Mucky Water

[eddie209]

I have had my pond for about 2 years now. It is a above ground pond about 700 gallons. I have two Laguna filters. A 2100 and 1000(UV). I am getting a lot of sludge in the filters. That is giving my pond a mucky cloudy look. Not as clear as it used to. I have too many fish. Witch I am wanting to get rid of. I need the pond to be clear. Is there a product that would break down the waste/sludge in the filters?

 

[Jhn]

No not really any quick fix, cleaning the filters more often. What type of filters are they? Many add quilt batting into a crate/ bucket with holes of some sort and place it under the pump return to the pond. The quilt batting will catch all the fine sediment in the water column. When it clogs up rinse it off and put it back until water is clear.

As you mentioned lessening the fish load in the pond if it is overstocked, will help.

 

[Phaewryn]

Most people here build bog filters as they are more effective than pressure filters. You could look into doing that (just search the forums, lots of instruction/examples here), but as you note, reducing the fish population is the primary key. If the filters you have worked good before you got too many fish, then they will work good again once you get rid of the extra fish. You can also add more plants. Potted plants in the pond, floating plants on the pond surface, and, as I mentioned before, in a bog area (which can be in a stock tank or a rubbermaid tub for a small pond). https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/filter-for-pump.15766/ shows the temporary solution Jhn mentioned above (6th answer, look for the milk crate with batting in it by J.w.)

 

[eddie209]

TY both for the info. I will be making a BOG. Going to wait till it cools down some.

 

[CometKeith]

TY both for the info. I will be making a BOG. Going to wait till it cools down some.

Hi. I just built a bog for my pond. I’m super happy with it! My how to do it is in the “My Goldfish Pond“ thread in the Garden Pond Photography heading of GPF.

 

[addy1]

TY both for the info. I will be making a BOG. Going to wait till it cools down some.

Read about how to build them, it can be simple, like mine, pipes, pea gravel and plants, or more complex like some here, aqua blocks, snorkels etc.

In the pond or separate from the pond. A container or a separate liner hole. etc etc

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/bog-building.6894/ is a thread here

and https://nelsonwatergardens.com/gravel-bog-filter-construction/

 

[poconojoe]

TY both for the info. I will be making a BOG. Going to wait till it cools down some.

Good decision!
Here's a link to my bog build:

My add-on bog build

I finally did it! I joined the bog club! The bog is approximately 14 feet by 5 feet and about 12 inches deep. I know my 1600+ gallon pond has been overpopulated due to my fish reproductive rates! Last year the water never cleared up to my liking. I figured my two pressure filters and my...

www.gardenpondforum.com

 

[poconojoe]

Your bog surface area should be at least 30% of your pond's surface area. That is the recommended minimum size for a pond with a significant fish load. You can build larger if you want or build two small ones if your space is limited. It can be any shape, even long and narrow, it doesn't matter. Minimum gravel depth is 12".

Keep us posted and take pictures as you progress.

 

[eddie209]

Will do