How to Filter Garden Ponds

A combonation of filtration systems keep your garden pond functioning properly.

Maintaining a healthy garden pond requires managing the amount of algae that grows as a result of excess organic material in abundant sunshine. By filtering out organic materials and not letting them decompose in the water, your garden pond will maintain a healthy balance. Set up your pond for the best possible level of filtration, keep out large particulates and keep fish in the pond to work naturally with other filtering tools to make your job easier.

Things You'll Need

• Netting
• Mechanical filtration system
• Biological filtration system
• UV sanitizing unit

Instructions

1. Feed your fish only the amount they can eat in five minutes. Algae grows in garden ponds when there is too much organic material and sunshine available to it. If your fish are not overfed, they will eat the algae and help keep it under control.

2. Cover the pond's surface with a net to catch leaves in the fall, especially if you have overhanging trees. Leaves that sink to the bottom of the pond turn into sludge.

3. Fit the pond with a mechanical filter to capture large particles. The water is pumped over a sponge-like foam or a brush and then returned to the pond. Clean the filter at least once per week.

4. Install a biological filter to pull the water across a porous material that catches the things you don't want and returns the cleaned water to the pond. This is the most efficient way to filter your garden pond. The process allows for good bacteria to grow, which facilitates the breakdown of algae and other organic material. This should be done after mechanical filtering to avoid the biological filter from clogging.

5. Filter pond water through an ultraviolet sanitizer. This device cleans the filtered water with a pulse of ultraviolet light that kills bad bacteria, microorganisms and free-floating algae. The sanitized water flows back into the pond.

Tips & Warnings

• The number of times per day fish should be fed is based on the temperature of the water, as it changes their metabolism, two to four times a day for water from 60 to 85 degrees, with no feeding in temperatures above 90 or below 50.

References

• University of Illinois: Algae Control
• University of Rhode Island: Water Gardens
• University of Washington: Maintaining Your Garden Pond; Carolyn Pauw Barden; October 14, 2001
• The Watergarden.org: Care and Feeding of Pond Fish