Raised Duck Pond and Pond Filter Thoughts

[BReeder!]

I already have a pond and the start of a filtration unit I never finished building. My pond was not originally built for ducks, but for koi and goldfish. A few years after building I had the idea to add ducks to our backyard flock with the pond area as their run. I'm now considering letting the ducks run the entire yard except the garden, but that's another thread one day. Back to the pond... I built it to have the max water level be just above the existing grade. I'm now considering raising it to anywhere form 12"-18" above grade. I had a raised fish pond at our old house using stacked landscape timbers for the walls and I'm thinking of using the same method to raise the duck pond. The reason I want to raise it is the part of our yard near the back fence is the lowest grade and in May for 3 years now the yard floods back there thanks to days of thunderstorms that we get hit with. The pond is located only 10ft or so from the fence and was under water last year. In addition to the flood I'm expecting every May now (weather change...), there's the issue of all the muck the ducks drag into the pond and create around it. If I put straw, mulch, sand or any other matter around the pond, it's going to raise the surrounding grade and end up right in the pond thanks to the ducks. Raising it will not wash their feet, but it will keep them from kicking and blowing stuff in with their flapping. Also, if I raise it I won't have to worry about the grade around the pond so I'll be able to put down a bedding material over the dirt which should help keep them from getting so muddy and in turn making the pond muddy. Perhaps I'll do an outdoor DLM. So, I'm going to raise the pond...

Now on to the filter. I need to filter the pond water. It's about 1500 gallons of water, and could be 2000 gallons if I raise it 18". That's a lot of water to filter, so I need a sizable filter. I have a 100 gallon trough to work with. Aside from drilling some holes in it for water to spill out back into the pond, I haven't done much with it to make a filter just yet. I want to dig it into the ground to be level with the new height of the pond. Then I want to run PVC from the bond of the pond into the trough. The PVC will allow water to siphon from the bottom of the pond into the trough. I'll place my 1600 GPH submersible pump into the trough and pump water back into the pond. I could pump to a waterfall feature or some other spillway/fountain setup, but that's getting fancy and can wait for another future project. Within the trough I plan to use lava rock and open-cell foam as filter media to filter the water before it gets to the pump.

If you have any thoughts, experience or suggestions to share, please do.

 

[casportpony]

there's the issue of all the muck the ducks drag into the pond and create around it. If I put straw, mulch, sand or any other matter around the pond, it's going to raise the surrounding grade and end up right in the pond thanks to the ducks

Would it be possible to remove some of the dirt and put in some pavers or rock?

 

[BReeder!]

Would it be possible to remove some of the dirt and put in some pavers or rock?

I actually have river rock around the pond. Not good for ducks. The rock is a mess and impossible to clean without pulling it out. It leads to pools of water and muck every time it rains.

 

[casportpony]

I was thinking something like this:

 

[BReeder!]

I was thinking something like this:
View attachment 2490541

Looks like large river rock. Eventually even it will sink into mud and fill in with duck poop. With bedding, I can rake it up and put it into the compost or even deep litter in place right in the duck run.

 

[Ratchnick]

I would put a swirl filter as the first stage of your filter, and enough flow to turn over you volume 10 times an hour is standard. Might be able to get away with less if you only have a few ducks.

 

[BReeder!]

I would put a swirl filter as the first stage of your filter, and enough flow to turn over you volume 10 times an hour is standard. Might be able to get away with less if you only have a few ducks.

10 times an hour? That would be 15,000-20,000 gph... That's not feasible. It's also too much flow for most filtration systems. As for the swirl filter, I'm not against that idea if I can find a way to DIY one that will work well. A plastic drum and some pvc should do the trick.

 

[Ratchnick]

10 times an hour? That would be 15,000-20,000 gph... That's not feasible. It's also too much flow for most filtration systems. As for the swirl filter, I'm not against that idea if I can find a way to DIY one that will work well. A plastic drum and some pvc should do the trick.

Most people have a pond that's a few hundred gallons and half a dozen ducks. Which requires huge filtration. Its not unreasonable to have a 300 gallon pond and 3 55 gallon drums (165 gallon) filter. Obviously your situation is different (i think).

 

[BReeder!]

Most people have a pond that's a few hundred gallons and half a dozen ducks. Which requires huge filtration. Its not unreasonable to have a 300 gallon pond and 3 55 gallon drums (165 gallon) filter. Obviously your situation is different (i think).

I have 3 ducks now (4 the other day but an opossum took one's life). My ducks are all Rouens and I intend to stick to them and possibly add a few Muscovy if I ever find them available near by. I would not go over 8 ducks at the very most, but will likely only have 4-6. My pond is currently 1500 gallons, and will be more once I raise it. So I'm looking at 250-500 gallons per duck.
As for flow, I'll have 1600 gph (pump rating) pulling from the bottom of the pond with syphoning pvc grid into the filtration system that will be partially submerged in the ground so the water level in the filtration system will be level with the water in the pond. The pump will be at the end of the filtration system so that only filtered water will reach the pump and also solid waste will not be chopped up by the pump's propeller. This setup also benefits from nearly 0 head height on the pump, maximizing the potential water flow. The biggest problems are ensuring the water level stays high enough to maintain the syphon and that the filter doesn't clog too much and prevent water from flowing fast enough to the filter to keep up with it. I may need to integrate a float switch to protect the pump from running dry in one of these situations.
A swirl filter with a floating overflow outlet would be a good first stage to keep solid waste from getting into the next stage/s. My next thought is a filter mat or two and then lava rock in mess bags. I may later add a bog filter on the opposite side of the pond and pump the water into that rather than directly back into the pond. It would be neat to have a hydroponic setup to take nutrients out of the pond while also creating edible food.
Please continue sharing thoughts. It's appreciated.

 

[Pekin duck mom]

I actually have river rock around the pond. Not good for ducks. The rock is a mess and impossible to clean without pulling it out. It leads to pools of water and muck every time it rains.

I just thought of this and Idk if it would work but you might could drain it with a fish tank gravel vacuum! It sounds silly but drains my tank fairly quickly! I may try it!