solids filter for pond

[TLWR]

OK, DH got his garage (ok, not quite done, but by next week it will be), so now it is time for me to focus on how to get a pond in the back yard for the ducks that doesn't need to be drained and refilled often.
I'm thinking around 1000 gallons, so not something I want to drain/refill very often at all.

I want to look for a filter that can deal with duck poop for 3-5 ducks. But I'm really just not sure what I need to look for. I'm fine cleaning out the filter every other day or so, but I'd like it to be able to deal with the poop so the water isn't disgusting.
We also have a vacuum for the fish tank, so I could use that and direct the waste water into the garden to be built/planted this month - but in trails in their pool, that didn't work so hot. So if I can find a way to make the poop fall to a low spot, I can make the pond sloped. But I don't want to be doing trial and error with 1000 gallons of water in a pond already set up. Hoping to be able to get that figured out before constructing the pond (like to be done of landscape timbers with very little to no digging, so a raised pond).

So, I'm looking for suggestions on what to look for in a filter. AND suggestions on how to construct it so I can get gravity to help collect poop so a vacuum system would work to quickly/easily remove poop without having to vacuum out a bunch of the water.


Currently - the landscape timber pond idea would be something like this -

Can also do something with a load of clay since we are getting another dump truck full of it next week and won't need to use much to backfill the garage - and could put that in the back yard and create a pond in that and line it and fill it.
Ok - so there are a few ideas floating around in my head, but they all need a poop removal system that doesn't involve draining 1000 gallons of water!

 

[Wifezilla]

google SKIPPY FILTERS

 

[destinduck]

also try DR foster&smith fish or pond catologs for tetra filters (the one that is around five gallons would be good for thatsize pond.) I wish you success although I have never known any pond to stay clear without water changes every 3-5 days regardless of filtration. Ducks some how mess up the water just by lookin at it

 

[Wifezilla]

I added plants in to the system and had clear water most of the summer. The water goes through a skippy filter and then spills on to trays filled with gravel. Plants in nursery containers are placed on the gravel beds. They grow like MAD and pull excess nutrients out of the water. In the fall when the plants start to wind down, the water turns on you and you can see how much "stuff" the plants were pulling out.

Note the chicken wire around the plants. Without that the ducks would have eaten them all

 

[TLWR]

Quote:
I've googled it and went through part of your thread a few times in the past.
Were there useful sites you used to set one up that showed pics of the steps and how things should look like? The filter needs to be above for this, but does it have to be entirely above the pond? If I have a 2' tall pond, I don't want to have a 2' tall container (or taller) sitting on top that I have to figure out how to disguise.


How many ducks spend how much time in your pond? Whatever we end up doing, I just want it to be able to keep up with the poop because our water bill will not be happy having to refill a huge duck pond very often.