clear water?

[pond maven]

OK, here’s what I am trying to understand:

My last pond was a hand-me-down pond (except the liner) which we disassembled and reassembled in our yard. We did have to replace the pump. But the parts included skimmer box with a couple of bags of lava rock, a couple of filters and all the plumbing to connect the pump (inside the skimmer box) to the hose leading to the bio-falls. The bio-falls contained filters and another couple of bags of lava rock. I got it all set and then I found the pump wasn’t working and we replaced it with one from Wal-Mart and viola, 3000 gal pond. Since we didn’t need to buy parts except the pump, I did not really research options. Our pond was usually clear and clean but we did spend lots of $ on chemical and natural algae control.

Now that we are getting ready to build another pond I have been reading as much as I can about the mechanics of the pond. So now I am…um…confused about keeping the pond clear and clean. Pressure filter? UV cleaner? bog filter?

I thought I read addy1 say she used only a bog for filter? Others used the (1, 2 or 3) 55 gal barrel filter, sounds super cool, but with a bog, no bog, no UV? 1 pump, 2 pumps, 3 pumps, before the filter, after the filter, before the bog, blah, blah blah? I completely understand the bog and the 55 gal barrel mechanics and the filter abilities. Are the homemade filters/bogs better or just cheaper?

and I thought I was so smart:redface:

 

[addy1]

Very nice pond you have there!

Some do not like bogs, I have a bog for a few reasons:

........I love plants, bogs grow good plants
.........The plants in the pea gravel filter the water well, it is clear
........With the size of bog I have compared to the pond, no algae issues
one pound of bog removes one pound of algae my bog is 2400 gallons, 2800 lbs of pea gravel

I did a lot of research on this build, the bog was the only way I was going to go. So far it is working great.

I have one pump running to the bog. I do have a different pump running for water in the stream and mini ponds, it has a 30 foot head, we run it on a timer.

Those that have built their own filters, skippy, doc, fishins trash generator, say they work well. You just need to make the correct size for your pond.

You can have a small bog and a filter, you just do not want to send the filtered water into the bog, it needs the nutrients, for the plants.

My pond is around 9-10k gallons, one pump not counting the stream pump. You could use one pump, if you want a bog split the water to go to the bog (if you want one) and to the filter.

 

[koidaddy]

You should also plan some kind of fines filter to really get it clear. There are some DIY systems that are as easy as a bucket with some matting.

 

[pond maven]

If barley straw takes 30 +- days to decompose, couldn't I get some into water to start decomposition before I am ready to add to our new pond? Or should I wait to see if I need it? Can I grow barley? Of course I can grow barley, that is not really my question. If barley is anything like wheat, it doesn't need LOTS of water hence dry-crop farmers. It does probably need LOTS of sun though. Other than getting plants from pond buddies, what are some other good sources in this area or online? This forum IS NOT helping me be patient about starting my pond. Husband is visiting his mom and praying he doesn't come home to a giant hole before the new deck gets built:lol: If wisdom comes with age why doesn't patience?

I'm sure the deer and rabbits would be forever grateful if I planted barley.

 

[koidaddy]

I researched green water for almost a year when I built my first pond. The only thing that made a difference in a short time was a UV light. That took about 3 days to clear a 1000 gallon pond. I tried every other method. Save your money and get a UV light befire you add anything else. Also, how is it planted? Plants feed of what the alge needs to survive.

 

[DrDave]

I researched green water for almost a year when I built my first pond. The only thing that made a difference in a short time was a UV light. That took about 3 days to clear a 1000 gallon pond. I tried every other method. Save your money and get a UV light befire you add anything else. Also, how is it planted? Plants feed of what the alge needs to survive.

Save the price of a UV, its maintenance, electricity...
Build a good bio filter and use floating plants to limit the sunlight. No green water.

 

[koidaddy]

Save the price of a UV, its maintenance, electricity...
Build a good bio filter and use floating plants to limit the sunlight. No green water.

I do agree on the extra electric and maintanance but it worked faster then anything else I tried. And I tried it all. I don't use one now as my pond is established. Adding some screen over the pond helps in the summer months when the sun is the most intense.

 

[vertigo72]

No two ponds are equal and what works for one doesnt always work elsewhere.

Judging by that picture, he already has 60+% lily coverage. UV isnt expensive, and its very effective at treating green water, though without other plants to break down the dead algae, its still not going to perform miracles and likely cause brown water and/or string or floating algae. So Im not disagreeing on getting more (floating) plants, but UV is a worthwhile investment IMHO.

As for a biofilter to counter algae, a properly working biofilter ought to produce nitrate from ammonia and nitrite and therefore produce nutritions, for algae and other plants alike. So I'm not sure how it would counter algae production?

 

[vertigo72]

I completely understand the bog and the 55 gal barrel mechanics and the filter abilities. Are the homemade filters/bogs better or just cheaper?

Homemade filter are definitely cheaper, and "better" than pressure filter in the sense that, depending what filter media you use, they never clog and require very little maintenance. Downsides are that they are less effective in removing particles and they are more bulky. To remove particles more effectively you can always add or build a prefilter, be it a vortex, sieve or anything else, but that adds to the cost and bulky-ness.

As for bogs, Ill leave it to addy compare pro's and cons, as I have no experience with them. but one approach by no means excludes the other.

 

[lovinglife]

I have 9-10,000 gallon pond as well, in full sun, my water was very green until I built my bog filter, even with what I consider to be an undersized pump (5K) my water is so clear I can see the bottom of a 3 foot deep pond. If it gets a little green I just turn on my big pump for a while (10K) and by the next morning, crystal clear. I also like plants, so the bog is fantastic for me.

 

[pond maven]

The pond in the pic is my old pond. We are in the planning stage for another one in our new location. Yes the old pond was beautiful and clear with lots of plants and fish etc. but I used chemicals to help with algae control. I am wanting to not waste money on equipment or use chemicals if there are other methods for keeping water clear. Plants and fish of course. Don't have a problem spending $ on these. Love this forum!

 

[koidaddy]

You are right on with the plants and fish stevendeede. As long as you have good filtration and plants you should be good to go once it establishes itself. I only mentioned the UV because that will do the job quicker on a new pond but in the end you shouldn't need it.

 

[fishin4cars]

The pond in the pic is my old pond. We are in the planning stage for another one in our new location. Yes the old pond was beautiful and clear with lots of plants and fish etc. but I used chemicals to help with algae control. I am wanting to not waste money on equipment or use chemicals if there are other methods for keeping water clear. Plants and fish of course. Don't have a problem spending $ on these. Love this forum!

All natural is best, I agree, UV does work, If done correctly can really be very inexpensive piece of equipment to use. Are they needed in most cases no, but they sure are nice when you have company coming over and you want to make sure that light green water is crystal clear. I don't like adding chemicals other than dechlor, and barley extract which BTW is all natural. But I do believe in the filter, That should be the #1 place your budget goes toward. Filtering is the heart of the whole pond. You can buy a $$$$$ fish and $$$$ plants and they all die because of not enough filter, You can spend $$$$$ on a filter and it don't be worth 1 cent. Good filtering and good plant growth are the two single most important things that will help a pond run smooth, The next two are good water quality and low fish load. Lower the fish load the less food is needed, the less you feed the healthier the pond, BUT, Fish need to be fed, A few goldfish can support themselves and can feed from a pond naturally, the more fish you add the more you have to supplement their diet with added food, the more added food the more waste. It's all a cycle, Its how we as hobbyist take care of the water that makes a pond successful or not.

 

[DrDave]

I had green water so bad that you couldn't see 2". 72 hours after I built and installed the "Doc Bio Filter", my water was clear. That was 3 years ago and I have not had green water since.

We were building UV filters back in the 60's before you could buy them. Good investment for salt water aquariums....

 

[vertigo72]

I had green water so bad that you couldn't see 2". 72 hours after I built and installed the "Doc Bio Filter", my water was clear. That was 3 years ago and I have not had green water since.

Well, Im sorry, but I cant believe there is a direct relationship between both, or at least not without some scientifically sound explanation. Biologically, a biofilter does nothing in 3 days, bacteria take far longer to colonize. The mechanical filtration of the doc filter is rather poor at best, and even the best mechanical filters will do little or nothing to remove algae that are a few micrometer large. The finest sieves will only do 100 micrometer, ie, useless against algae.

If your pond cleared up 3 days after installing the filter, Im pretty sure it would have cleared up without it or its some other side effect from the waterflow.