Duck pond filter, water movement

[yarrowhouse]

For our ducks in their covered pen, we built a 8x10ft pond, 20 inches deep. It has a 3in bottom drain so easy to dump each week and wash out the muck. However we also want to run a filter to reduce the frequency of dumping.

We built a bog filter along the pond, several feet long wrapping around the edge. A solar powered pump moves water from the bottom middle of the pond to the entrance to the bog, then it flows through there, trickles back in.

Our challenge is the muck that isn't near the pump on the bottom. The pump does a good job right around itself, but the rest of the pond slowly accumulates muck with no improvement from the pump.

Any experiences or ideas for how to get the rest of the pond bottom cleaner with this setup?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Move the inlet for the pump and the outlet for the bog filter to create circulation in the pond.

After you have no still water, if you are still getting accumulating muck, you will need to either upsize the pump, upsize the bog filter, or both. If its some green growing things, oxygenation helps - the point of a small waterfall or aerator. There are also skim filters if its just a little bit of surface scum.

If its sediment, and your pump will support, consider a second hose with a grate on a pole or similar that you can move around the pond to suck up solids.

Basically, a LOT of options. WHich one is right for you depends on your set up, and what's accumulating wear.

Honestly, would love to see pictures - I have a bigger, deeper pond (using two 30x25 liners) but have never finished it w/ pump and filter precisely because I couldn't engineer a solution I was happy with for dealing with everythign that accumulates in it, and the flood/parched cycles we get from rainfall to rainfall. (Also, lack of power - would have to do solar)

 

[yarrowhouse]

Sure here's a pic. Our little pond is for 3 ducks currently, will expand to 6 soon.

I put red marker on the photo to show where the bottom drain goes. The pond is slightly uphill from the garden, so it waters the garden. The bottom drain is 3 inches, so no problem washing everything through it. We dump it about once per week. We are in a well so filling it is just running the pump.

The green marker is the box containing the solar controller, battery, inverter, and also along the top edge of the photo the green points out the bog filter.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

that came out looking really good! You did a fine job. Just offset your intake and outflow to create more circulation and you shold be fine.