Filter for duck DYI pond

[BallsEleven]

Sounds like a good idea. How would I do that? When you mean intake, do you mean to attach a hose to have clean water go through the pump?

At first I meant an intake to take water from a different location into the pump to be cleaned. But looking at the pump again, it looks like there is a nozzle off the pipe going up if you wanted to redirect the water somewhere else. That is where you would attach your tubing and ideally run to the other side of the tank.

How you would go about churching up where that hose ends up to make it look good is another project.

 

[Ratchnick]

A filtration system will be helpful for the pond, bigger is always better. My ducks swim in the natural pond and drink from the buckets. As long as there is a clean source for drinking water I wouldn’t worry too much. The mud pond they swim in has no filtration whatsoever. It dries up as time goes by and fills up with rain. Let your pond cycle and keep tabs on the levels. You can get water testers on amazon or a fish store. Avoid the strip kinds. Ones like this are good.View attachment 2187023 If you are unable to test everyday, as often as possible would suffice. The solution to pollution is dilution.

I think your technically correct, but lots of people have duck ponds with a plant based bio filter and they are not testing like you recomend and their ducks are just fine.

 

[SimplySampley]

When I had only 3 ducks, a metal trough worked well with this pump - but you will have to clean the filters at least once per week. https://www.thepondguy.com/product/...2/water-gardens-fish-ponds-all-in-one-filters I have 9 ducks now - and they have a pond. I swear by UV lights to keep the water clean/sterile - and beneficial bacteria to eat the duck muck (aka poop).

We have a biofilter. It seems like the UV light would work against the beneficial bacteria. Do you "seed" the beneficial bacteria? And if so, where?

 

[SimplySampley]

I don't have ducks, but I'd love to! I'm in CA, too, and water gets expensive quick. If there is a good answer to your question, I might be able to add ducks to my menagerie!

If you haven't added ducks yet, I wouldn't. I love my two ducks but if I had known how messy they were going to be I wouldn't have made the commitment. And they take LOTS of water. We have a 4500 gallon pond and duck house. I have to change their drinking water daily, spray out their house about every two weeks, and the pond pump has to be hosed out daily (which is why I'm desperate to learn about different pump arrangements).

 

[SimplySampley]

I found this great source of information on duck ponds.

http://www.landvistaaquascapes.com/blog/designing-a-proper-duck-pond

 

[davez]

I've managed to filter water and raise healthy ducks in a filtered small pond without ever testing for nitrates (for many many years). I don't add nitrates or nitrogen to the pond. I don't fertilize around the pond. This type of response is what we call "over engineering" (unreasonable levels of testing when there is no indication of a problem).
I'd get a 55 gal drum, fill it with pea gravel, pump the water out of your pool into the drum, and let the drum over flow (via hose) back into the pool. Plant some fast growing plants in the top of the drum that will help naturally remove contaminants. Then you can save on water and keep relatively clean water available. It doesn't need to look like a mud hole. If you make the plants something the ducks like to eat, you will have a source for some treats, too.
A traditional pool filter could help as well. You probably will be backflushing very frequently though and that may not support what you are trying to accomplish.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

^^^^ if you go traditional pool filter, I STRONGLY recommend a sand filter, rather than a cartridge style filter. They tolerate backwashing much better, and will likely prove to be the more economical in the long run. Whatever you choose, you should give some thought to the housing of the filter itself. Cartridges can (and WILL) be replaced. As much as twice a decade, you may find yourself replacing a few hundred$ worth of sand (I used to get 8 years from mine, with a 18k gal pool) - but the housing of the sand/cartridge did eventually start to break down in the TX sun. A few $ worth of sun block early may save you some of that expense.

 

[davez]

the pond pump has to be hosed out daily (which is why I'm desperate to learn about different pump arrangements).

I clean my skimmer out every 2-3 weeks. Weekly in the worst conditions. I almost never touch my bog filter pump which was added after the pond was built. (In the height of string algae bloom - I may have to pull string algae off of it occasionally.) The bog filter pump sits on the bottom of the pond. I used stackable landscape blocks and an EPDM liner to create a bog filter next to the pond. You can fill it completely with pea gravel and then plant plants on top. I favor water lettuce - it grows super fast (pulling pollutants/nitrogen out quickly as well). I also let some of the bog be under water - the frogs love it. If I did it again, I would have only one waterfall coming out of the bog. My pond is probably about 3600 gallons.