Water quality recommendations.

[FountainMan]

Howdy folks. I recently expanded my front yard water feature and it looks great. Problem is keeping it looking great.

So a little bit about the pond, it's a 7' x 7' pond but is only about 14" deep in the center. Most of the pond is about 3-4" deep to accommodate birds that like to bathe and drink. So the whole system doesn't hold a ton of water and there aren't any fish. But just the same the water quality can get pretty bad. Even in the cooler months here in Texas algae is a problem.

Right now the fountain pump is housed in a submersible box filter. The pump is about 1200 GPH but only 1/10th of that powers the fountain. The rest is just capped off. I'd like to utilize that to power a filter and possibly a short waterfall.

Does anyone have recommendations for good filtration? I'm thinking about getting one of those small pressurized canister filters with the built-in UV light and backwash valve and having that hidden behind a hedge by the pond's edge and sneaking the pipes underneath the hedge but I'm not absolutely sure that would be the best option.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[sissy]

For what you need a pressurized would be fie .They are basically all the same .Some have built in uv and it may be what you want .

 

[FountainMan]

There are some inexpensive ones with UV on Amazon with good reviews that I was looking at last night. I love the backwash function as well.

 

[sissy]

I got mine off toppdog seller on ebay 27 dollars with 3 bulbs and have had it for 3 years now and it works great 18 watt and I bought another 9 watt one for my neighbor

 

[FountainMan]

Moved forward with the filtration equipment. Bought a Grech CPF-2500 pressurized canister filter and a Jebao SK-40 floating skimmer to tackle the surface debris from nearby trees and lawnmowers.

Filter was easy to set up. I have it neatly hidden behind a hedge behind the pond. I set the filter on some bricks to act as a solid foundation. Ran the tubing underneath the hedge and hooked up the filter and plugged in the UV clarifier/sterilizer. Pretty simple.

Took an old unused concrete rain spout and made a small waterfall with the return pipe from the filter.

Installed the floating skimmer near the back of the pond where floating debris tend to wind up. There's a crape myrtle about 10 feet from the pond that sheds flower pedals spring through fall in addition to lawnmowers which puts grass clippings in the water.

In case anyone is curious, the fountain doesn't seem to inhibit the skimmer's performance.

A view of the whole pond. Notice the greenish tint of the water. Hopefully another week and this will turn back to clear.

Neighbors have fallen in love with this water feature. So far it it's proven to be a great addition to the front yard.

 

[PondMutt]

i like this little water feature .
i do not like all those little rocks , they make me nervous .

i have put fish in features as small as this , too true , they were in line with quite larger water volumes ,
but you have filtration,
i put blue gill in a water pan that was 7x7 feet and 6 inch deep . did good. LOTS OF FUN TO WATCH .
i suggest Rosy reds .. tiny fish . one finds them in pet stores , sometimes . rosy reds are a variate of fat head minnows a bait fish , fatheads would be ok but rosy's are more esthetic , if it is a surviving population the rosy's will devolve to fathead in later generations .
and some bluegill . find them at the local fish farm. my experience is the local fish farm will sell you a few little fish

 

[IPA]

@FountainMan , Nice pump and overall filtration. There is no way to prevent the, eventually good, algae from coating the rocks, and it will look natural, it all just takes time and making the proper changes to evolving conditions. Larger rocks do give less space for anaerobic bacteria to hide out in, so a single layer of them might have a better appearance once it has matured, maybe darker rocks would blend in with the green better but also hold more heat? You didn't mention it but just in case, I wish they just didn't sell algaecides because its use only eventually leads to dismal results and experiences in a once balanced, now out-of-balance garden pond.

I have birds all of the time splashing around in my small, 12" deep lily pond and also in my old preformed. One day I watched 'em hop off of the rim and splash right into the water, splish splash and hop/fly out back onto the rim. In the heat of summer I was happy to give them a place to cool off and have a drink.
With such a large surface area as shallow as it is, you will have a more difficult time with heat, evaporation, and algae. Maybe the deeper it is the less the bottom is noticeable especially if left black IMO. If you continue to struggle building it deeper may be the best solution. Hopefully it will work for you as is to enjoy and provide a place for the birds to enjoy also.