pond cleaning

[ejctm]

I have a eco-balanced set up - or at least I am trying to make it work! It is very eco but not very balanced at the moment!

I have made a separate filtration tank using the instructions for a Skippy filter (see their website) and have added friendly bacteria. The ducks have had no more than very short swims in the pond so far, so no real poop issues yet. However the algae have taken over, so I have bought some special anti-algae bacteria off ebay along with some large freshwater mussels. I hope that these are going to work and reduce the algae. I shall be adding duck weed too very shortly. It is a 750gal plastic rigid pond I am using. It does need a pump and electricity though, but we don't run the pump all the time.

Perhaps the anti-algae bacteria plus some freshwater mussels would work without any filtration, especially on a large natural pond? Mussels can filter huge amounts of water per hour cleaning out particles and algae. Better make sure they are deep or caged so the ducks don't eat them though! I have ordered giant ones about 4-5 inches across so hoping they are safe but will be putting them in the skippy tank anyway.

Hope that gives you some ideas?

 

[mandalitten]

That's a good idea, I never thought about mussels since it's something I associate more with the ocean. I might have to get me some of those, if I can find them since I haven't seen them at the pond stores.

How many ducks do you have in the pond? I have 3 chickens, and they poop a lot and I think a 750 gallon pond would have a hard time keeping up with it if it all went in the water.
I think having plants (esp hyacynths) will make a difference, as well as having a biological filter, and a UV sterilizer. Some people also add crushed charcoal that you can get at the pond store and put it inside their filters. Maybe you can potty train you ducks

Keep us posted on how clean you can keep your pond!

 

[Tater n Beans]

You can purchase inexpensive solar aerators. Try duckweed to provide quick vegetative cover and to take care of the nitrates. As far as the waste try Tilapia. They are not only tasty they are used in water processing plants to help with the decontamination. between the ducks the plants and the fish you shouldn't have any problems with stagnation and algae.

 

[ejctm]

Thanks Mandalitten,

I had a quick look on ebay.com and no freshwater mussels, but they do sell them on ebay.co.uk. I guess it would increase the mortality rate to try and ship them airmail to the US though, so I hope you can find another supplier. Perhaps some US online pond stores can supply and ship them to you? I haven't tested mussels out yet, but did see a TV programme recently where they have a mass invasion in a lake in Ireland of zebra mussels, which are doing such a good job cleaning the water that they are eating all the algae that the fish would eat and affecting the fish stocks. They put a handful in a bucket of dirty cloudy lake water and within an hour the water was perfectly clear!

If you have a biological filter (as I do) then steer clear of any chemical algae treatments or UV filters as these will also zap the beneficial organisms as well as the bad ones you want to zap and will defeat the object of having a biologically self-sustainable environment.

I only have 4 ducks and when they are using the pond regularly (I haven't yet built the steps and decking surround) they won't be doing all their poop in the pond! I want some of it for the garden

The bigger your pond, the better the chance of it being self-sustaining without any human intervention. Most large natural ponds maintain a good eco-system for wildlife without any or much extra help (might have to put in a few bales of barley straw a year and the catfish are a great idea), and ducks shouldn't make too much difference. Mine is obviously artificial and small and needs help!

Chasing Ducks - Can you post a pic of the pond? How big is it? Is it natural or an artificial pond?

 

[chasing ducks]

I'll try and get some pics tomorrow, I don't have any at the moment. It's not natural, we had it dug earlier this year, it's about 12 feet deep in the middle and is probably about 12'x12', probably larger than that, I am horrible at estimating dimensions. I have 30 females that all use the pond, plus 3 geese. I am going to try the fresh water mussels, I have a lake near my house that has a ton of fresh water mussels, would this work or is there a specific type I should buy? I'll look into the tilapia too but I have a feeling the ducks would eat them up like they do the frogs.

 

[emjay]

Tilapia fish, hmmm, where does one buy them. I've never seen them at any type of pond/fish/pet store. But, I do know what they are

as well, do they adapt well to natural ponds ?? a hardy fish??

a bale of barley straw??? wow, what exactly does that do? break down the nitrates from the poop, or clean up algae?

interesting facts.

 

[eco2pia]

I'm not a duck owner or a pond owner (yet) but I do know a little about ecology.

Please don't order freshwater mussels from a distant location. In my neck of the woods some types are a terrible invasive pest. Not to mention intoduced species from different locations can carry unfamiliar pests and diseases that native wildlife are not equipped to deal with. Even if you think your pond is closed, they can be transported by visiting wildlife if you are in a wet area near natural water. I would reccommend just getting what is local, take a trip to a lake, pond or slough in your area, its free, its safer for the enivroment, and it's adapted to your climate.

Just be sure the type and quantity of species you want to collect are not protected.

The OP seems to have this worked out, but others might read this later who would think it a great idea to try to order mussles from Europe or somewhere. Years ago I might have.

 

[Jeeper1540]

I couldnt say it better my self. you put any fish in there and the ducks will eat them lol. if i wasnt so lazy i'd clean my ducks pond every day cuz it gets so dirty. i usually do it every couple days

Quote:
Oh they'll keep it clean, alright. Any plants, insects, and small fish within easy reach will be cleaned up by the ducks and returned to the pond as organic sludge and ammonia. The bacteria in the water will convert the ammonia into nitrates, but then you end up with nasty green water as the pond explodes with algae blooms from all the free fertilizer.

 

[ejctm]

Quote:
That's a good point. Since the OP has access to some from local ponds, this sounds like the best idea. They should be easy to control in a closed pond too as you can just remove some if they get too prolific. With the daily load of duck poo however, I think the mussels will be kept busy!

I live in the UK, so the ones I am ordering are bred in the UK specially for home pond use. I have ordered the giant swan mussels (only 4 of them for my small pond) and I believe they won't be a problem to the environment.

 

[TTeddy]

You don't need a huge pond! Just something they can use to clean their nostrils etc and paddle in. Something that isn't too big that you refill every day. Clean water is essential for healthy ducks!
The water is great for your plants too!
You don't need filters and plants and fish.

edited by staff