Aquatic plants to filter duck pond?

[KenjiQuacker]

I know this thread was posted a while ago but I just figured out my entire pond plan with a filter and small waterfall! I'm getting ducklings in may and just started building the coop and run with the filtered pond. Here's my pond ideas if anybody would like to see.

I'm going to have a water pump at the deepest part of the pond pumping water back into the waterfall spillway / filter. Inside the waterfall spillway I think I'll grow a bunch of aquatic plants that work as a filter (The filter will be pretty large so I can fit a lot of aquatic plants.) The top of the filter will have wire mesh so the ducks don't get in but the plants will still have sunlight, and we'll have a layer of dirt in the bottom of the filter so the plants can grow. (The actual spillway will be higher up on the filter so that dirt doesn't get into it.) Sorry if none of this makes sense, just wanted to share my idea!
(edit) in my drawing i wrote that the top would be covered in rocks and i forgot to change it to say covered in wire mesh.

 

[aart]

Nice Drawing!

Put a drain in the bottom of your filter box so you can dump the poops out.
Put a mechanical filter pad under the plants to catch the poops.

 

[Suprasoup]

Here’s a few plants that might be worthwhile depending upon the size of your filter area.

By far my favorite plant for exporting nutrients has to be the yellow flag iris (shown on left). It requires no soil and grows like a weed. Once established its highly resistant to ducks. Its cold tolerant as well. I’ve had my pond freeze over and it still stayed green.

shown in middle is a variegated water bamboo. It too grows directly in water without soil. Slow grower so not great for nutrient export.



Duckweed growing in with the yellow iris. I’m not much of a fan of duckweed except as a filler plant that the ducks can dabble for.

bottom left is creeping jennies. Upper left is Water celery. Water celery is my second favorite plant for filtering. Can be grown in soil or without. Ducks will eat it so section it off from them.

Middle plant is water cress. Works ok for filtering, slower growing than water celery or yellow iris.

Right of the creeping jennies is a sweet potato plant. Yup can be grown in water as well.


duckweed, water hibiscus, shame plant, a basil plant and of course hair algae. Best way I’ve found to grow a lot of duckweed is a shallow pond/stream with a large surface area. Did I mention ducks love duckweed?


Hope this Helps.

 

[Tonyroo]

Poop water makes great fertilizer for plants consider utilizing it in your garden. Keeping active dirty pond water clean requires a large filtration containment, using filter pads, bio balls, and diatomaceous earth to keep it crystal clear. But that's a bit extreme for a duck pond, skip the diatomaceous earth. The filter pads can be used as rooting medium for most filtering plants that in turn will neutralize the toxins from accumulated duck waste. If your filtration is open air where the filters are gapped consider putting some mosquito fish to help with the mosquitoes breeding in the filter area. That's if your thinking about the filter idea with the pond.

 

[The Duck Dad]

I know this thread was posted a while ago but I just figured out my entire pond plan with a filter and small waterfall! I'm getting ducklings in may and just started building the coop and run with the filtered pond. Here's my pond ideas if anybody would like to see.
View attachment 2553659
I'm going to have a water pump at the deepest part of the pond pumping water back into the waterfall spillway / filter. Inside the waterfall spillway I think I'll grow a bunch of aquatic plants that work as a filter (The filter will be pretty large so I can fit a lot of aquatic plants.) The top of the filter will have wire mesh so the ducks don't get in but the plants will still have sunlight, and we'll have a layer of dirt in the bottom of the filter so the plants can grow. (The actual spillway will be higher up on the filter so that dirt doesn't get into it.) Sorry if none of this makes sense, just wanted to share my idea!
(edit) in my drawing i wrote that the top would be covered in rocks and i forgot to change it to say covered in wire mesh.

that's like the exact same thing I do with my pond.

 

[The Duck Dad]

I think water lettuce wound be ok. the ducks might eat them if they taste good. My ducks sure think they taste good...