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I know you are very busy, and I hate to bother you, but I am having trouble with my pond. The little preformed one. My filter on the pump is getting so plugged up with matter, that I have to change it every day now. Last year, it would run close to a month before I would have to do that. This is my second year for it.
I have treated the pond and am taking any leaves and stuff out that I find in it also every day. My pump is the kind that doesn't have oil and it FR600 Submersible Pump, 115 V 60Hz .75 A, approximate flow 600GPH, just for your information on it. So I think this is a good pump.
My question is, would it be all right to take and siphon as much water out of the pond as I can to get the stuff off the bottom, and then put the same water back in, as if fall cleaning? Would this be safe enough for the plants, fish and condition of the pond? I would welcome any help you can give. And have some questions to ask at the next meeting on putting in a bigger pond, this fall or sooner.
Thanks very much for all you do. Audrey
Audrey:
You did not say how big your prefilter was on your water pump but I am assuming that it is the one that is supplied with the pump. The problem with most of these supplied prefilters is that they have too small of a surface area to draw water through. The answer is to increase the surface area of a prefilter so that the time between cleanings can be much longer. Of course, this varies as to how much detritus is in your pond, which you have alluded to. Keeping the amount of debris and "gunk" in the bottom of the pond to a minimum is always a good idea. Sucking this stuff out works for a lot of ponderers.
You can suck a lot of this stuff out and get rid of up to 20 percent of the volume of your pond without upsetting the "balance" of your pond. Much more than that and you would be adding a lot of new water which can lead to a good chance of a green water bloom.
Another solution to your problem, Audrey, is to change the style of your prefilter so that you have a greater surface area. Putting your pump into a five-gallon bucket (that is spray painted black) that is filled with sand-less pea gravel works. Drill a lot of holes in the side of the bucket so that water is pulled through the side as well as the top of the bucket. After a month or so this gravel will need cleaning. Sand in the gravel could be drawn into the impeller of the pump and cause damage. So, use pea gravel that has all the sand washed out of it.
There are other styles of prefilters that are sold at retail centers that will work great. Check them out but remember that you want a lot of surface area.
Have fun ponding, Audrey. Jamie