Providing a pond for your ducks is great for a lot of reasons, but does that mean a huge water use dumping water everyday or can they be filtered? My journey to have a pretty duck pond that my ducks and I can enjoy without it being a big mess and maintenance nightmare has been ongoing for 3 years now, but I think I finally got it down. I have tried a tons of DIY options only to get really frustrated and honestly covered in duck poop every time I had to do filter cleaning and maintenance and I just couldn’t do it anymore.
How much filtration you need depends on the size of your pond and the number of ducks. I have 4 ducks and a 1200 gallon pond. with my current set up my water is tinged brown but is very clear. I can easily see to the bottom.
Equipment
I have 2 Matala Bio Steps filters, a bog filter and a skimmer and 1 pump feeding both filter boxes. I used to have one small pump on each box but they plugged up too fast. The skimmer and a simple prefilter are on the inlet of the pump. The water flows through the filter which I converted to use only the black and green pads which don’t plug up as fast as the blue and grey pads which are for koi. One of the filters also has a UV light for algae control which works really well. To clean these, simply unplug the pumps, open the drain and the bottom and hose down the pads. Add Microb lift bacteria after cleaning.
The bog filter used to have black matala pads laying horizontally on PVC support base to support the plants and creat a drop out space. To clean, I just opened the drain valve and blow down until clear however, it never got it all out. The duck poo just kept building up in the bottom. Now, I have no pads, it’s just a large drop out. The poo builds up in the bottom and every few weeks I use a sump pump from harbor freight to pump it out and use it for fertilizer in the garden. At the same time, I pull the pads from the filters and shake them in the water in the knock out tank and they clean right up. I no longer spend hundreds of dollars on organic fertilizer, I conserve water and my pond is cleaner. I no longer have bog plants, just some floating plants that easily move out of the way when it’s time to clean. At the end of the season, I drain the tank entirely and spray down until clean. The filters are stored in the garage over winter.
The skimmer is a very simple small model for a home pond but it works well. I replaced the standard filter pad with a matala pad and it has made all the difference. It traps all the feathers and plant debris protecting the pumps, I have had pumps fail from debris and from cavitation so you do have to be careful.
As I stated above, I have tried a lot of things, but this is the only thing I have found that works. I would like to add a few more ducks, but I’m not sure how much more load the filters will be able to take so we’ll have to take that slow. Anyway, yes you can filter a duck pond and use it in your garden, but it takes some tinkering.
Using duck pond water for fertilizer has been great on my plants but you do have to be smart about it. Do not use it on lettuce or other leafy vegetables while growing because you don’t want to eat raw leaves that have just been covered in duck poo. I used it heavily when prepping the bed instead and it works great. Don’t use on strawberries while they are growing berries, but before fruiting starts and after the season is over, it’s great. Apply to the base of plants and always wash your fruits and veggies before consuming.
How much filtration you need depends on the size of your pond and the number of ducks. I have 4 ducks and a 1200 gallon pond. with my current set up my water is tinged brown but is very clear. I can easily see to the bottom.
Equipment
I have 2 Matala Bio Steps filters, a bog filter and a skimmer and 1 pump feeding both filter boxes. I used to have one small pump on each box but they plugged up too fast. The skimmer and a simple prefilter are on the inlet of the pump. The water flows through the filter which I converted to use only the black and green pads which don’t plug up as fast as the blue and grey pads which are for koi. One of the filters also has a UV light for algae control which works really well. To clean these, simply unplug the pumps, open the drain and the bottom and hose down the pads. Add Microb lift bacteria after cleaning.
The bog filter used to have black matala pads laying horizontally on PVC support base to support the plants and creat a drop out space. To clean, I just opened the drain valve and blow down until clear however, it never got it all out. The duck poo just kept building up in the bottom. Now, I have no pads, it’s just a large drop out. The poo builds up in the bottom and every few weeks I use a sump pump from harbor freight to pump it out and use it for fertilizer in the garden. At the same time, I pull the pads from the filters and shake them in the water in the knock out tank and they clean right up. I no longer spend hundreds of dollars on organic fertilizer, I conserve water and my pond is cleaner. I no longer have bog plants, just some floating plants that easily move out of the way when it’s time to clean. At the end of the season, I drain the tank entirely and spray down until clean. The filters are stored in the garage over winter.
The skimmer is a very simple small model for a home pond but it works well. I replaced the standard filter pad with a matala pad and it has made all the difference. It traps all the feathers and plant debris protecting the pumps, I have had pumps fail from debris and from cavitation so you do have to be careful.
As I stated above, I have tried a lot of things, but this is the only thing I have found that works. I would like to add a few more ducks, but I’m not sure how much more load the filters will be able to take so we’ll have to take that slow. Anyway, yes you can filter a duck pond and use it in your garden, but it takes some tinkering.
Using duck pond water for fertilizer has been great on my plants but you do have to be smart about it. Do not use it on lettuce or other leafy vegetables while growing because you don’t want to eat raw leaves that have just been covered in duck poo. I used it heavily when prepping the bed instead and it works great. Don’t use on strawberries while they are growing berries, but before fruiting starts and after the season is over, it’s great. Apply to the base of plants and always wash your fruits and veggies before consuming.
