Comments on: Properly Cleaning Filter Pads – Water Garden & Feature Q & A

By: Jim Talone

Jim Talone — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:51:39 +0000

Once a week maybe more especially if I use an algaecide. I stopped using algaecide and bought some snails. I bought 6 golf ball size snails and one died within a week but I think the rest are still doing their thing.

By: Michael Schroeder

Michael Schroeder — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:44:37 +0000

All my frogs died this spring. Found 10 dead frogs, don’t know why either. Water tests fine. I just kept finding dead frogs on the bottom of my pond in March and April. I would see them alive, and then a few days later, they would be dead. Have not heard one frog in my pond all spring! I miss them!

By: Michael Schroeder

Michael Schroeder — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:42:58 +0000

Maureen,

The blue dye is a life saver, it also makes my pond look more natural with the blue tint. The water has been crystal clear this year, knock on wood, and the fish can be seen all the way to the rocky bottom. I have finally accomplished getting all the bottom debris off my pond’s bottom, and I do believe that my bio filtration is starting to do the job. I bought this house from a guy that was a lineman for our local power company, and he put in the pond. Here is what I have. My skimmer/pump area is an old bucket from a cherry picker truck, so it is about 4′ deep. My pump sits in the back on top of a concrete block. The water comes in a hole cut into the top of this bucket, got into a basket that has some white filtration media in it, and then through a black, then green, and finally blue Matala mats and then gets pumped to the other side of my pond into a three barrel filter, with the final barrel being full of lava rock in media bags as another area of bio filtration. If you give me your email address, I could send you some photos. I used to have to clean the white media in the skimmer basket about once a day, but now I am down to once a week with the green gunk that starts to restrict the flow to my pump. I check it often to make sure my pump is still getting water to it. I also have a barley bail in one of my barrels, and some barley in a bag near my falls. That too may be helping with my algae this year. I knew nothing last year, and I am learning by leaps and bounds, but I still have a long way to go. I use MicrobLift PL once a week as well.

Hope this helps you!
Mike

By: thepondguy

thepondguy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:00:21 +0000

Pam,

I want to make sure we are talking about the same thing. When the “gunk” builds up and restricts the flow to your pump, I am assuming you have a pump that sits directly into the water and that it has a pre-filter on it? Is this correct? Or does your pump sit inside a skimmer?

Is this particular question and answer, I was referring to the filter pads that are either in a pressurized filter (sits outside of your pond) or a waterfall filter (filter designed to create a waterfall). It is the filter pads here that are most important when it comes to how you should properly clean the filter pads.

If your pre-filter on your pump is getting clogged with debris, then you will have to clean it or this could cause issues with your pump. These “pre-filters” are not designed to to be filters for your entire pond, only to be a pre-filter for the pump and not allow certain sized debris to get caught in the prop.

Hopefully this makes sense.

Also, as for 7 koi in an 1800 gallon water garden, you actually should be good. Thats not a bad fish load.

By: thepondguy

thepondguy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:51:05 +0000

Hey Simon,

How many fish do you have and approximately what is the size of your pond? Maybe we can pin down whats causing the algae bloom so you don’t have to clean so much.

Let me know!

By: thepondguy

thepondguy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:38:59 +0000

Allen,
What kind of skimmer filter do you have? Does it have filter pads in it or just a skimmer debris basket? If its just the basket you should be fine, but you must be receiving a ton of debris if that debris basket is filling up and restricting flow to your pump in just a few days. Let me know!

By: Pam Fisette

Pam Fisette — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:38:37 +0000

I have to clean my filters at a minimum of once a week. That ‘gunk’ seems to buildup quickly and does restrict water to the pump. All this time I really thought that the ‘gunk’ was just stuff being filtered through ie fish elimination etc…. I also use the hose to clean it, but have good well water and don’t have to worry about chorine and other metals. I do have 7 koi in my 1800 gal water garden, and realize that’s a couple too many.

So, how do I tell the difference between ‘beneficial bacteria’ and ‘gunk’?

By: Maureen Turner

Maureen Turner — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:58:06 +0000

I do not have as many areas of filtration as you, but I find that I too am cleaning the filter media once or twice a week due to the dreaded green gunk. I am still waiting for the bacteria to pick up speed. Do you find that there is a difference in the media pads that you are using? Mine are all regular white. Also, does the blue dye really help to cut down on the algae growth?

By: Simon

Simon — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:11:05 +0000

I have to clean my filter pad about every other day so far this season because of hair algae bloom early this spring. I used to clean it every 3-4 days.

By: Mike De Desna

Mike De Desna — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:48:11 +0000

The recent buidup of gunk that the Massachusetts pond ownert spoke of was probably due to heavy pollen falling into the pond during the spring. I had to give my ponds a good bottom scrubbing and then a vacuuming to clean it up. Now, the water is as clear as usual. The pond vacuums that the Pond Guy sells do a nice job of vacuuming the pond’s bottom and sides.