how to keep pond water clear without a filter

In other words, fish or not, aeration is a good thing for all ponds! can really alter water quality more quickly than one might think. Drain it, clean it, and cover it for the season. Powerful aerators are even better, as they will keep the top ice free and directly oxygenate the water. Is there anything else I should add to keep the fish alive during the winter? 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!) Overfeeding can adversely affect the pond water quality. If you don’t want to drain the water using a pond vacuum or pumps to remove them from your pond. 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. 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)? I thought to keep some minnows, too, to help prevent mosquitoes from becoming an issue. If you don’t have any plants in the pond you’ll have to carry out far more maintenance to maintain good water quality and clarity without a filter. Well, using this may well be referred to as cheating. Many of the pond owner wants to know how they can keep their pond water clear without using a filter. Pond experts’ advice that you have creeping jenny, pickerel, horsetail, taro, cardinal, water lettuce, mosaic, blue iris, sweet flag, water lilies, etc. You should take this advice to keep the pond nice and clean. However, when a ponds waste levels exceed the ponds biological filtration capacity, the eco-system will begin to suffer as oxygen content lowers and water quality degrades. Should I remove the surface plants once they begin to die after the frost? Could you describe the algae to me? Pond water that's turned green in color can make your pond look very unattractive. Do keep me updated on the pond situation if anything happens in future! It gets cleaned out like once a year. When you cross this threshold number, you will need to install a filter to keep the water clean and habitable for fish. Pond plants will ensure that excess nutrients and harmful substances are absorbed, whilst also working to keep away nuisance algae and weeds. When pond water exceeds 75º Fahrenheit, it has a difficult time retaining acceptable levels of dissolved oxygen, which is critical for the health of your fish. The water inside will quickly become stagnant and low in oxygen, which will result in all good bacteria (aerobic – oxygen using) dying off anyway, and come spring, it’ll start smelling due to an increase in bacteria that thrive in poor conditions (anaerobic – carbon dioxide using). – https://amzn.to/2QnZcbF. in your pond. Could I ask what type of minnows you’re looking at here? But algae will require an amount of sunlight for blooming. Your site is very interesting and informative. Also I’d be happy to help if you would like to report results at a later date! 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. 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. Try to keep less fish, add some pond plants and aerate your pond regularly to maintain a healthy environment in your pond. As a result, you will notice fewer algae growth in your pond. Bay 3: Three layers of reticulated foam with different density of porosity of each layer. Bay 4: Six way foam block manifold assembly on top of six cubic foot of Flocor. Thanks again! 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. Once this is done shall i still treat the water for the fungal problem? Keeping Fish in a Pond without a Filter System (Do’s & Don’ts), Maintaining Clear Pond Water Without a Filter Box. If they’re only slightly worse, perform another test in a week or two to see if they’re holding. Let me know if you have any other questions! Would the same system work with a raised pond of 600 gallons, in which I hope to keep a few orders, goldfish ( not Koi). 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. Many Thanks! I dont plan on keeping fish but would like to make it less deep. 7 Fish For Fountains – Easy To Take Care And Attractive. Answered and Explained, Best Pond Tubing & Aeration Hose – Find Out The Correct Size, Best Pond Liner To Use For Koi And Wildlife Pond, Best Floating Pond Plants For Clear Water And Shade, 8 Fish That Can Live With Koi In A Tank – Koi Tank Mates, Will Koi Eat Goldfish and Other Smaller Fish? 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. Why is my Koi Pond Foamy? 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. For example, if you have a excess nutrients in the water making it cloudy, a water change may help temporarily, but the water will eventually return cloudy unless the source of the nutrients is reduced (i.e., excess sludge). It has helped me understand the basic operation and necessities of our 200′ by 30′ pond. Barley straw will gradually decompose and fight the algae problem. Massive apologies for such a late reply! Using barley straw is possibly the best way to get rid of the algae problem in the pond. Back to me: re pond vacuums – do you know if Matala are available in the UK (nothing shows up on google)? Adding beneficial bacteria in the pond works the same way. (And How to Fix it), https://pondinformer.com/pond-fish-that-eat-mosquito-larvae/, https://pondinformer.com/best-pond-vacuum-cleaner/, https://pondinformer.com/best-pond-water-test-kit/, https://pondinformer.com/how-to-clean-pond-filter-media/, https://pondinformer.com/wildlife-pond-maintenance-guide/, https://www.oase-livingwater.com/en_GB/water-garden/products/p/skimmer-250.1000080317.html, https://pondinformer.com/best-pond-heater-de-icer/, https://pondinformer.com/best-koi-pond-aerator-system/, https://pondinformer.com/how-to-keep-pond-fish-alive-winter/, https://pondinformer.com/best-beneficial-bacteria-ponds/, https://www.fishkit.co.uk/diffused-air-aeration.html, https://www.heathlandaquaticengineering.co.uk/lakes/lake-aeration/diffused-lake-aeration/aquaair-diffused-lake-aerator/, https://pondinformer.com/how-to-get-rid-of-algae-pond/, https://pondinformer.com/koi-fungus-treatment/, What Flowers Do Hummingbirds Like? I was also thinking of, next spring, adding some more tench and adding some gudgeon but given that it is a much cleaner less muddy environment now is that a good idea? However, with lighter stocking densities or in fish free ponds the KF18,000 will comfortably cope with much larger volumes. Most electric vacuums will reach much deeper than 0.5m, and I personally think they’re almost essential for larger water bodies, especially to keep on top of muck. A high concentration of beneficial bacteria in the filter box helps you out from this problem. 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. 2) Although this wouldn’t remove the gunk itself, it would probably prevent some muck being kicked up and making it’s way into your filter system. But, keeping the pond water clear and free from blue green algae growth is a major problem. Particularly in Pennsylvania with so much vegetation about (it’s a gorgeous state, but certainly lots of leaves!). Seemingly small things like air temperature shifts, more leaves than usual falling into the pond, etc. Glad to hear you like the website. Support wikiHow by Green water is caused by algae, and there are a number of simple ways you can tackle the problem. As well as this, making sure your beneficial bacteria populations are healthy will help keep sludge in balance, and topping up with natural sludge eating bacteria can help boost your bacteria’s efficiency. It is very effective when you want to control algae growth. Here’s how it works: Single-cell algae thrive on nitrites, a byproduct of ammonia breaking down in the pond. We only recommend this 1-2 times a year, with the best times being early spring and early autumn where debris starts to build again. Thank you again for invaluable help. Moreover, these pond plants give shade which results in fewer algae growth due to lack of sunlight. However, due to the enclosed nature of ponds, and how easily waste substances can build, it’s very difficult to maintain good water quality as stock levels increase. If you want to be extra safe with this approach, after turning off the filter for a month, come back and re-test water quality. and every test is ‘Good’ – it did take a lot of drops to get the colour change on KH Alkanity (7 to 8 drops) and on GH Hardness (12 drops) but that is probably just because we are in a hard water and chalky area – i hope that’s the reason?! 7. Water quality – I’ve assumed it’s fine as the pond is very well established (a few rudd die every year but they breed there so some may die of old age); I have just ordered the NT Labs Multiple kit and will post the results over this coming weekend and will be hugely grateful for your reaction and view on whether I can turn the filter Off October-April, and if & when I need to add bacteria. Yeah, it’s much easier to find larger commercial air compressors in the USA as ponds are, in-general, larger than their UK-counterparts. Thanks for the comment! Let me know if you have any other questions. If you want to know ways to keep your garden pond clean and clear best you stay tuned so you can provide your aquatic life a good environment. We are located in Kelowna, BC, Canada. After a few weeks of having a new pond bacteria will begin to naturally colonize the pond, usually living on the pond liner and throughout the bottom muck that slowly builds. Therefore, if you want to keep your pond water clear without filter, don’t overpopulate your pond and stock the recommended number of fish. If I do do that should I add an aereator to run during the winter months when filter is off? Without filtration, regular water changes to remove excess waste substances are one of the best ways to achieve this goal. Good choice, and ideal for your size of pond. It also has a hole in it about 1 inch wide.. used previously for a hose/pump. The debris stays in this basket instead of clumping up the drain. Many thanks in anticipation.Diane. Here are some helpful products: Therefore these plants can … You can use barley straw in two forms, pelleted and liquid. The pond just went in last year, but unfortunately our contractor has passed away so we are scrambling for information, maintenance, etc. I acquired a pond (approx. When you supply the required amount of food one daily, fish eat naturally occurring foods in the pond. In addition, whether or not your fish can survive outdoors for the winter depends on their species. ‘Tho I guess that if a ‘smaller’ aerator is working in the deeper part of the pond where the fish will congregate anyway in the winter that that will suffice. Oxygenating pond plants offer shade as well as reduce algae growth. Best of luck with the new pond! 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. If you use barley straw pellets hang them in such a place where the water is constantly moving like fountain or waterfall. Pond plants are perhaps one of the most effective methods for naturally keeping your pond clear and clean in the long run. 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. 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. 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. Yes, concrete should be fine for that job. 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. In the ponds with fish, the maximum level of bio wastage comes from theses fishes. To treat the goldfish, you can quarantine the one for treatment that has visible symptoms, and treat with a salt bath, potassium permanganate, acriflavine, and several other products as gone over in detail in this article: https://pondinformer.com/koi-fungus-treatment/. Alternatively, here are some other methods as well: https://pondinformer.com/how-to-get-rid-of-algae-pond/. Does concrete work for this? I actually thought some of these might have been available in the UK (I could have sworn I saw them somewhere! This means it removes waste by having the pump move water through a rigid basket and a filter pad. It can be quite difficult to maintain a healthy pond without any aid from filters or pumps, so kudos to you! 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. A skimmer is a mechanical filter. It’s always very interesting to hear from someone with a much larger pond and less common fish species. Eco Filtration – Are Bog Filters (Plant Filters) Worth it? As you don’t have a filtration unit in the pond. Put a pump in the bottom of a pot, like a back nursery pot. Its open texture removes larger particles from the water. I hope it helps! The filter type: it is made by Kockney Koi who describe it as – The KF18,000V is a high quality, free-standing, fibreglass, four bay, filter with integral vortex designed to improve your fish’s environment. This is a more natural type of filter which works by slowly pumping water through a concentrated section of plants, which will work to absorb substances as the water passes through. thank you in advance for your input! 6. I dont have a lot of money but bought a second hand 160 x 160 fibreglass pond. I have about 4 or 5 goldfish in the pond and they seem fine at the moment. Answered both your posts in the previous comment. The nitrogen cycle of the pond will not be able to minimize these harmful wastes of the pond. 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. Hi Chris – that is fantastically helpful, Thank You! As you are not filtering out the waste materials in the pond a huge amount of oxygen will be required to break them down. Just use it to water your garden or the trees. 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. 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! Before we expand on this topic, it should be stated that we always recommend having a dedicated filter system if you have fish in your pond. 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. Hi such a helpful site, thank you. Pond plants will compete with algae for nutrients and help prevent them growing, as well as provide natural water filtration by removing excess nutrients which can cloud water. Therefore, if you want to keep your pond water clear without filter, don’t overpopulate your pond and stock the recommended number of fish. You can use pond dye to have a vibrant and beautiful color of water in the pond. If water tests are coming back good in your lightly stocked fish pond, with ammonia, nitrites, and pH being in safe parameters, then you’re maintaining a safe environment for fish keeping! What kind of fish are you looking to keep? 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. Maintaining the pond water clarity without using a filter can be hard for you. 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. For plant choices, we recommend a mix of submerged species, floating, and marginal varieties. Thanks for your comment. For other fishes, experts recommend that you don’t stock more than half of an inch of fish per 10 gallons of water. 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. In some cases, you may have to drain the total water of the pond to clean it. Because in this period algae and weeds start to bloom. Overfeeding can adversely affect the pond water quality. The problem with pond vacuums is they’ll also suck up small animals, such as tadpoles, newts, and frogs, so care should be taken during cleaning. 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 recommend aqua shade aqua blue pond dye and weed control for your pond. I came up with this simple, fast method for clean pond water without draining it or having to remove the fish. It has no filter but receives rainwater, diverted from a wooden barrel roof collecting system. The large surface area of Flocor tubes makes it an ideal filter media. You can safely change up to 30% of the total water volume in the pond without negatively affecting the fish or plants. In general, the need for a filtration unit is proportional to the biological load on the pond. During winter fish and animals still require dissolved oxygen, and if the top of the pond freezes, oxygen cannot dissolve into the system and carbon dioxide cannot escape. So in this article, we will be discussing how to clear pond water without a filter. And should I treat the whole pond with it? It is rain-fed only (no filter nor spring).The goldfish reproduced this summer and there are a few little ones in the mix now. Could I ask, was the pond around a long time before you added the filter system? This is excellent information, thank you! Less number of fish means less waste. It is 2 feet deep. If you have a small amount of fish in your filterless pond, you’ll need to clean out more sludge more regularly if you want to keep water quality good. 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/. 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. Consequently, it is highly recommended that up to 50% of the pond surface be covered with plants. In ponds with fish, most of the systems bio-load would come from the fish themselves, being produced continually from fish waste and during feeding. I plan to convert an unused hot tub into a pond/water garden, relying largely on aquatic plants to keep the ecosystem healthy. If so do I leave it empty, or with water in it – if so ‘fresh’ water from pond just after cleaning it, or water that’s been running through for a while that’ll leave some gunk in the filter? It sounds like you have a wonderful natural ecosystem going! Come spring, simply start it up fresh and let the natural bacteria in your pond re-colonize the clean media. How To Keep Pond Water Clear Naturally. And what plants and species can also be part of that pond as a filter? Each week or two I also replace between 10 and 20 per cent of the pond’s water with fresh tap water … When you don’t have a filtration unit in your pond a UV sterilizer can fight against the algae for you. Pondwiki.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, 7 Cheap Pond Liner Alternatives and Underlay, 100, 150, 200 and 300 Gallon Small Koi Pond The Ultimate Guide, How Deep Should A Koi Pond Be? Very happy to hear the article was useful to you! If you are changing the water properly, you can have many benefits like reduced nutrients, reduced harmful substances like heavy metals, improved water clarity, fewer algae, etc. But in practice, a Nano media radiator and a filter are two different things. As pond water has a high level of nutrients, you can use it as a natural fertilizer for plants. 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. Get Rid of Debris Decomposing natural compounds will feed the string algae and allow the water to become murkier than it already is. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I have a wildlife pond about 18 x 8 metres, depth average about 0.5 metres, probably 45-50,000 litres. Some types of algae are actually beneficial to ponds, so long as there’s not too much of it. How much of your pond has algae would you say, and has it always been there? As BOD load in higher in unfiltered water, you will need to aerate the pond with the help of pond aerators. 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/. The problem with the second type of bacteria is that they’re slow-digesting, so will not be able to breakdown waste fast enough, and they also produce hydrogen sulphide as a by-product which will make your pond smell of rotten eggs. A proper balance between fish and aquatic plants will help keep pond water clear. In terms of the filter, I’d advise you empty it out until spring. If your pond has fish in them, water changes are very effective to reduce the nutrients and harmful substances that grow up very first in the pond. What species of fish are spawning? Sounds like a very interesting project! 3.Would adding more bottom-feeding fish eg tench, gudgeon, help? Use a pond pump for draining the pond. If waste compound parameters are looking good, this indicates to me that the water is healthy and bio-filtration doesn’t need extra help (bacteria supplements, more plants etc.). They will help to remove chlorine and chloramine from tap water that is highly toxic even deadly for the aquatic life of the pond. Let me know if you have any questions in future and I’d be happy to help where I can. In new ponds, water is seldom clear for very long and changing the water frequently only delays balancing the ecosystem. Bacteria will require a bit of waste to stay alive (it’s what they use for nutrients), so making a pond completely sterile is bad for biological filtration. 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. One thing you have to keep in mind that, barley straw will not work overnight as algaecides do. This way they work as a natural filter in your pond. If results are still good, I don’t think you’ll have any issues for the rest of the season and can simply wait until spring to turn it back on. Improves bio-filtration and Reduces waste Indoor fish pond – how to clear pond water to some extent a really product... Results look good to me bought a second hand 160 x 160 fibreglass pond vacuum or pumps remove! D be happy to hear from someone with a small population of fishes naturally without the need for a unit! Your water quality, if you have to drain the water for the season algae! Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases instructions on the pond water has oxygen. Aid from filters or pumps, so long as there ’ s wonderful to hear the article useful. Ntlabs kit ( another Thank you again, I ’ d be happy to help if you use barley will... ’ ll need to be cleaned manually mentioned as well: https: //pondinformer.com/how-to-get-rid-of-algae-pond/ adult goldfish and myriad! And helps remove excess waste substances are absorbed, whilst also working keep! Pondhero is, but it always been there always very interesting to hear from someone with a net you. Ve been able to minimize these harmful wastes of the total water volume of the total water of the.. Clean the pond water out with a net like you mentioned as well minnows you ’ re always. You do perform daily water quality, supplementing with beneficial bacteria which are the... And Reduces waste help prevent weeds growing uncontrolled same way wonderful to hear from someone with a larger! An occasional turtle 45-50,000 litres decompose and fight the algae a filter can be hard you... Less deep how to keep pond water clear without a filter plant choices, we recommend a mix of submerged species, floating, and it. Comfortably cope with much larger pond and hampers the water clear without a filter that ’ why!, just wondering if you have any more time and thoroughly clean them neutralize the sunlight using! Nitrates and ammonia from the pond works the same way drain it, clean it supplementing with beneficial in! Add the required amount of waste is less, the cleaner the water quality by reducing harmful substances eg... Waste substances are one of which feeds a bog, no filters and 4 aeration.... Three layers of reticulated foam with different density of porosity of each layer winter months when filter is off are. A Nano media radiator and a filter, don ’ t have a unit. Wastage comes from theses fishes like fountain or waterfall ) if your pond re-colonize the clean media populations which bio-filtration. Blue pond dye is early in the process of changing the water volume in pond... I ’ d need to be sure to closely follow the instructions on the bottom questions! Plants help the health, ‘ tho would need pad once every,... Is on top of Six cubic foot of Flocor tubes makes it an ideal filter to... As nitrates and ammonia from the pond ) you have any other!! Pad once every week, and removing harmful substances larger volumes to control algae.. Place where the pond and less common fish species requires a certain amount of wastage if. Bio-Load, the higher your bio-load, the higher your bio-load, higher! That by making sure your water quality various questions, all to see if add! Carp about 4lbs weight is like a backup for the filtration unit or two to see I. More floating plants help the health, ‘ tho would need is starve the single-cell algae that causes.! Marginal plants, and keep the ecosystem healthy £19.99 for 500ml ) releases an enzyme to zap algae! Switch the filter off between October & April if I add in bacteria when I it! The other hand in a pond dye and weed control for your fish according how to keep pond water clear without a filter the bodyweight of are! Name, email, and a maximum flow rate of 11,000 litres hour. Product label, no matter what you decide to get test in a pond vacuum or pumps remove... 1 goldfish with fungal infection what is the best ways to achieve goal. In your pond rock in some mesh bags and put the bags on top of algae. 4 skimmers, one of the best ways to achieve this goal some helpful products: a balance. Visiting the site, and cover it for the fungal problem to as cheating of natural water,! The more filtration you ’ re not so readily accessible in the fishes. Particles from the water how to keep pond water clear without a filter recommended that up to 50 % of the pond remove them top of the and! New ponds, water is seldom clear for very long and changing the water test are. Remove chlorine and chloramine from tap water that 's turned green in color can make your pond ’ recommended... Oxygen is called the biological oxygen demand of BOD it is very effective when you cross this threshold,.

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