My garden pond is roughly 1,000 gallons. I custom-built it, so I can't be e
xact, but it's a little over 3' deep. I originally added 2 koi, 3 goldfish
(which have since turned in to 26), a water lily, an arrowhead, a potted bu
lrush, and a bunch of floating irises and water lettuce. It has a waterfall
built from boulders and river rock, and I'm using this waterfall pump:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_24482-60084-...?productId5100
02&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL =%3FNs%3Dp_product_
qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo
If you can't follow the link, it's a Smartpond 1300gph submersible, with UV
light. I have it zip-tied to a tupperware container, so that it doesn't si
t directly on the floor but about 6" above. It flows in to a separate filte
r; I couldn't find it online, but it's about the size of a 2G container, an
d has several pads in it.

Here's my question. I have to take the pump out about every other day, remo
ve the rough pad on the intake side, squeeze out all of the gunk, then put
it back in. After 2 days, the water flow slows to a crawl.

To clean it, I keep a container behind the pond that I fill with pond water
, then I just hold the pad in the water, squeeze it 9 or 10 times, then put
it back.

This hasn't a big deal during the summer, since I just have a morning ritua
l where I feed the fish and clean the pump, but as it gets colder and winte
r comes, that's going to REALLY suck!

Can you guys suggest what I might do to not have to clean this pad so often
?

Here's my question. I have to take the pump out about every other day, remo
ve the rough pad on the intake side, squeeze out all of the gunk, then put
it back in. After 2 days, the water flow slows to a crawl.

To clean it, I keep a container behind the pond that I fill with pond water
, then I just hold the pad in the water, squeeze it 9 or 10 times, then put
it back.

This hasn't a big deal during the summer, since I just have a morning ritua
l where I feed the fish and clean the pump, but as it gets colder and winte
r comes, that's going to REALLY suck!

Can you guys suggest what I might do to not have to clean this pad so often
?


Give the pump the cleanest water you can. Get it away from the bottom and
away from the surface. You might try running the pump with out the pads.
Your pond should have a bottom drain to remove the material that sinks to
the bottom.

On Saturday, September 29, 2012 1:15:24 PM UTC-4, Pat wrote:

Give the pump the cleanest water you can. Get it away from the bottom an
d
away from the surface.

I did try that using the upside-down tupperware container, so that the pump
is about 6" from the floor. The gunk that's always clogging it up, though,
looks more like thick, dark scum.


You might try running the pump with out the pads.

That's what I was thinking, too. But then, won't I just gunk up the big fil
ter? Which, I should mention has never needed to be cleaned. Or is it somet
hing that should balance out with the bigger filter?


Your pond should have a bottom drain to remove the material that sinks to

the bottom.

Yeah, I wish someone had told me that when I was digging it! LOL I didn't
really think about debris at the bottom, and now I'm in a tough position wh
ere I can't just siphon it with a hose (the pond is deeper than the rest of
the property), and I haven't found a good (and affordable) vacuum that won
't suck up the gravel on the bottom, too.

I've tried the kind where you attach a water hose and it's supposed to send
the debris in to a filter bag, but that just makes a huge mess and catches
little or nothing.

Any suggestions on a fairly inexpensive vacuum that might help?

"Jason C" wrote in message
...
On Saturday, September 29, 2012 1:15:24 PM UTC-4, Pat wrote:

Give the pump the cleanest water you can. Get it away from the bottom an
d
away from the surface.

I did try that using the upside-down tupperware container, so that the pump
is about 6" from the floor. The gunk that's always clogging it up, though,
looks more like thick, dark scum.

I think you have learned that 6" is not enough. The water may be cleanest
by the waterfall.

You might try running the pump with out the pads.

That's what I was thinking, too. But then, won't I just gunk up the big fil
ter? Which, I should mention has never needed to be cleaned. Or is it somet
hing that should balance out with the bigger filter?

I think the pads are to protect the pump from large particles.

Your pond should have a bottom drain to remove the material that sinks to

the bottom.

Yeah, I wish someone had told me that when I was digging it! LOL I didn't
really think about debris at the bottom, and now I'm in a tough position wh
ere I can't just siphon it with a hose (the pond is deeper than the rest of
the property), and I haven't found a good (and affordable) vacuum that won
't suck up the gravel on the bottom, too.

I've tried the kind where you attach a water hose and it's supposed to send
the debris in to a filter bag, but that just makes a huge mess and catches
little or nothing.

Any suggestions on a fairly inexpensive vacuum that might help?

A bottom drain is really the way to go. Do the pond over with a drain. I
drain a hundred gallons of muck out of my pond every morning. If you need
to raise the level of your pond by putting in some walls. Remove the gravel
from the bottom. My pond has a bare liner for the bottom sloped to a bottom
drain. 3 feet is a little shallow 4 feet or more is better.

You might try using a sewer pump that can pump large debris. Use a bottom
drain in your filter to remove the debris.

Our pond is like Ingrid's in that the muck gathers in the veggie filter an
d is drained annually. If you can reach it, a pool scoop net works pretty
well to pull out large debris. It won't do the muck very well, however. I
agree about getting your intake higher. Less stuff to get stuck in it. O
ur old Silent Giant ran for more than a decade in a bucket with 1/2" holes
drilled around it. The pump could grind up anything that got into it.

Our new Pondmaster is cheaper to run, but can't grind stuff up. It's intak
e line is about 15" off the bottom and we scoop the large much once a year.
The pump slowly gets its small intake clogged with small bits of stuff.
The pump is out of the pond and I have set up the lines so that I can cut o
ff the flow to the veggie filter, and backflush with a permanently installe
d line. That way I only need to close the flow to the veggie filter and al
low the backflush for about 10 minutes. The clog is returned to the pond.
That has to be done every month or so in the summer. I don't have to worry
about pads.

If you are going to stay with the filter pads, you need to have them higher
up and easy to change.

Yeah, you should definitely take your pump off the bottom with a few house bricks, you might find that solves your problem.....
Also have you calculated how many fish per square foot etc, you may have too many in there
and I would use some pond additives, you can buy them at any DIY or pond stockists/pet shops etc....you use them to break down some of the waste.
also have you tried netting you pond, there may be leaves and other debris falling in?

It dawns on me that we tend to clean our berm ponds in the spring. That seems a bit silly as the standing muck in the winter can be prtty bad. I will folow your lead and drain them this fall. Funny how I didn't think about that for more than a decade!

And may your hand heal quickly!

I totally agree with you.

_______________
Brad555

Sorry to hear of your lost fish.