Any ideas how to keep duck ponds clean without major costs?

[diosa]

This is my hand pump I use. Takes 20 mins to pump out my pond. Pump cost $40 on Amazon, think it's cheaper now.

 

[feasel]

I agree the pond looks weirdly massive in that photo but it genuinely is 1 x 2m... I will see how I get on with the siphon and report back. Thanks for input on stink time and individual duck needs!

 

[cayugaducklady]

What species of snails do you use? I am interested in trying this to clean our new stock pond. There are tiny snails about 1/4 inch in size and some gigantic snails.

 

[buff goose guy]

in our pond we had a filtration system that acted as a fountain and it lasted for a VERY long time it was expensive to install it but it was worth it because all that was needed was flipping a switch. i recommend getting one if you want to have a easy way to clean the pond without haveing a hassel



this is how big the pond was so it would have been very difficult to clean it without a pump, so just thought i would share a good way to have clean large ponds.

 

[feasel]

Alright...I just dug a hole next to the pond and bought a plastic storage tub and a plastic dish pan from walmart along with some aqua-tech 20-40/30-60 fez-change filter cartridge's and zip ties, scotch brite pads, i also got a oil less sump pump from atwoods. Also if you have a place to get barley straw that might work better than regular hay/straw. i think TSC carry's it.

I cut a chunk out of the front of the green plastic tub so the pond liner had a place to fit in/over, make sure that the pond liner comes over the edge of the tub and down that way it isn't dripping back and under your pond.

I then drilled holes at the corners of the black dish pan and around the inside of the red tub and with the black tub inside the green tub up against the front where the slit for the liner and water to run through is i zipped tied it in.

I then drilled holes all in the bottom of the black tub for the water to run through, placed my fish filters in the bottom of that then took a piece of chicken wire and folded it in half. I unfolded it and placed the scotch brite pads on one end then hay on top of that. i then re-folded it and place it on top of the fish filters in the black box.

I attached a hose to the sump pump, place it in the green tube, placed it in the hole next to the pond, folded my pond liner over the slit in the green box and into the black box, filled it up, made sure everything was flowing right and tada!


3 days and this is how the water looks

Filter box and hose push water in a circle to catch feathers and hay from the pen

Filter box with feathers and hay caught on top of the "filter"

Water flowing in the holes in the black tub into the green tub and the top of the sump pump

We love your solution so much - just wondered: did you bury cables and do you keep the pump on continuously, or do you take a trailing socket outside a few times a week and run the pump for an hour or so each time? We are looking at copying your amazing system but are wondering if we will need to lay cables outside and build a special outside electricity socket to install this system.

 

[feasel]

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate this answer and laugh every time I think of it.
We have made a duckpond and it STINKS. We are buying a hand pump and looking at filtration media to go in 2 big barrels... our hope is that we can circulate the water around the filtration barrels once a week or so to cleanse the water. It might be a total fail but we'll give it a try. In the meantime, the level of trash-age by the ducks is pretty incredible and your advice rings super true. I love my messy mucky girls but darn, they are MESSY.

 

[Nrodor]

I used a preformed pond with a side cut out and buried at an angle.
I ran some pipe underneath the pond and laid some slabs at an angle towards the shallow edge of the pond.
I then screeded some concrete over the slabs and formed a lip at the edge of the pond so any water doesn't run back into the pond and instead down the pipe (and out the back of the run).
Every two days I just sweep the water out the pond and onto the concrete where it runs down the pipe and out the back of the run. Takes me about 5 minutes. I turn the hose pipe on for half hour to fill it up. It keeps the soil in the run nice and dry so I'm hoping the grass seed I sowed will grow nice and not turn into a muddy mess.
Next payday I will be buying some sort of rubber paint to put on the concrete to protect my ducks feet.

Whole thing cost me £5 for the pond and the rest of the materials I had laying around.
It works very well for my 4 ducks but can't imagine it working well on a bigger scale and I'm yet to see how it fares in the winter, fingers crossed though.

 

[KansasKid]

We love your solution so much - just wondered: did you bury cables and do you keep the pump on continuously, or do you take a trailing socket outside a few times a week and run the pump for an hour or so each time? We are looking at copying your amazing system but are wondering if we will need to lay cables outside and build a special outside electricity socket to install this system.

Sorry for the very very late reply, I don't get on here much anymore. The pump ran continuously and did an ok job of filtering out some of the junk but it wasn't great. In hind sight if I could do it again I would use a sand filter from a swimming pool. Now that being said if you choose this option it might help keep the water clearer but you will have to back flush the filter often to keep from clogging and this method may keep the water clear but it won't remove all the nitrogen build up from the feces....so you still need to change the water out once every two weeks (?) good luck with your duck pond!

 

[Sucker4Silkies]

Sorry I've had no luck with filters, I just dug out a pond in the ground and attached a drainage pipe, then I just drain it every few days, my pond is 9' by 3 1/2' and about 3' deep at the deepest part.

 

[Briktorian]

Will Have to try that, looks Great.