How do get that crystal clear pond!

[csdude55]

I hand-dug a 1,000 gallon pond about 10 years ago, about 3' deep. I set up a waterfall filter and pump from Lowes that said it's for up to 1800 gallons.

I never "loved" the look, though... the waterfall didn't come out like I had envisioned, and now I really wish it were about 10 times larger!

I added a few goldfish the next year (which has since turned in to around 30), and over time I've added two pond lilies, an iris, some pond grass, and some parrot feather (which has tried to take over), but the water has never really been clear. Unless the fish come to the surface to eat, you really can't see them at all! I'm guessing that you can see about 4" below the surface.

I don't think it's unhealthy, since the plants and fish seem fine. It's just not that attractive.

I've seen other ponds that are crystal clear, and I'm jealous! What do you guys suggest I do to clear it up?

 

[doobry]

hello and welcome im also new to ponding, from what i read in my short time here and
imo a well planted bogfilter, shading from the sun , and in some circumstances a uv filter ,helps achieve this,
addy one of the pros here only uses bogfilters and his water is crystal clear maybe you can drop him a line
hope this helps

 

[addy1]

addy one of the pros here only uses bogfilters and his water is crystal clear maybe you can drop him a line
hope this helps

Not a hundred percent pro, but I have used them for years (and a gal lol)
I filter with only a bog type filter, pea gravel stuffed with plants, the water flows up and through the gravel and plants, back into the pond. I never have green water, the plants inhale the nutrients the algae suffers.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @csdude55 ! Plants are the answer to your question. A planted bog is one solution, but just more plants in general in your pond would clear the water in no time.

 

[csdude55]

I read others on here refer to a bog filter, but I have no clue what that is... the pump I have came from Lowes (whatever their house brand was called that week, I guess), I have it on a milk crate to keep it off the floor and it pushes through a filter that looks like a 2 gallon jug with a foam pad, some plastic bacteria-catcher things, and another foam pad on top.

The flow coming out of the waterfall (that looks more like a faucet than a waterfall, which is my fault for bad design) looks pretty steady, but I just don't know if it's filtering enough? I thought about buying a second pump and filter, but I don't know if more filtering is really the solution.

The pond is directly beneath an oak tree on the North side, and it's in a part of the yard that's somewhat shaded by the house and some other trees on the South side, so it doesn't get a huge amount of sunlight. That oak tree has gotten thick, though, and I'm sure that the fallen leaves don't help anything.

I would be a lot happier if I could come up with something purely natural, honestly. I thought that the mix of plants and fish would keep it clear, but the parrot feather takes up 75% of the surface area so there's not much room for more plants! I pulled out (and tossed) probably 50lbs of it last month, but it's still taking over.

That first picture is several years old, I'll try to get a picture tomorrow that shows how it is today. My girlfriend hates it because it's so full of plants! She's disappointed that she can't see the fish.

 

[Lisak1]

We'll look forward to the up to date photo!

 

[csdude55]

Here's one from last Spring, but now the parrot feather is a lot thicker. I'll update you tomorrow, for sure.

 

[Lisak1]

Ah! Your plants look lovely! Is the water more clear when the plants are in full growth? The fact that your plants look so lush and green tells me you have lots of nutrients in your pond.

 

[addy1]

I read others on here refer to a bog filter, but I have no clue what that is.

A container filled with pea gravel, input water comes from pipes under the gravel, pushing water up through the gravel and out back into the pond. The pea gravel is filled with plants. They filter the water. It is my only filter. My bog is big.

 

[Ray G]

First of all I would guess we would all love our pond to be 10 times bigger! your looks nice.
Secondly your fish and plants are doing well so you are going better than many people that have ponds!
I suspect part of the problem is that all those lovely plants die off and rotting material is on the pond floor. that feeds Algae. Secondly your pond top looks really close to the ground surface so surface runoff might get into the pond with associated chemicals maybe). Thirdly your filter is probably not doing much I would suspect. Hard to tell but I would love to see a photo of your filter as I suspect the foam pads are next to useless and you probably don't have enough biological activity in your circulating water. I good photo of your filter with the parts exposed would be good to see.
Ray

 

[mgmine]

Two things would help. First you said that your filter was the size of a two gallon jug this is way too small. Build a bigger filter, something like a skippy filter something in the neighborhood of 50 to 75 gallons, You need more mechanical filtration to get the suspended particles out. If you don't want to make a larger filter then you can get a separate pump and recycle the water through some quilt batting a few times a week. Then get a good uv filter and this will get the green out.

 

[Lisak1]

Then get a good uv filter and this will get the green out.

You're a big fan of the UV @mgmine !

 

[csdude55]

I took some pictures today, but it's windy and raining off and on so they're not "great" pics.

You can see that the parrot feather is thick and lush, but taking over and crowding out the lilies! I'm going to have to pull out about 75% of it, I think. If anyone's near western NC and wants some, lemme know and you're welcome to come get it!

The pond grass is MUCH taller than I expected, too, so it never stands up quite right.

Like Lisa said, I suspect that everything is healthy because the fish and plants are doing well, it's just kinda disappointing that I can't really see the fish. I tried to take a close-up of the water, but there's no perspective so you really can't see how dark it is.

I suspect part of the problem is that all those lovely plants die off and rotting material is on the pond floor. that feeds Algae.

This is an excellent point. I put a net over it in the fall to prevent leaves from trees, but pine needles still get through, too.

How does one get dead vegetation out? In a regular garden I usually wouldn't, because the dead helps to keep the soil healthy, but in a pond...?

Secondly your pond top looks really close to the ground surface so surface runoff might get into the pond with associated chemicals maybe).

That's another very good point. When I first built it I ignorantly used dirt to build up a border, then covered it with the liner, then placed river rocks around to mask it. Over time, though, that dirt has washed away and there's not much of a border left. Other than tearing things down and starting over, though, I'm not sure what to do about that.

I'm pretty cautious about using chemicals, this is a fenced in back yard that my dogs use. And I'm a fan of natural wildlife and have plenty of deer, turkeys, squirrels, and even the occasional possum! So I wouldn't do anything to risk hurting any of them. I do lay down mulch, though, which may have been treated with weed killer... but I haven't done that in a few years.

Thirdly your filter is probably not doing much I would suspect. Hard to tell but I would love to see a photo of your filter as I suspect the foam pads are next to useless and you probably don't have enough biological activity in your circulating water. I good photo of your filter with the parts exposed would be good to see.

I started to rain so I didn't have time to take it apart, but I'm attaching a pic of the container. It came from Lowes, too, and it was the largest one they had at the time.

I haven't cleaned it this year yet, but it inputs at the bottom, then there's a pad, those plastic doo-hickies to hold bacteria, then another foam pad, then the outlet at the top.

Two things would help. First you said that your filter was the size of a two gallon jug this is way too small. Build a bigger filter, something like a skippy filter something in the neighborhood of 50 to 75 gallons, You need more mechanical filtration to get the suspended particles out. If you don't want to make a larger filter then you can get a separate pump and recycle the water through some quilt batting a few times a week.

Hmm. I see. I'm not opposed to a larger filter at all, I have a nice little boulder wall so I can hide it, and I can dig a hole to hide a filter (swimming pool style) if I really want.

Where does one get such a large filter, though? I'm in a small town and the LFS went out of business years ago, so my only local option is Lowes... or building something custom.

Then get a good uv filter and this will get the green out.

My first pump had a UV light on it, but it didn't seem to have any impact and I couldn't even tell if it was working. All it really did was accumulate algae that I had to wipe off constantly! lol

Thoughts on this one?

https://www.amazon.com/TotalPond-871980305672-UV-Pond-Clarifier/dp/B004DL0Y76

It says one UV for up to 2,000 gallons...

A container filled with pea gravel, input water comes from pipes under the gravel, pushing water up through the gravel and out back into the pond. The pea gravel is filled with plants. They filter the water. It is my only filter. My bog is big.

Yeah, your pond is HUGE in comparison to mine!! I'm on 5 acres of land, but at the top of a hill... I've seriously considered buying 100 acres of surrounding land that has a creek running through it, and getting a permit to build a 40 acre mini-lake.

But I digress...

I still can't envision what you mean, the "pushing water up through the gravel" is throwing me off. I'm going to do some research, though, because it sounds like it might help with my dead vegetation on the bottom, too.

Would it require taking the pond mostly down to install on the bottom, though? Everything keeps leading me towards that, which I dread because I KNOW that if I do that... I'm gonna take advantage and make it bigger! lol Then it's a summer-long project, not a weekend project.

 

[doobry]

this crude picture may help you with your bog filter

 

[mrsclem]

Get one of the nets used to clean swimming pools and little by little scoop the stuff from the bottom of the pond.