Best of luck with the new pond! Including a few links below for further reading and to answer some of your other questions: https://pondinformer.com/best-pond-heater-de-icer/ https://pondinformer.com/best-koi-pond-aerator-system/ https://pondinformer.com/best-pond-vacuum-cleaner/ https://pondinformer.com/how-to-keep-pond-fish-alive-winter/ https://pondinformer.com/best-beneficial-bacteria-ponds/. In new ponds, water is seldom clear for very long and changing the water frequently only delays balancing the ecosystem. These are much smaller than most minnow species (especially species such as fathead minnows), so you can stock more per gallon of water, and they also love eating all kinds of insect larvae! Only submerged plants will provide oxygenation to the water, but all will help reduce excess nutrients and remove harmful substances. This oxygen is called the biological oxygen demand of BOD. Flow will stop insects laying eggs in the water, which will contribute to waste, and will also provide more oxygen for beneficial bacteria to break down waste. Bay 4: Six way foam block manifold assembly on top of six cubic foot of Flocor. This is why it’s important to have the surface of your pond shaded by aquatic plants (see tip #3) – to help keep pond water cool. Pond filters can filter suspended single-cell algae. We are proposing a 31.5″ wide pond surrounding a monument. Pond pumps are there for a reason, they circulate the water through a filter to keep the water clean and clear from toxins, if the pump isn’t running the pump isn’t doing it’s job and the water quality suffers. Pond water that's turned green in color can make your pond look very unattractive. Do you have an idea of the number of minnows I would need? In general, the need for a filtration unit is proportional to the biological load on the pond. No problems? Adding beneficial bacteria in the pond works the same way. It also indicates that the levels of muck/gunk are not so high that they’re causing major issues, so the decision on whether to lower them would be another of personal preference. Each week or two I also replace between 10 and 20 per cent of the pond’s water with fresh tap water … This type of device is specialized in the removal of organic compounds such as nitrates and ammonia from the water. You should calculate the amount of food required for your fish according to the bodyweight of fish and supply that food once daily. The algae is a recent thing really and is taking up about a quarter of the pond. Have just installed a big koi type filter…it works superbly, water much clearer, BUT cleaning the filter is needed every couple of weeks as it catches so much gunk. Get Rid of Debris Decomposing natural compounds will feed the string algae and allow the water to become murkier than it already is. Benefits: Reduces excess nutrients, controls algae growth, and removes tannin (color) producing matter. Thank you for the links – the ones to aerators are for USA models – are there recommended UK aerators that will work for my size of pond (45-50,000 litres)? Why is my Koi Pond Foamy? Thanks for reading and commenting! As you are not using pond filters you have to take measures to reduce algae growth. Be sure to closely follow the instructions on the product label, no matter what you decide to get! An aerator does not need to stretch the whole system, as the dissolved oxygen will spread naturally and a smaller one should still be strong enough (assuming pond depth matches aerator spec!) I came up with this simple, fast method for clean pond water without draining it or having to remove the fish. Your email address will not be published. Adding a filter will give you extra peace of mind and help safe guard your pond against dangerous fluctuations, making water quality more stable and healthy. Put lava rock in some mesh bags and put the bags on top of the pump. Oxygenating pond plants offer shade as well as reduce algae growth. If so, my guess is that your pond already has a huge quantity of biological filtration (natural bacteria) present throughout the whole system due to its size and maturity. One of the best ways to help clean pond water without using a filter is to actually just change the water altogether. Fish will instinctively be attracted to areas of higher oxygen and better water quality anyway, so they’d likely congregate around the smaller aerators if they ever needed to. As waste levels are so much higher with fish, and due to the enclosed nature of a pond, it’s often very difficult to maintain a balance without the help of a filter box. Although filter boxes can help with water clarity, their primary goal is maintaining good water quality by reducing harmful substances. Adding beneficial bacteria in a pond without filter works great. Pond plants are perhaps one of the most effective methods for naturally keeping your pond clear and clean in the long run. Many of these problems cannot be removed with regular filters even if you tried, but can be prevented with a solid cleaning routine and daily upkeep. Hi such a helpful site, thank you. I don’t know the volume of the hot tub, but it looks like it seats eight people. A final thing you can do is make sure you have plenty of water flow and aeration, which can be from a waterfall, fountain, or pump system. When you overfeed your fish, the excess food rots in the pond and hampers the water quality. Bay 2: Blue matting – This is an excellent filter media as it has a large surface area giving it an excellent bio-mass retention. If your water quality test results are showing low ammonia and healthy parameters, more plants likely would not help much and would be more a personal choice. Adding aeration in the form of a solar aerator, electric aerator, or even fountain display, will help improve oxygen content and surface movement. Hello. Keep your pond cool during the dog days of summer. ), but it seems I’m mistaken. If the plants are perennial, you can simply trim them down to a few inches below the water’s surface, this way they can overwinter more easily and should be able to simply resprout the following spring. You can use barley straw in two forms, pelleted and liquid. Drain it, clean it, and cover it for the season. Hi Chris – that is fantastically helpful, Thank You! When the biological load is high, it becomes hard to maintain the balance without a well-functioning filtration unit. 7) Any kind of plants will help remove excess nutrients (and to an extent, the actual sludge), but they will also drop foliage, seeds, and pollen which will contribute to the bottom muck. Beneficial bacteria eat these same nitrites. They also take nutrition from the pond water. This article was so helpful! And should I treat the whole pond with it? Although many of you don’t know this, you can use pond plants as a natural filter for your pond water when you don’t want to install any mechanical or biological filter. When you supply the required amount of food one daily, fish eat naturally occurring foods in the pond. A skimmer is a mechanical filter. Maintaining the pond water clarity without using a filter can be hard for you. In-fact, for a wildlife pond without a filter, we’d say at least 60% of your pond should be populated by pond plants for maximum benefits. Seemingly small things like air temperature shifts, more leaves than usual falling into the pond, etc. What kind of fish are you looking to keep? 7. For lightly stocked ponds with small fish, they’re an interesting alternative to normal filtration that can help with water quality and provide a more natural feel to the pond. Wrap exterior of wire basket in a layer of quilt batting. It helps to calculate the water volume of the pond. Could you describe the algae to me? Adding pond plants is one of the best long-term ways to keep pond water healthy and clear; and the more you can add, the better! Adding fish in smaller numbers, waiting a month or so, testing water quality and observing clarity, and then possibly adding more, might be the best way here to ensure a good balance is kept. Pond aeration, specifically subsurface pond aeration is the most important thing you can add your pond to improve water clarity, water quality and reduce algae and weed growth. The problem with water changes is that they won’t solve the root-cause of water quality problems, but can work in a pinch while you sort out the underlying issues. Come spring, simply start it up fresh and let the natural bacteria in your pond re-colonize the clean media. The main reason why you may have been recommended to leave your filter on in winter isn’t so much for waste compounds, but for aeration and oxygen. A bit of bottom sludge is good for a pond as it acts as a natural fertilizer, but too much can cause water clarity problems, so we recommend cleaning out a layer of sludge at least once a year to combat this. Moreover, these pond plants give shade which results in fewer algae growth due to lack of sunlight. Beneficial bacteria which are at the heart of a ponds biological filtration system require large amounts of oxygen to function efficiently. Sorry for the slow reply! For prevention, we recommend installing a high quality pond net which will help catch fallen leaves and twigs before they can sink in the pond and contribute to sludge. The answer would depend on various facts like types of fish you want to have, the size of the pond and the overall biological load on the pond. One pallet of barley straw is enough for 1000 gallons of water. Also, if you’re looking to combat mosquito larvae and pests, I would also recommend looking into mosquito fish. Since the majority of sludge in many ponds is due to fallen leaves and twigs, installing pond netting or a skimmer system is an easy way to prevent is getting out of hand in future. Your pond sounds very established and healthy, so you’ll have a huge abundance of natural bacteria present and ready to take over the filter media again. You may want to remove plants, ornaments and decorations from the water from time to time and thoroughly clean them. Even though they’re very efficient in natural wildlife ponds, they’re not always the best choice for ponds with fish. Obviously plants, wildlife and fish all require some muck to survive, but simply cleaning a small area around the filter and pump may be all that’s needed to prevent major clogging. More oxygen will allow beneficial bacteria to thrive so they work more efficiently, and the added surface agitation will help prevent algae and mosquitoes calling your pond their home. All thanks to you. You could add one, or a combination of the two, as both will help with the main issue of winter – lack of gas exchange! Thanks so much for your help, My well produces 10 gal a minute 24/ 7 I wanna use that water flow and make a pond 10′ by 22 with no Filtration In a small amount of fish would you recommend that. 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Plants, which act as natural water filters, regular water changes, bacteria supplements, and occasionally cleaning, can sometimes be all that’s needed to keep a pond clean without a filter in place. About 80% of it is filled with plants (hyacinth, water lettuce, etc. Would the same system work with a raised pond of 600 gallons, in which I hope to keep a few orders, goldfish ( not Koi). Can you recommend a water testing kit suitable for this pond? So try using A UV sterilizer for keeping your pond nice and clean if you are not willing to have a proper filtration unit in the pond. Without a filter, pond water will need to be cleaned manually. 5) Could I ask what type of filter (brand/model/capacity) you have? Alternatively, you could try installing a regular skimmer system to catch floating debris before it sinks, or check into a floating lake skimmer system designed for water bodies with changing annual water levels. The water is very clear but its probably not the best quality we never do water tests and the water doesnt really ever get changed. In terms of off-the-shelf aerators, this Blagdon model was one of the best I could find (up to 11,000 liters with fish – which isn’t bad!) Massive apologies for such a late reply! Many pond owners find this chemical-free method will clear the water within hours or days, depending on the size of the pond and how bad the algae is. 7 Fish For Fountains – Easy To Take Care And Attractive. Let me know if you have any other questions. Even though these bacteria populations comes naturally with ponds, the highest concentration will be within your filter box, which is why they’re so important for heavy bio-load systems. We have plants in there and do pick out the leaves. It gets cleaned out like once a year. Mike. can really alter water quality more quickly than one might think. Plants not only provide protection areas for fish but hinder the growth of algae by reducing the amount of sunlight in the pond and utilizing the nutrients algae need. This is on top of a layer of approximately 2 cubic foot of flocor. Here’s how it works: Single-cell algae thrive on nitrites, a byproduct of ammonia breaking down in the pond. However, my long-term concern here would be the potential for high pH swings in the absence of carbonates. I hope that helps. You could add supplements to speed this up, but I don’t think it’s necessary in such a mature pond, but adding more never hurts either! Even though natural bacteria populations will help breakdown some waste, the most efficient breakdown will occur within the highly optimized filter box media which is designed to hold millions of denitrifying bacteria. Back to me: re pond vacuums – do you know if Matala are available in the UK (nothing shows up on google)? Benefits: Controls algae growth, adds more oxygen content, and helps remove excess nutrients from water. If your water quality was good before adding the filter, and the filter is mostly just improving clarity now, I think turning it off for winter is perfectly fine. In addition, whether or not your fish can survive outdoors for the winter depends on their species. Do keep me updated on the pond situation if anything happens in future! Required fields are marked *. The best time to clean a pond of sludge is the end of autumn in preparation for winter where ponds freeze over, as this is when fish are most vulnerable. Now I put a new barley straw bundle in both of my little garden fish ponds in the spring as part of my regular small pond maintenance schedule. They also stop your pond from stagnating and provide oxygen for … Thanks again Chris – you are a Star! Every fish species requires a certain amount of oxygen dissolved in water for living comfortably. But if you follow these tips I hope you can manage to keep the water clear without using a filter. Examples below: https://www.fishkit.co.uk/diffused-air-aeration.html https://www.heathlandaquaticengineering.co.uk/lakes/lake-aeration/diffused-lake-aeration/aquaair-diffused-lake-aerator/. However, you can skim it out with a net like you mentioned as well! Yes, concrete should be fine for that job. 5.I have been cleaning the filter completely until water runs clear through it (tap water) – should I not clean it so thoroughly but leave some gunk in it? ‘Dirty’ water doesn’t always mean unhealthy water, and many wildlife ponds I’ve worked on have been very mucky but still have had good general water quality. Without a pump powering a filter system, you likely won’t have much aeration, and this can be hugely problematic for both wildlife and fish. I’ve never used the PondHero vacs, but the reviews look ok. Just be sure to check the specification sheet to ensure the pole length and suction depth is adequate for your size of pond! I can’t install an electric filter. The unit is suitable for fish ponds of 18,000 litres and a maximum flow rate of 11,000 litres per hour. Warm climate conditions will promote algal growth in the pond. As you are not filtering out the waste materials in the pond a huge amount of oxygen will be required to break them down. How To Build An Indoor Fish Pond – A DIY Guide, Tractor Tire Pond – How To Build, Decorate & Maintain. This process is called the nitrogen cycle, and will occur in all ponds with enough oxygen, organic waste, and room for bacteria to populate. I know you mentioned that you don’t have electrical capabilities where the pond is located, but there are some battery operated pumps as well as heaters available that will help to keep the water continually mixed and at a livable temperature. The large surface area of Flocor tubes makes it an ideal filter media. The most common causes of drops in clarity are excess debris, algae bloom, excess nutrients, tannin, or even sediment leaking into the pond. For a full list of our favourite plants, check our main article on this here! We are located in Kelowna, BC, Canada. Therefore, when you don’t want to use a filter, yet want your pond water to be clean, you shouldn’t overfeed your fish. In biological filters, bacteria grow on the surface of filter media to breakdown harmful elements. Also we’ve only ever filled it back up with rain water from our water butts is this ok? For larger ponds, or for better all-round cleaning, a pond vacuum can be used which will make short work of all kinds of debris. Would love to know any answers to the 2 questions in earlier post about pond vacs too. Stop Over Feeding. 1) This may actually increase gunk over time, as the lilies roots will be removing a large quantity of excess nutrients/waste particles, but whether potted or not, they’ll still drop foliage into the water contributing to overall gunk. I would like to fill it partly in with concrete covering the hole while doing so. Also I’d be happy to help if you would like to report results at a later date! Learn how your comment data is processed. I net it from autumn to spring but the plants/fish create plenty of sediment, water used to be very unclear. It can be quite difficult to maintain a healthy pond without any aid from filters or pumps, so kudos to you! The keys to a balanced system are 1) a pond of the proper depth, 2) combined with a good filtration system (biological or otherwise), 3) adding the appropriate amount of plants and fish, and 4) a little bit of patience. When the amount of waste is less, the pond environment itself can keep the water clean. Pond experts’ advice that you have creeping jenny, pickerel, horsetail, taro, cardinal, water lettuce, mosaic, blue iris, sweet flag, water lilies, etc. It is very effective when you want to control algae growth. Thank you very much! In stagnant ponds with little flow aerobic (oxygen using) bacteria will die and anaerobic (carbon dioxide using) bacteria will begin to thrive. 4) How are your water quality parameters? Particularly in Pennsylvania with so much vegetation about (it’s a gorgeous state, but certainly lots of leaves!). Alternatively, here are some other methods as well: https://pondinformer.com/how-to-get-rid-of-algae-pond/. Keeping Ponds Clean Without Filters – Is it Possible? Many Thanks! Plants provide a means of natural water filtration, absorbing excess nutrients, oxygenating water, and removing harmful substances. They will help to remove chlorine and chloramine from tap water that is highly toxic even deadly for the aquatic life of the pond. 3) This would almost definitely result in more muck/gunk being lifted from the pond floor and the filters clogging even faster! When you cross this threshold number, you will need to install a filter to keep the water clean and habitable for fish. Use Pond Plants Effectively. If you have a small pond, a pond net can be used to slowly rake out the bottom muck whenever it gets too high. Answered both your posts in the previous comment. I’d say the system is good, but just be sure to keep a close eye on your water quality parameters over a 6-12 month period and note any potential problems with pH or water quality; and adjust accordingly. In ponds without fish, a small amount of sludge is actually beneficial, as it provides bacteria it’s energy resource, plants their nutrients, and wildlife, such as newts, a place to hide! Every part of the basket that will be submerged in the water should be covered in batting. In terms of your pump and filtration system, I wouldn’t leave it like that for more than a day or two as dissolved oxygen levels can deplete very quickly, particularly with your fish spawning and many babies being present. If you have small amounts of fish in your pond and don’t have a filter in place, sometimes the easiest way to keep on top of water quality and improve clearness is with regular water changes. unlocking this expert answer. 2.Would getting rid of the big carp do the same (he roots around a lot)? Benefits: Adds oxygen, creates surface movement, improves beneficial bacteria, and deters mosquitoes. A high concentration of beneficial bacteria in the filter box helps you out from this problem. Hope that helped! Organic debris which falls into a pond will eventually decompose  as sludge and leak color, called “tannin“, which will make your pond a yellow brown color. If you have sludge and debris at the bottom of the pond remove them. When you don’t have a filtration unit in your pond a UV sterilizer can fight against the algae for you. For ponds with lots of goldfish, or larger koi, a filter system is almost always needed to keep up with the biological load fish produce. If you use tap water for pond, make sure you dechlorinate it before adding into the pond as it may contain a considerable amount of chlorine which is deadly for the fish. String Algae Control sold by Oase (£19.99 for 500ml) releases an enzyme to zap the algae. The reason for this is because beneficial bacteria are at the heart of the filtration process, breaking down harmful substances into less harmful components – a process called the nitrogen cycle. We have some algae at the moment should I just skim it out with a net? The overflow goes downhill to a river at the bottom of the garden. In general, the higher your bio-load, the more filtration you’ll need to maintain healthy water quality. To help make this possible, we have put a list of some tips and techniques to keep your pond clear and clean without a filter. If they’re only slightly worse, perform another test in a week or two to see if they’re holding. My pond I’d about 6ft x 5ft and have a lot of fish (they keep spawning and producing more babies) and not sure what I can do about that, But my pond has started to lose water so I have turned off the pump to investigate and I was wondering how long would it be safe without the pump and filtration system on., just to add to the problem I’m going away for 3 days, any advice would be very helpful. For this reason, try to have the right amount of plants is one of the simplest natural ways of having clear water in the pond. 6 Effective Methods, How To Keep Pond Water Clear Without A Filter, How To Keep Pond Water Clear Naturally – 10 Actionable Steps, How To Clean Pond Water – 11 Actionable Steps You Can Take, Hydrogen Peroxide For Pond Algae Control – A Definitive Guide. Sludge won’t make water dirty by itself, and a small amount can actually promote cleaner water, but you should still keep on top of it at least every few months to ensure your pond is free of algae, has good levels of oxygen, and beneficial bacteria are not overwhelmed. Floating pond plants work best for natural filtration. Good choice, and ideal for your size of pond. Their root system is developed in such a way that they can take our different chemicals, heavy metals, nitrate from water. Hi I dont know if anyone else does this but we have an outside pond no pump no filter but we have goldfish in there and we don’t feed them but they have always lived. Put a pump in the bottom of a pot, like a back nursery pot. It has no filter but receives rainwater, diverted from a wooden barrel roof collecting system. Given that I’ve cleaned it thoroughly with tap water for a couple of months now should I introduce some bacteria (into pond or into filter)? You can safely change up to 30% of the total water volume in the pond without negatively affecting the fish or plants. Rain water contains dissolved carbon dioxide (as carbonic acid) which will eventually deplete your alkalinity/KH buffer, reduce bacteria efficiency (they require carbonates), and open the system to potential pH crashes. Work has been keeping me very busy these past few weeks with so much for visiting the site has helpful. 8 metres, depth average about 0.5 metres, depth average about 0.5 metres, depth about! 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