Tricks to having clearer water

[Gerk]

Pond a few weeks old and starting to get a bit murky!

Have a filter but don't think it's the best in the world

Any tips to get clearer water?

 

[addy1]

Your pond will need to cycle, get the bacteria going, it will be murky until it does. If your filter is not good enough you may need to make it bigger.

 

[Gerk]

So it might get clearer in time Addy?

And I should invest in a better fllter?

 

[addy1]

Any pond a few weeks old will go through a bunch of stages, algae growth, cloudy water, etc. I have read it can be a 6-8 week cycle.

If you have fish in it make sure you test your water.

Check the diy section there are a lot of filters you can build pretty easily that will work great for your pond.

here is a shorty on the cycle of a pond not recommending you put their product in the water at all, best to let it do the cycle naturally.

http://www.airmaxeco.com/lifecycle


this was posted by someone else in the forum, but is a good read so posting for you

http://koiclubsandiego.org/library/green_water.php

 

[fishin4cars]

and add plants, they help as much as most filters for clearing water. Filtering breaks down waste and plants use what the filter breaks down.

 

[addy1]

oh yes plants they are great! forgot about them lol and I have tons

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I just filled my new pond 6 weeks ago. The last few weeks the water has been pea-soup green, but it's finally clearing up this week. The hardest part about this period is having patience, and not dumping bottles full of every type of algaecide into the water (which only makes things worse).

If you have any kind of biological filtration, find a bottle of bacteria starter. I've been using one that is labeled as fighting algae by boosting the natural bacteria in the pond. If you are fighting algae, expect it to take at least two weeks before you see any results (it may take less time, I think it varies greatly depending on your particular setup and climate).

And of course I agree with the above... lots of plants! That, coupled with good circulation, is the key to naturally keeping the water clear.

 

[koidaddy]

Time and a good bio filter. Like mentioned here, avoid any chemicals even if they are fish and plant safe. It will take a few weeks though to get going.

 

[Pond Boy]

I say let it cycle naturally don't use a filter.if you have lots of plants let them be your filter the way mother nature intended. I know it goes without saying that is not the way most here do there pond bur think about it. like this; Has anything man made ever been an improvement over what nature dose on it own?

You will have the clearest water ever with no biological filter.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Pond Boy - actually a filter is still mimicking a natural occurrence. Keep in mind that our ponds are (usually) a closed system. By adding pumps and filters, we reproduce the many miles of rocks and plants that water would naturally travel through. allowing debris and harmful gases to be removed. Beneficial bacteria require surfaces to grow on - either in the gravel bed of a bog, or the media within a biofilter - and convert fish waste and other pollutants to nitrates, which the plants then use as food.

To me, saying a pond will remain clean without a filter is like saying a car will operate fine without air in the tires. Sure it might work, but not in its best capacity. The more opportunity you provide for natural cycles to happen, the more stable a pond ecosystem will be.

 

[fishin4cars]

I say let it cycle naturally don't use a filter.if you have lots of plants let them be your filter the way mother nature intended. I know it goes without saying that is not the way most here do there pond bur think about it. like this; Has anything man made ever been an improvement over what nature dose on it own?

You will have the clearest water ever with no biological filter.

Plain out VERY bad advise. Ever seen a pond that is covered in duckweed and stagnant? The water will be crystal clear, The fish will naturally die off and all that will be left is plants. In a natural lake the mud bottom is the bio-filter, the waste drops to the bottom and the micro organisms break it down, over time the lake or pond will get more and more shallow and eventually dry up. Once the pond becomes completely covered in plants the the oxygen is deprived from the water and all that is left is water and carbon diozide. Of course this will take many years, In a garden pond this will cause huge PH and Ammonia spikes. Plants are a great benefit, yes you may get away with it for a while, and yes you'll have super clear water but no filter and no bio is just a disaster waiting to happen. Clear water is not a sign of a well functioning pond. The PH, ammonia, and nitrites and nitrates can be way off for fish and there be almost 0 oxygen in the water and the plants still thrive and the water be perfectly clear. but also the oppsite can occur, the water can be pea soup green, algae growing everywhere and look like crap, But if the PH are stable, the ammonia 0 the nitrites low and the nitrates high and good oxygen the fish can be perfectly healthy but the pond looks like crap.
Your advise may work on a VERY few applications, I have gotten away with it and tried it myself before, but for the most part, I have seen far more complete wipe outs than sucsess with this method.

 

[Gerk]

Thanks for all the advise folks

I have a few plants not many. One lilly and a few marginal plants

I want to get a few surface floating plants...any recommendations?

 

[addy1]

not sure what you have in ireland, parrots feather, hyacinth, check to see what the pond stores around there sale.

 

[j.w]

Gosh of course he has to get the floating 4 leaf clover in his pond addy

No seriously there really is a plant for your pond of that name:
(Marsilea mutica) 2" - 3" four leaf clover floats on the water surface. A fast grower and a good plant to help cover the water surface.

 

[Pond Boy]

Pond Boy - actually a filter is still mimicking a natural occurrence. Keep in mind that our ponds are (usually) a closed system. By adding pumps and filters, we reproduce the many miles of rocks and plants that water would naturally travel through. allowing debris and harmful gases to be removed. Beneficial bacteria require surfaces to grow on - either in the gravel bed of a bog, or the media within a biofilter - and convert fish waste and other pollutants to nitrates, which the plants then use as food.

To me, saying a pond will remain clean without a filter is like saying a car will operate fine without air in the tires. Sure it might work, but not in its best capacity. The more opportunity you provide for natural cycles to happen, the more stable a pond ecosystem will be.

I know what your saying but I do not agree it's natural to add a bio filter. tome adding a filter to a pond is like not changing the oil on your car sure it will function but will one get the best
mileage outta the car? If you do not over load a pond system it will function better than any pond with a bio filter installed I have done it manny times. The water remains
water much clearer than any with a filter. Try it you may just surprise your
self. I use the riverbed method for gas exchange have a bunch of plants seems to do the job for me so pleas don't doubt the method till you try it.