Duck pond is driving us crazy - ready to give up my precious ducks :( Advice?

[Ratchnick]

You need a proper filter system, built out of 55gal drums. That's a great pond you just need a filter that can keep up with the ducks. Google duck pond filter and start watching videos. If you built that pond you can build a good filter for it!

 

[Spiase20]

We have a bond with 2 drum filters. My husband attached draining pipes at the bottom of each. So when I want to clean the drums, I drain the water and spray everything on the inside which comes out the draining pipes.

As for the pond, i bought this pond vacuum that sucks continuously. I typically vacuum the bottom till 1/3 of the pond water is left. Then treat with a little chlorine and then add new water.

I repeat the vacuum process every 2 weeks. And the drum process every month.

It is alot of work.

 

[416bigbore]

IMO, unless you have a filter system designed for SeaWorld, your going to have an uphill battle in trying to keep your pond somewhat clear and clean. Ducks are messy and they seem to love it that way.

Best of luck.

 

[Phneyda]

If algae is part of your problem, barely extract does wonders.

If uneaten food and vegetation is a problem then we found crayfish do a good job at eating stuff that floats to the bottom. Next year we are going to try duckweed as plant cover since you can feed it to quail. Snail may also be an option, but you should do more research on that.

Depending on your filter set up you can try placing some barriers between the big debris and your filter. We placed our water fountain pump in landscape fabric then placed it in an upside down laundry basket for stability and to keep out big debris like branches and leaves. To clean it we just pulled out the pump and basket and blasted it with water. We never needed to take the pump itself apart.
All this helped keep our 1k+ gallon above ground pool pond cleaner than it’s ever been.

 

[Mimi13]

@Sarynu, I was wondering how things have gone with your pond and filter. Have you been able to make a filter yet that you’re pleased with?

I’ve got five ducks and continue to clean out their pools every 2-3 days. I’m hoping to be able to set up some kind of larger pond when the weather warms up this next spring.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

oh just switch to a kiddie pool! much easier to clean and mine love it! we used to have a huge pond (like half an acre of just pond) before we moved and the ducks seem to prefer their pools over that

I agree. Kiddie pool and a garden hose is what we did for the longest time. Since we moved, the ground water is so high here that we just dug a hole and it stays filled up year round. Since it’s frozen now we went back to the kiddie pool.

 

[Sarynu]

@Sarynu, I was wondering how things have gone with your pond and filter. Have you been able to make a filter yet that you’re pleased with?

I’ve got five ducks and continue to clean out their pools every 2-3 days. I’m hoping to be able to set up some kind of larger pond when the weather warms up this next spring.

Hi Mimi13.

We have a pond around 700 gallons, a submerged pump, and large filter with bio balls and sponges. I can't remember the rating, probably a few thousand gallons.

Our issue was I had waited too long to clean the filter. It filled up with with stinky brown sludge and really overwhelmed me. The pipes also filled up with the sludge and it began dripping out of the fountain head.

Overall, I like the pond. I kept it. But the filter needs to be pretty powerful (at least triple the pond volume per hour) and it really needs to be cleaned out at least once a month, probably every two-weeks. The benefit of more frequent cleanings is that it is less gross/sludge per cleaning, quicker to clean the filter, and a healthier pond.

Our filter has a mesh bag around it. This bag helps keep it from getting clogged, but the suction pulls in the bag. So every day we have to pull the bag out. A firmer type of "cage" like object around the filter might be easier. Also, getting a pool cleaner, I don't know the name, a long stick with a net on the end - would probably be useful for cleaning out feathers and things that fall in the pond.

We only have four ducks. This winter, we live in Michigan and the pond freezes, so we emptied the pond and will try again in the Spring.

I honestly don't know if it needs to be cleaned out COMPLETELY every few months or if you will need more filtering plants at the bottom.

I hope this was helpful. Overall, probably worth it because you don't have to dump it out every day which helps save water. Although, cleaning it out takes water. It's also stinky if you can't clean it out properly. It is just taking thought and adjustment. The ducks swim in it for hours a day, so it's probably worth it.

 

[Mimi13]

Hi Mimi13.

We have a pond around 700 gallons, a submerged pump, and large filter with bio balls and sponges. I can't remember the rating, probably a few thousand gallons.

Our issue was I had waited too long to clean the filter. It filled up with with stinky brown sludge and really overwhelmed me. The pipes also filled up with the sludge and it began dripping out of the fountain head.

Overall, I like the pond. I kept it. But the filter needs to be pretty powerful (at least triple the pond volume per hour) and it really needs to be cleaned out at least once a month, probably every two-weeks. The benefit of more frequent cleanings is that it is less gross/sludge per cleaning, quicker to clean the filter, and a healthier pond.

Our filter has a mesh bag around it. This bag helps keep it from getting clogged, but the suction pulls in the bag. So every day we have to pull the bag out. A firmer type of "cage" like object around the filter might be easier. Also, getting a pool cleaner, I don't know the name, a long stick with a net on the end - would probably be useful for cleaning out feathers and things that fall in the pond.

We only have four ducks. This winter, we live in Michigan and the pond freezes, so we emptied the pond and will try again in the Spring.

I honestly don't know if it needs to be cleaned out COMPLETELY every few months or if you will need more filtering plants at the bottom.

I hope this was helpful. Overall, probably worth it because you don't have to dump it out every day which helps save water. Although, cleaning it out takes water. It's also stinky if you can't clean it out properly. It is just taking thought and adjustment. The ducks swim in it for hours a day, so it's probably worth it.

Thank you very much for telling me all this. It certainly does help. From everything I’ve read, I was really worried that I’d never be able to keep a decently clean water hole for the ducks. But, I guess it is possible if I set it up correctly to begin with and be diligent about cleaning routinely.

You gave me two very good pieces of advice. The first being the pump should be at least triple the the pond volume and the second is about a rigid cage around the filter. Every little bit of info helps out - tremendously.

Thanks again.

 

[Sarynu]

Thank you very much for telling me all this. It certainly does help. From everything I’ve read, I was really worried that I’d never be able to keep a decently clean water hole for the ducks. But, I guess it is possible if I set it up correctly to begin with and be diligent about cleaning routinely.

You gave me two very good pieces of advice. The first being the pump should be at least triple the the pond volume and the second is about a rigid cage around the filter. Every little bit of info helps out - tremendously.

Thanks again.

You're welcome! So when I was typing earlier, I had tiny children running around and made a few mistakes.

The filter should be at least 3 times the gallons of the pond, not the pump. Woops! The bag should be around the pump in the pond, not the filter. Again, woops. The pump does need to correlate with the filter, make sure to get matching diameter hoses/filter and pump nozzles. I think mine are all 1" across. We have a UV light in the filter that helps neutralize the extra bacteria.

My pond also has three tears as it goes down. I'm not sure if it's necessary, but it helps the ducks crawl out. I used a lot of pavers (?) sand between the dirt and water tarp. So far no leaks! Yes! I just used my hands and molded the sand all around the pond and the sides of the pond.

Anyway, this Spring will hopefully bring good news. I hope to figure out how to keep it clear-ish and stink free.

 

[Mimi13]

You're welcome! So when I was typing earlier, I had tiny children running around and made a few mistakes.

The filter should be at least 3 times the gallons of the pond, not the pump. Woops! The bag should be around the pump in the pond, not the filter. Again, woops. The pump does need to correlate with the filter, make sure to get matching diameter hoses/filter and pump nozzles. I think mine are all 1" across. We have a UV light in the filter that helps neutralize the extra bacteria.

My pond also has three tears as it goes down. I'm not sure if it's necessary, but it helps the ducks crawl out. I used a lot of pavers (?) sand between the dirt and water tarp. So far no leaks! Yes! I just used my hands and molded the sand all around the pond and the sides of the pond.

Anyway, this Spring will hopefully bring good news. I hope to figure out how to keep it clear-ish and stink free.

Thank you for the clarification. I do appreciate it.