Muddy like substance on top level

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First time poster to this site Hello:
I have a 2 level feature. The upper level has a large falls that then forms a shallow pool that continues on to 2 waterfalls that fall into a 2,500 gallon pond with Koi and gold fish. This area is visited by small birds and is welcomed.
The liner is covered with small gravel (1/4 to 1/2" size).

I have a 2 discharge pump. One discharges to a Bio 10 filter and the other just flows off a rock and forms the top waterfall. The filter discharges at the top level just under the main fall.

The past 2 years in the upper level a muddy ooze has been taking over . It smells like low tide in Boston Harbor. I am in the process of removing all the gravel and vacuuming up all the ooze and intend to wash the gravel next spring before I put it back. I don't want to power wash now as I have removed the pump and filter for the winter. Is there anything I could do to the liner to prevent this ooze from forming liking wiping it down with hydrogen peroxide?

I have some theories... is my pump slowing down thus slowing down the rate of flow from top to bottom..do I need to clean the filter more often ( once a week)...are the shallow and small pools that form at the top allowing the area to stagnate... Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks
 

DrDave

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First of all welcome to the form. We have an introductions thread for introducing yourself.

Get rid of the gravel and rock in the bottom. That is going septic and causing your bad smell. Once that is cleaned up, make sure your pumps are free of debries and run them until the pond has cleared up. Your filter needs to be cleaned afterward and you should be good for a long time. I don't know what the peroxide is going to do for you except kill the good algae.
 

DrCase

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Welcome to the forum
I believe you have a dead zone after the first fall
You could add a small pump to keep the upper pool stirred up
And when you mess with the rocks just leave them out of the pond
 
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Thank you.

I have vacuumed up the gravel and will clean it all before I re-place it. I have to have the gravel as it is really part of the entire design unless there is another product. Attached is a photo...The duck was a brief visitor.

If I should not use the gravel any suggestions for making it look natural...This didn't happen the first year and hopefully removing, cleaning and replacing the gravel will work.

It is really shallow and I would not be able to add another small pump or aerator up there. Appreciated
 

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“The liner is covered with small gravel (1/4 to 1/2" size).

I have a 2 discharge pump. One discharges to a Bio 10 filter and the other just flows off a rock and forms the top waterfall. The filter discharges at the top level just under the main fall.”

It would appear that there is a lack of filtration, thus your gravel becomes a filtration bed and is doing exactly what a filter should do. More filtering for the solids before the water gets to the gravel bed might just solve the problem
 
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I think what you say makes sense.

I have a Pondworks 4280 GPH pump with 2 discharges. The smaller line goes to the Bio 10 Filter and the larger line goes to the top falls. I cannot switch the lines. It appeared this past year that the amount of water going to the filter "slowed" down. And that is consistent with your comments.

I think if I can figure how to increase the amount of water going to the filter and slow down a little the water going to the top fall I may solve the problem. I added a UV light to the hose that goes to the filter and I wonder if that makes the problem worse.

Just to help: the pump is placed in two plant baskets one basket inverted and placed over the pump and the other contains the pump. They are kept together with zip ties and in the past I tightened connections from the pump to the hoses. Maybe the original installer had it fined tuned correctly as this was not a problem the first year before I fined tuned the connections

Think I should start a new thread in the other forum dealing with pumps? Will restricting one line increase the flow through the other?

The guy who did my pond ended up being a real piece of work and i cannot contact him.

Is there anyone who uses this system with any advice? Thanks
 

DrDave

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100 percent should go through the filter, then if you want to divert it, the water has at least had most of the solids removed.
The UV definetly added to the restriction. With the right amount of water lettuce, you can eliminate the UV altogether.
 
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I think the installer did it an older way that probably was not the best way. It did work the first year and I love the design.

At this point I would like to avoid buying a new filter and fall combo as from my reading it is the best way to filter and to get a real nice looking top fall. The other two falls are just gravity feed and have a great effect.

So I'm trying to make the system I have work. Think I'll call the pump manufacturer with some questions and when this pump goes I'll switch over to a combo filter fall, if that is the correct description...oh well
 
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DrDave's comment is sounds good. if you have only a portion of your water being filtered and the remainer being diverted into the waterfall, then there is no mechanical filtration for that portion of water, and you will accumulate solid waste over time that probably becomes your source of that Boston Harbor ambiance. as the filter removes solids, it becomes more resistant to water flow and creates more back pressure. the result is that more unfiltered water goes to the falls and less into your filter. your reconfigured system might involve using your existing pump to the filter and a second pump to feed the waterfall from the filter's output. the gravel is just capturing all that oozy waste and keeping in from being collected by the filter.
 

koiguy1969

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Also..i would fill the shallow upper pool with floating plants ...water hiacynth, water lettuce, frogbit, etc.. Turning it into a veggy filter ....no better way to get rid of nitrates and the roots will do a good job of solids and fines filtering. And maybe some hornwort or other similiar plants on the bottom.
 
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This is a pic of my filter set-up. All DIY, not real pretty but pretty effective. The white barrel is a sand/gravel filter that gravity feeds into the bio-filter that the fall comes out of. You can find threads for S&G filters on about any forum you might look at.

Cheapplants-newlights2.jpg


Happy ponding - and Thanksgiving too:regular_waving_emot
 
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Koiguy will the plants you mention grow in an inch or so of moving water?

I had a "ton" of water hyacinths in the pond area and the roots ended up clogging my pump all the time.
 
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So I just got back from the "big box" hardware store and purchased a pvc 2" ball valve, two 2" to 2" rubber couplings and a small length of 2" pvc pipe. This will allow me to cut into the 2" rubber hose and insert the ball valve.

I do this in hopes of increasing the flow to the filter system in order to have a lot more water running through the filter in hopes that this will avoid the accumulation of all the "muddy" like gunk in the upper part of my feature. BUT it will also allow me to control the top fall which may be fun. Total less than $25...of course this all has to wait until next season :nananananana:
 

addy1

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pond new1 said:
So I just got back from the "big box" hardware store and purchased a pvc 2" ball valve, two 2" to 2" rubber couplings and a small length of 2" pvc pipe. This will allow me to cut into the 2" rubber hose and insert the ball valve.

I do this in hopes of increasing the flow to the filter system in order to have a lot more water running through the filter in hopes that this will avoid the accumulation of all the "muddy" like gunk in the upper part of my feature. BUT it will also allow me to control the top fall which may be fun. Total less than $25...of course this all has to wait until next season :lol:

awwwwwwwwww get the mucklucs on and work in the freezing cold! geez lol
 

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