Dirty Pond. Newbie Pondkeeper.

[Jasper]

I have just moved into a new house where there is an (approx) 4500 litre
pond which is filthy dirty and is full of algae. There does seem to be quite
a lot of goldfish in there, although it's impossible to count them as they
are only just visible when they come to the surface for food. There are a
couple of water lilies and loads of oxygenators in there. About a week and a
half ago I bought a bio filter after reading advice in this newsgroup and
just want to share with you what I'm doing for your comments.

Every morning I have to clean the pump's filter as it's completely clogged
up with sludge and the water has stopped flowing. I clean it with water from
my water butt rather than tap water. I also empty all the water out of the
bio filter into a container and the following morning after the sludge has
settled to the bottom, I siphon the clean water back into the pond.

The first 4 or 5 days I had to clean the pump's filter twice a day so at
least there is some improvement there, although there isn't any noticeable
difference in visability! I have placed the pump on the shelf which is about
a foot deep because if I put it on the bottom it only takes about an hour to
clog up and stop the water flowing.

Am I doing the right things so far? I don't really want to spend much more
(or any!) money at the moment so would appreciate advice on things that wont
cost me. Although I'd also be interested to get advice for more expensive
options too though as hopefully I won't always be this broke!

Jasp

[Derek Broughton]

Jasper wrote:

> Every morning I have to clean the pump's filter as it's completely clogged
> up with sludge and the water has stopped flowing. I clean it with water
> from my water butt rather than tap water. I also empty all the water out
> of the bio filter into a container and the following morning after the
> sludge has settled to the bottom, I siphon the clean water back into the
> pond.
>
> The first 4 or 5 days I had to clean the pump's filter twice a day so at
> least there is some improvement there,
....
> Am I doing the right things so far?

Vacuuming the bottom would probably help, in the long run. In the short
term, it might stir up even more sludge and clog up your filter again.

The fact that it's so easy to clean out your filter suggests to me that it's
really undersized for your pond. Otherwise, yes it sounds like you're
doing the right thing. You don't want to make massive changes quickly if
the fish seem healthy now.
--
derek

[Köi-Lö]

"Jasper" > wrote in message
...
>I have just moved into a new house where there is an (approx) 4500 litre
> pond which is filthy dirty and is full of algae. There does seem to be
> quite
> a lot of goldfish in there, although it's impossible to count them as they
> are only just visible when they come to the surface for food. There are a
> couple of water lilies and loads of oxygenators in there. About a week and
> a
> half ago I bought a bio filter after reading advice in this newsgroup and
> just want to share with you what I'm doing for your comments.

It sounds like it's been neglected for awhile. I would start partial water
changes NOW to remove as much dissolved organics in the water as possible.
Use a dechlorinator when replacing with CLEAN FRESH water. Eventually it
should clear enough for you to see how many fish are there. You may need to
remove some or most for the health of them all.

> Every morning I have to clean the pump's filter as it's completely clogged
> up with sludge and the water has stopped flowing. I clean it with water
> from
> my water butt rather than tap water. I also empty all the water out of the
> bio filter into a container and the following morning after the sludge has
> settled to the bottom, I siphon the clean water back into the pond.

Dispose of all that water. Dissolved organics don't settle out but remain
in suspension.

> The first 4 or 5 days I had to clean the pump's filter twice a day so at
> least there is some improvement there, although there isn't any noticeable
> difference in visability! I have placed the pump on the shelf which is
> about
> a foot deep because if I put it on the bottom it only takes about an hour
> to
> clog up and stop the water flowing.

You may want to consider partial water changes for awhile to adapt them to
water with less dissolved wastes, then do a total clean out of your pond.
This will also allow you to keep the prettiest fish and get rid of the rest.
If there are too many fish and possibly a small filter you will be forever
dealing with filter sludge cleaning.

> Am I doing the right things so far? I don't really want to spend much more
> (or any!) money at the moment so would appreciate advice on things that
> wont
> cost me. Although I'd also be interested to get advice for more expensive
> options too though as hopefully I won't always be this broke!

--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[Jasper]

Thanks for the comments. When you say that the filter is undersized do you
mean the filter on the pump or the biofilter? The biofilter is for a 4500
litre pond.

Jasp

"Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
...
> Jasper wrote:
>
>> Every morning I have to clean the pump's filter as it's completely
>> clogged
>> up with sludge and the water has stopped flowing. I clean it with water
>> from my water butt rather than tap water. I also empty all the water out
>> of the bio filter into a container and the following morning after the
>> sludge has settled to the bottom, I siphon the clean water back into the
>> pond.
>>
>> The first 4 or 5 days I had to clean the pump's filter twice a day so at
>> least there is some improvement there,
> ...
>> Am I doing the right things so far?
>
> Vacuuming the bottom would probably help, in the long run. In the short
> term, it might stir up even more sludge and clog up your filter again.
>
> The fact that it's so easy to clean out your filter suggests to me that
> it's
> really undersized for your pond. Otherwise, yes it sounds like you're
> doing the right thing. You don't want to make massive changes quickly if
> the fish seem healthy now.
> --
> derek

[Derek Broughton]

Jasper wrote:

> Thanks for the comments. When you say that the filter is undersized do you
> mean the filter on the pump or the biofilter? The biofilter is for a 4500
> litre pond.

I consider _most_ off-the-shelf filters to be seriously undersized for
ponds. Ponds collect a lot more debris than aquariums and need a
correspondingly larger filter for the same volume, yet manufacturers seem
to use the same rules of thumb that they use for sizing aquarium filters.
Even so, if you're willing to keep cleaning it daily, it will improve. I
doubt you'll ever have to clean it less than once a week, though. I just
like to go big (with veggie filters) and limit the amount of work I have to
do. I think the biggest bang for your buck, though, will be to get a
wet-vac down to the bottom - I suspect it hasn't had a decent cleaning in
years.
--
derek