"WilsonKKW" wrote in message
...
I have heard of ponds that are with NO filter..any info folks?

Hi,
If you still have koi in 500 gallons, the answer is probably no, unless
water changes are something you enjoy.
Ponds with no filter, no pump, a few goldfish, plants and clear water year
round are possible. The secret is a FEW goldfish to keep it mosquito free
and minimal, if any feeding.
HTH -_- how
no NEWS is good

"WilsonKKW" wrote in message
...
I have heard of ponds that are with NO filter..any info
folks?

I have an in-ground pond about 200 gallons
with a few minnows and whatever else shows up
(tadpoles, birds, snakes, etc.). No filtration, lots
of plants, shaded (but enough sunlight for plants),
clear water. I'll do a partial water change & suck
junk off the bottom maybe once per season, else
top off with treated tap water or rain water.

One of my two stock tank (above ground)
ponds (110 gal.) also has a few minnows, lots of
plants, shaded, no filtration - crystal clear.

The other stock tank (150 gal) pond has goldfish,
plants, shade and filtration - not wanting to take a
chance with goldfish. But nothing fancier than
a good pump, bell fountain kit, homemade "filter"
(plastic crate w/ furnace filter & lava rocks
surrounding the pump). Last year (1st year
established) I was cleaning the filter about
once weekly. This year I've done it once and
I'm about to do it again. So - about once
every two months? I think it's working...

The goldfish pond water turned green with warmer
weather (Feb? March?) but after a couple of
months cleared up **all on its own**. g

I do get some string algae in two of the ponds
(in-ground & goldfish) but not enough to bother
me and I pull it out by hand or stick occasionally.

I'm really not into perfection. If the fish are
healthy, the plants are healthy, the water is
mostly clear - cool! That'll do.

Gail
near San Antonio TX

"WilsonKKW" wrote in message
...
I have heard of ponds that are with NO filter..any info folks?

Of the 10 houses in our street, 5 have ponds. Only one of these
has any filtration. All successful ponds, but none with koi, just
comets, shubunkin, and some strange looking blue things about
three inches long that we can't identify. A couple of ponds are
in full sun and a couple are in a lot of shade. It never gets
particularly hot or cold here so we tend not to have problems
with water temperatures. Mine is the only pond with a bubbler
but the others all have pumps for water features. No real
problems with water quality. I scrape the leaves out of the pond
by hand a few times a year, next door net theirs so don't bother.
All of us have explosive plant growth that gets thinned out a few
times a year when the fish can't swim any more, so I guess thats
how all the byproducts get out of the pond.

I feed wheatgerm all year, although less in the winter. Next door
(with the filter) feeds pellets summer only. I don't think the other
three feed at all, or very rarely.

"groovy" wrote
[snip]
I feed wheatgerm all year, although less in the winter.
Next door
(with the filter) feeds pellets summer only. I don't think
the other
three feed at all, or very rarely.

I'm always looking for variety ... so what kind
of wheatgerm? The kind that humans eat (which
I eat)? I do occasionally feed my goldfish &
minnows wholewheat bread, which they love,
but hadn't thought about trying wheatgerm.

Gail