How do I keep my duck pond clean?

[garrettm101]

I've had my 4 ducks for about a month now and their pond gets really smelly and brown. I recently created a drain system so I can just drain the water and fill it back up when it gets nasty but I don't want to have to be filling up the pond all the time so how do I keep it clean?

 

[slm518]

I'm still new at this, I got my ducks in the spring. But as far as I can tell, you can't keep it clean without frequently changing the water. Well, let me rephrase that. You can't keep it clean. I would love to hear from anyone who's been successful.

My pond is about six feet by ten feet and my entire summer was spent trying to keep their water clean.

Here's what I've tried:
1. Plants. Ducks loved them and ate them.

2. Small filtered pump. Duck "residue" clogged it.

3. Large filtered pump. Clogged.

4. Large filtered pump with a protective screen to pre-filter the residue. They shredded the protective screen and somehow dislodged the pump and the filtering material. They had a blast.

5. Homemade filtration systems using two five-gallon water bottles, one filtering big stuff, the other small stuff and housing the pump:
Number One - One with pea gravel and one plastic scrubby things topped off with filtering material. Clogged.
Number Two - Pea gravel and sponges. Sponges disintegrated.
Number Two - Pea gravel and carpet padding. Almost worked for a day. Clogged
Number Three - Pea gravel and pillow stuffing. Clogged.
Number Four - Removed half of the pea gravel and just had the pump in the second bottle. Yes, I was losing it by now.

End result of my homemade filtration system: Massive failure. Ducks pushed rocks into the pond and put a hole in the pond liner.

6. Drained the pond (which they loved because it was, of course, disgusting water mixing with dirt to create the most sublime goo) and put two wading pools in it. There's was a hole in one of the wading pools so it didn't hold water. They stand in it and quack at me.

7. Repaired the pond so it kind of holds water. I use it to fertilize my greenhouse, garden, lawn, down the hill and anywhere else that I can think of. I take about half out and refill it with fresh water a couple of times a week. I also have the two wading pools with clean-ish water that I dump down the hill (I should plant something there) and refill. They also have a heated water dish that they can't fit in.

I've timed them. It takes them 10 minutes to muck up a wading pool. Pigs have nothing on ducks.

 

[revans2003]

Your setup is similar to my setup but I broke my filter into a three stage system. A swirl filter (what you are missing and need) will take the detritus (physical material) out of the water. Then the cleanish water goes into your bacteria filter (lava rock) and finally into your clarification filter and give you "clean" water. It's been about a month so far and I have not had to do a water change. Admittedly the ducks drink and splash about 15% of the water out every few days so there is always fresh water being added. I do need to clean the swirl filter every week or so.

 

[revans2003]

Sure, the swirl filter is essentially a bucket in which you pump water into the bottom of the bucket at an angle. Because the pipe is angled, the water will "swirl" up to the top where a bulkhead fitting will be and flow into your bacteria stage. The poop, being heavier than the water, settles at the bottom and needs to be cleaned out weekly.

Confusing? Hold on here's a picture, it sounds way more complicated than it is.

This is the inside of the bucket. As you can see the water exiting the contraption will have no choice but to swirl. You don't have to have one as elaborate as this, even a pipe with a single 90 or 45 elbow will do.

This is the output of my bacteria filter showing what the bulkhead fittings look like. The swirl has an identical output.

Simple gravity moves the water from one stage to the other. The swirl filters output (on the left) is piped to the bottom of the bacteria filter (on the right)

Some notes:

The swirl filter operates better when the water moves slowly otherwise it won't be as effective. Oversize your bulkhead fittings so you reduce the pressure, but not the flow, in your swirly.

Now that the solid material has been filtered out, your clarification filter should need less service.

Put a drain (using a bulkhead fitting) in your swirly, that way you can drain the detritus and reduce the cleanings required.

Drain:

 

[Miss Lydia]

Has any one read this? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/146829/the-duck-ponics-experiment-raising-minnows

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/473545/homemade-duck-ponds-pics you all have probably seen them all but still really cool pics.

 

[lomine]

I think your only other option would be a continuous pump with filtration system. There are a lot of different options and ways of doing it. If you do a search there are numerous past threads that would give you some good ideas. If you do decide to put in a filtration system, just remember that sump pumps and sewage pumps are not designed to be used continuously so go with a good pond pump instead.

 

[tmorgan46]

@slm518 I am truly laughing out loud and not at you but with you. I know exactly where you are!!!
So here's the next logical step in my never ending desire to have a pool / duck pond that doesn't go through water like meal worms through a duck. I started with a homemade 5 gallon Lowes bucket filtration system. Because the lid stays on, the ducks can't dismantle, but it's not very effective. It lengthened the time between water changes to a couple of weeks rather than a couple of days. My pond pump is still working and I clean the intake filter weekly. So now I'm thinking larger and external because the submerged filter took up almost half of the deep part of the small pond we have. So the filter will be the same premise, lava rock on the bottom and a layer of filter pad on top and then I'll add some plants to help clear it up, the intake will be in the bottom of the filter and the output will come from near the top and flow back into the duck pond. Sounds good in theory, I'll keep anyone interested in my progress. I have one other project to finish this weekend, then I'll be able to devote my time to the pond. I'm also hoping that moving water won't freeze as bad as still water, that remains to be seen / tested as well.

Troy & Tina

 

[garrettm101]

@slm518
 I am truly laughing out loud and not at you but with you.  I know exactly where you are!!!
So here's the next logical step in my never ending desire to have a pool / duck pond that doesn't go through water like meal worms through a duck.  I started with a homemade 5 gallon Lowes bucket filtration system.  Because the lid stays on, the ducks can't dismantle, but it's not very effective.  It lengthened the time between water changes to a couple of weeks rather than a couple of days.  My pond pump is still working and I clean the intake filter weekly.  So now I'm thinking larger and external because the submerged filter took up almost half of the deep part of the small pond we have.  So the filter will be the same premise, lava rock on the bottom and a layer of filter pad on top and then I'll add some plants to help clear it up, the intake will be in the bottom of the filter and the output will come from near the top and flow back into the duck pond.  Sounds good in theory, I'll keep anyone interested in my progress.  I have one other project to finish this weekend, then I'll be able to devote my time to the pond.  I'm also hoping that moving water won't freeze as bad as still water, that remains to be seen / tested as well.

Troy & Tina

I would definitely like to keep up with your progress on the filter! i have tried using two 5 gallon buckets one with sand and the other with gravel. That didn't work too well because there was not enough water flow coming out and the buckets just overflowed

 

[tmorgan46]

Hi @garrettm101 , I'll be sure to keep you appraised of my progress. For now, I'm only trying to keep a small pre-molded garden pond clean. I followed directions I found on you tube when looking for a DIY pond filter. You and I are probably using very similar plans and having similar results. The next step is to use a much larger container which I think will really help with the fine sediment that most all filters have a hard time getting rid of. I hope to begin building it next week or the week after.

Troy & Tina

 

[brandilly]

Following along, too! Here's my question; when you go from internal to external, WHAT/HOW do you get the water from the pond to the filter? I know this should be obvious but it escapes me and unless I'm mentally blocking it out of what I'm reading, everyone focuses on the filter and return but no specs on getting it TO.