Which is more important for my pond? Pump or filter???

[C&Rman]

Quote:
I don't have any! I was thinking of a pair of mandarins and a pair of calls! I could just get one pair...

 

[TLWR]

The 1000 gph filter won't be nearly enough. You need to be able to turn that water more than once an hour.
I know our pump isn't pumping at it's max capacity and is likely part of our green poopy problem, but the ducks are still fine to go in the pond where after 3 days, their big kiddie pool was disgusting and they'd go nowhere near it. And it has been over a month again since I've drained and cleaned it.

Find the biggest container you can get and turn it into a filter. Read up on skippy filters and see if you can find some cheap ideas.
If you have a water bill, it will be worth it to invest in a reasonable filter system, otherwise you will be draining and filling that pond more often than your water bill wants you to.

 

[Denninmi]

For a good place to learn about filters and pumps, check out some of the koi keeping sites online. But, keep in mind the fact that ducks are about 20 times more dirty than koi, so your system will need to be proportionally much larger capacity.

 

[Wifezilla]

Check your local feed store/Big R/Tractor Supply for a magazine called Ponds and Water Gardens USA (or something like that...not sure where I put my copy). It has a large article on bog filtering. Bog filters can be used instead of OR with SKIPPY filters. Mine is kind of a hybrid of the two right now.

 

[featherfinder]

Im having this problem right now. I have a 60 gallon pond and i bought a pump that pumps 135 gallons per hour and the biggest filter They had and its still not working. Gross within a day. I have to fix it this weekend but not sure how i am going to. I have 5 ducks that use it right now.

 

[Wifezilla]

Your filter should half as big or be almost as big as your pond if you can swing it. Plants growing in the filtering system pulls A LOT of crud out of the water.

 

[BallardDuck]

I bought a pump for mine.
My plan is to empty the pool as necessary (every other day or so). I think trying to filter a duck pool would require too much (or too big) equipment. The pump is an inline that I will use with a hose to water my garden with duck-poop-water.
As it is now, I just have a kiddie pool that I empty half way by bailing with a bucket, so I think the pump will seem like a breeze in comparison.