Prevent Pump Hose From Clogging

[Ratsima]

No, it does not. Neither did the previous pump.

 

[Big Lou]

Question for Meyer.

If Ratsima has a thin layer of scum going into the pump would a dose of algeside possibly help the water quality? A plant, fish safe algaecide may rid his pump and pond of this problem. Your opinion please.

 

[Ratsima]

Good question. I'm convinced that Meyer is right about the biofilm. I'd never heard about it, but I've been doing a lot of reading. It seems to explain all the symptoms I've been experiencing. It would be great to know if there is some algecide would improve the situation. Of course, it would have to be something that is fish and plant safe.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Good question. I'm convinced that Meyer is right about the biofilm. I'd never heard about it, but I've been doing a lot of reading. It seems to explain all the symptoms I've been experiencing. It would be great to know if there is some algecide would improve the situation. Of course, it would have to be something that is fish and plant safe.

The is currently nothing on the market that is safe for use in a pond. Even if there was you would not want to use it for it would destroy the biofilm that is present on every other submerged surface in the pond. That you do not want to do.
As far as I know there is nothing on the market anyway that effectively (and permanently) removes biofilm other than sand-blasting.
I suspect, Ratsima, that the source of your problem is your guppies feeding on microorganisms that inhabit the rhizosphere of the Pistia. In the process they are breaking of tiny pieces of root which are eventually being drawn into the pump. These small organic particles are gradually being trapped by the biofilm in the piping, much like plaque accumulates in a human's arteries, eventually causing blockage.To solve this problem, this organic debris must be trapped before it enters the pump. This is why I inquired about the pre-filter. At present, you actually have no mechanical filtering, a must for any pond with fish.

 

[Big Lou]

Wow

 

[Ratsima]

Meyer, thanks so much for the detailed reply. I've learned a lot since I made the OP.

I'm not really sure how I can add a pre-filter to the pump I have. Mechanically, it would be difficult.

Do you think it would help if I put some of that sponge material inside the filter screen "cage". Here's a link to something I could easily get:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...-cotton-filter-cotton/1143024_1823665901.html

I would have to cut it to fit, but that wouldn't be too hard.



There's also this stuff:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/aqua...of-filtering-pond/32233801104.html#magnet-ads

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Meyer, thanks so much for the detailed reply. I've learned a lot since I made the OP.

I'm not really sure how I can add a pre-filter to the pump I have. Mechanically, it would be difficult.

Do you think it would help if I put some of that sponge material inside the filter screen "cage". Here's a link to something I could easily get:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...-cotton-filter-cotton/1143024_1823665901.html

I would have to cut it to fit, but that wouldn't be too hard.

View attachment 80780

There's also this stuff:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/aqua...of-filtering-pond/32233801104.html#magnet-ads

It would certainly help, but keep in mind that this filter material will need frequent cleaning, at least for a while, until you can reduce the suspended organic matter in your pond.

 

[Ratsima]

So, I removed all the Pistia….

It's now been three days since I had to clean the pump hose. The pond is still crystal clear. I ordered some pre-filter material for the pump which has yet to arrive.

 

[Ratsima]

Another follow-up. This photo shows the fountain two weeks after the most recent hose cleaning.

This is a huge improvement. It now appears that I will only rarely have to clean out the fountain hose as opposed to once every few days.

The pre-filter material just arrived. I'm anxious to see if it improves things even more.

Thanks again.

 

[MitchM]

 

[Big Lou]

Great!

 

[Lisak1]

The information Meyer shared about algaecide is so important. Just because a product doesn't kill your fish or plants doesn't mean it isn't destroying other things in your pond that you cannot see which are equally - if not more - important to your ecosystem.

 

[Ratsima]

It's always good to have your thinking clarified by someone who demonstrably knows what they're talking about. After reading Meyer's posts I did a bunch of reading. I learned a lot.

For that I am grateful.

 

[Ratsima]

Six years on and I still haven't licked this problem. I have learned a few things; one of which is that the clogging of the hose is highly variable and seems not to be related to ambient temperature, season or other environmental factors. Sometimes I can go a month without having to ream out the hose. At other times I have to do it daily. I tried several sorts of pre-filters on the pump but none were satisfactory.

At this point the only fish in the pond are a few tiny guppies.The Pistia is gone. The water is always crystal clear. The stream does get some sort of algae clinging to rocks during warmer weather but it doesn't ever appear in the pond.

I now have a 120 watt pump with a 6 meter head and which pumps out 95 liters per minute. This does reduce the time between hose-reamings, but the volume of water it produces is enough to nearly overwhelm the stream. (The output feed is 20mm which matches the size of my hose.) Aesthetically it's not very nice. It's more like a firehose than a fountain. And, the volume and the sound tends to keep the birds away. Watching them bathe was something we always enjoyed during the evening happy hour.

I remain stumped.

 

[brokensword]

sorry I can't help, but like me, I bet you miss Meyer...