I have a 1000-gallon pond, filtered with a 4000 gallon per hour submersible pump through a pressure filter to a six-inch high by three feet wide waterfall. I have a few water plants in place where the pond layout will permit. For about the past four years that has worked well to keep the water fairly clear, and about 10 small goldfish and a few bullfrogs that live in it, happy. There are a few problems that are now beginning to show though.
I live in a wooded area, and every autumn, we are inundated with leaves, a lot more than I can easily keep up with. Despite my best efforts, leaves invariably get into the pond, creating a layer of sludge on the bottom of the pond, more than I can easily remove with my existing Oase pond vacuum. I have a leaf and debris netting bag around the pump, and it is almost totally clogged, reducing the volume of filtered and aerated water to the pond. This has in turn this year, created a huge string algae problem during these hot months. So, I am going to have to put on the waders and pull the pump out to clean it. Since I covered it with rocks for appearance, and with all that algae and sludge, that is going to be a job.
I am trying to think of ways to reduce having to do this again in the future (if that's possible). I'm likely going to forego covering the pump with rocks anymore. The pond vac I have works well enough, but given its cycle times, it is just not enough vacuum for the job of cleaning the entire bottom of the pond.
I was thinking of making a more powerful pond vac, using one of the submersible pumps I have laying around. I could just put a decent sized inline pool type leaf and debris filter on the pump intake, and use my existing flex hose onto the input of that filter. I can just run the pump outlet out of the pond to my drain area. With a system like that, the filter would catch only the debris that would clog the pump, and most of the remaining sludge would pass through the filter and pump, and out to the drain area. I wouldn't be constantly having to wait for the pond vac to drain and cycle back on.
Why wouldn't this work? Does anyone have any better ideas on reducing or dealing with the algae and sludge?
I live in a wooded area, and every autumn, we are inundated with leaves, a lot more than I can easily keep up with. Despite my best efforts, leaves invariably get into the pond, creating a layer of sludge on the bottom of the pond, more than I can easily remove with my existing Oase pond vacuum. I have a leaf and debris netting bag around the pump, and it is almost totally clogged, reducing the volume of filtered and aerated water to the pond. This has in turn this year, created a huge string algae problem during these hot months. So, I am going to have to put on the waders and pull the pump out to clean it. Since I covered it with rocks for appearance, and with all that algae and sludge, that is going to be a job.
I am trying to think of ways to reduce having to do this again in the future (if that's possible). I'm likely going to forego covering the pump with rocks anymore. The pond vac I have works well enough, but given its cycle times, it is just not enough vacuum for the job of cleaning the entire bottom of the pond.
I was thinking of making a more powerful pond vac, using one of the submersible pumps I have laying around. I could just put a decent sized inline pool type leaf and debris filter on the pump intake, and use my existing flex hose onto the input of that filter. I can just run the pump outlet out of the pond to my drain area. With a system like that, the filter would catch only the debris that would clog the pump, and most of the remaining sludge would pass through the filter and pump, and out to the drain area. I wouldn't be constantly having to wait for the pond vac to drain and cycle back on.
Why wouldn't this work? Does anyone have any better ideas on reducing or dealing with the algae and sludge?
