Silt in pond

[Gobucks]

Hi! I'm new to the Garden Pond Forum, but I am finding all the Q & A very helpful. The reason I started looking for a pond forum is because I am now having some trouble with my pond. In April my husband and I decided that our 400 gal. pond we built last April just wasn't big enough. That, and the freezing ground upheaved and collapsed part of the pond. Who knew that you did not dig a pond straight down in Ohio? So, this year with a little more knowledge under our belts, we started over. We know have a 1000gal. pond where the old one once was. This one has three levels tapered down to a depth of 36". We have baby pond plants, 5 baby goldfish (approx 3"), "Monster" our 8" speckled goldfish and "Speckles" our 8" koi from our first pond. I now have an upgraded filter, a Tetra 1500 bio filter and a Tetra 500gph pump. We added a very small waterfall, only a couple of rocks high and pea gravel and river pebbles to the bottom. That is where we made a big mistake. I have been reading that rocks in the pond = a lot of work! So this week I dove in and removed all the rocks! Now, I have a thick layer of silt on everything! I am in the process as I type of trying to filter out the silt with a pillowcase full of pillow stuffing and the pump hose stuck inside. My poor goldfish are freaking out at all the things I am doing to their home! Besides what I am doing does anyone have anymore tidbits of advice?

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the forum..... If you can get the pillowcase full of stuffing up out of the water and let the silt collect , clearer water will fall back into the pond..it will take some time ,but it will get there

 

[Gobucks]

Thanks Dr. Case,
I did do that. The pillowcase is floating to the top of the pond and hanging out. I modified a little since I posted. I took my old smaller pump and used it to filter through the pillowcase and I am keeping the larger one running to the bio filter and waterfall. I am not losing hope! I was afraid I was going to have to drain and start over! It's funny, last year I used the fiberfill all the time in my small pond, I can't believe I didn't think of using it in this case. I guess I will be cleaning often for a while.

 

[DrCase]

If you got 2 pumps you might run the small one thru the filter, and run the big one thru the stuffing for a little while ,,the stuffing will take out the silt

 

[Gobucks]

I do have the two pumps running and I am so excited! I went out to check on the pond this morning and it is crystal clear! It worked! Now I just need to keep stirring it up to remove the last of the silt that settled on the plants and large stones. I really thought it would take longer than it did. Finally, I can see my little fish I added almost two weeks ago. Thanks for your help, I'm sure I will have more questions in the future. Actually I just thought of one.
Do you think, once I get the pond clear, it would be beneficial to add barley extract on a regular basis? I am not real familiar with the product, but I have heard it mentioned quite a bit. Is it necessary if your tested levels are correct?

 

[koiguy1969]

absolutely add the barley extract... it will help with string algae in a big way.