying to learn . Started my pond(s) several years ago. Had a population explosion . Five fish turned into thirty. Have lost some since with maybe twenty five left. have been using a Jabaou 10 filter with UV light. Lost one to freezing and bought another cuz I liked it. My second one is giving me fits. Uv light quit for the second time and new bulbs wont work. Also the big "O" ring for the lid ($15.00 each ) leaks now. They expand and can be sealed by cutting them and using a sealant at the splice. But that gets to be a pain . Question is .... can I do away with the filter and use something that is bio-friendly ? I am retired now and need to save where I can. I use well water and the fish seem to like it . If they could talk . The picture is very old but still the same configuration . Having murky water and algae issues now. One other thing ... I rinse the bio filters (spikey balls ) whenever I clean the filter. Allways have .

Any suggestions would be most appreciated . Hope to hear .... Kev.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome! Glad you decided to chime in!

I filter my pond with a planted up flow bog filter - it can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. Basic idea is you plumb the water line to run into the bottom of the bog to force water up through layers of rock and gravel and plant the top with a variety of bog friendly plants. As bio-friendly as you can get! Poke around the forum and you'll find some great threads regarding bog building!

Your pond is great! Those are some big fish! How many gallons do you have? Are the fish on just one side?

 

[Ulfhedner1]

Thank you ! Not sure of the gallonage. These are old pics but still same configuration , and the fish are much bigger now. Shubunkins . Had a couple Koi but they didnt last long. Four frogs at last counting . I move the fish back and forth for cleaning and maintenance .

 

[TAHOE]

Welcome!
As for filtering, it will be kind of up to your desire. I personally run a homemade drum filter, fed with a submersible pump, which houses lava rock as my biological media. I also use plants. I will soon be building a bog filter to replace my drum to see if will keep water a little cleaner. if you do not like to build DIY, you can also purchase premade pond filter, I'm just not a fan of them.
There are a lot of different filter builds on this site, just gotta look for them, mostly in the DIY section.

 

[qclabrat]

Welcome, love the unique form of your pond.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

I also filter as described below, my pond stays in great shape, no green water minimal algae. Almost zero maintenance.

I filter my pond with a planted up flow bog filter - it can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. Basic idea is you plumb the water line to run into the bottom of the bog to force water up through layers of rock and gravel and plant the top with a variety of bog friendly plants. As bio-friendly as you can get! Poke around the forum and you'll find some great threads regarding bog building!

 

[poconojoe]

A bog filter is the way to go. I don't have one yet, but planning.
You shouldn't rinse the bio balls in your filter, just the pads. Beneficial bacteria grows on the bio balls.
Plants also help with filtration.

 

[Ulfhedner1]

Welcome, love the unique form of your pond.

thank you !

 

[Blueeyes]

I would make that upper Pond and upflow bog for clean clear healthy water.