Hello, I had a unused 8x2' galvanized cattle watering tank setting around so I decided to make a quick backyard pond. It worked out ok but water turned green within days. has about 700 gallons so what type filter would help? I put in plants, could add small above ground pool filter or UV but not sure what would do the best job for this type pool/pond.
Just made a pond and need filter advise
- Thread starter chuckinnc
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New ponds usually go through a period of an algae bloom producing green water. It's what we call new pond syndrome.
Does that container really hold 700 gallons? Maybe so.
I will add that galvanized containers can be toxic to fish due to the zinc content. I'm not sure how it can affect plants. It is usually suggested to line it with something first. You can use a flexible liner or a paint on pond liner. I think the flexible EPDM would be cheaper.
As far as filtering, in my opinion the best way to filter is with a bog. For you a mini bog made from a lined wooden box or a long planter would probably be good. With a bog, you'll get clear water with pretty much zero maintenance and no UV light is neccessary either. You grow plants directly in the bog.
Does that container really hold 700 gallons? Maybe so.
I will add that galvanized containers can be toxic to fish due to the zinc content. I'm not sure how it can affect plants. It is usually suggested to line it with something first. You can use a flexible liner or a paint on pond liner. I think the flexible EPDM would be cheaper.
As far as filtering, in my opinion the best way to filter is with a bog. For you a mini bog made from a lined wooden box or a long planter would probably be good. With a bog, you'll get clear water with pretty much zero maintenance and no UV light is neccessary either. You grow plants directly in the bog.
Bog, that's a new word. Guess it's time to lookup a DIY bog filter, and yes it holds 700 gallons. I let rain water fill it and the water turned reddish, I am guessing the zinc may have reacted with the water or maybe some kind of algae. With the addition of plants and a few fish the water quickly turned green and that's better than the redish tint but clear would be much better.
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Look around this site. There's a lot of good information and knowledgeable friendly members.
Search for bog filter. A lot of us have them. It's the best thing I've done for my pond.
As I said, if you build a bog, your's would be a smaller scaled down version than what I have built. You can sit a long planter on top of your existing stock tank pond or build the bog out of wood and waterproof it with a rubber liner.
Your pond water gets pumped into a PVC pipe that you cut slits in. The pipe sits in the bog and is covered with pea gravel. The water rises up through the gravel and returns to the pond. You grow plants directly in the gravel, no pots.
The idea is the water not only gets filtered through the gravel, but the plants feed on the excess nutrients created by the fish waste.
Here's a link to my bog build, again, much bigger than you will need....
www.gardenpondforum.com
And here's member addy1's bog building showcase:
www.gardenpondforum.com
Search for bog filter. A lot of us have them. It's the best thing I've done for my pond.
As I said, if you build a bog, your's would be a smaller scaled down version than what I have built. You can sit a long planter on top of your existing stock tank pond or build the bog out of wood and waterproof it with a rubber liner.
Your pond water gets pumped into a PVC pipe that you cut slits in. The pipe sits in the bog and is covered with pea gravel. The water rises up through the gravel and returns to the pond. You grow plants directly in the gravel, no pots.
The idea is the water not only gets filtered through the gravel, but the plants feed on the excess nutrients created by the fish waste.
Here's a link to my bog build, again, much bigger than you will need....
My add-on bog build
I finally did it! I joined the bog club! The bog is approximately 14 feet by 5 feet and about 12 inches deep. I know my 1600+ gallon pond has been overpopulated due to my fish reproductive rates! Last year the water never cleared up to my liking. I figured my two pressure filters and my...
And here's member addy1's bog building showcase:
Bog building, also called upflow filter, eco filter, wetland filter
I was asked to start a thread on how to build a bog. This is my rendition on bog building 101............. Building a bog: Before you decide to build a bog, you need to know what you want its primary purpose to be. Total pond filtration bog filtration combined with another filter. If you...
One last question, I am guessing I need a cold weather tolerant plants for a bog to work year round. Maybe I don't need the bog in cold weather? Anyway I am not sure how climate will effect plant selection.
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It depends on where you live. If you are in a freezing (Winter) climate, the bog will most likely freeze solid and usually gets turned off before that happens.
Any tropical plants you have in the bog will of course died off, but the winter hardy ones will just freeze with the bog and come back to life in the Spring. You'll probably need to trim things back in the late fall/winter.
This will be my first winter with the bog, so I think I'll leave it running as long as I can until things really freeze up.
As the water gets cold, you stop feeding the fish and basically they go into hibernation, so minimal, if any filtration is needed.
Mmathis
TurtleMommy
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@chuckinnc What zone are you in? I’m in zone 8a/b. Except for any evergreen-type plants, everything dies back in winter. You’re going to want to plan around your growing zone, but winter won’t threaten your bog, as @poconojoe said. Your pond (fish and plants) will go into a sort of hibernation mode.
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Mine is heavily planted, I turn off the external pump in Nov, back on in March or so. The bog stays full of water, it freezes, the plants die back. In Feb you see them starting to grow, by now I am yanking excess plants.
