Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Water Quality and Natrual Filtration

I'm trying an experiment and wonder if anyone has tried this before. I was looking for a good way to filter nutrients out of my pond water. I have had fish in a new pond for 3 years and it is getting to the point where string algea and duck weed are getting out of control. I checked out a lot of the information here and elsewhere on various ways to control it. I don't want to use chemicals. I see that some have claimed good results with beneficial bacteria but I've found no real proof it works well. I came up with the idea of pumping water from the pond at a slow rate into a natural filter. The filter I'm using is the bog adjacent to my pond. My pond gets its water from runoff but the level is really controlled by the bog from which my pond is dug. The pond level is always equal to the water level in the bog. Therefore I figured if I install a small submersible pump in the pond and pump the water a couple hundred feet out into the bog it will flow through the bog and back into the pond with all nutrients removed. I've installed a pump that sends about 600 gph into the bog. I run it 24/7. My pond is 1/2 acre about 1.5 million gallons, which results in all pond water being filtered on average every 3 months. Anyone know if this will work?

The same principle works well on large Koi ponds as well as "natural swimming pools" which utilize established aquatic plant communities to consume the excess nutrients. I would think your approach will be effective. I would also think pumping bottom water to the bog would be more effective than surface waters as you'll get the benefit of aerating the bottom waters while they are in the bog. The 3 month turn over may be a bit on the slow side and you'll get to a point where you'll have to "harvest" the bog of plant material so it doesn't recycle its own nutrients into your pond. If you could test basic nutrient levels with an inexpensive aquarium test kit you could check on the progress. Nitrates and Phosphates should tell you alot. Your progress will be interesting, keep us posted.

PaPond, thanks for the reply. I also figured it would be a good idea to get a water test kit and see if I can measure progress. The rate I'm moving the water was something I had no idea about so I just got an affordable pump that wouldn't cause me to go broke on electric bills. Got a low pressure high volume pump about 1/15 hp. Not sure about your comment on the bog accomplishing some aeration. Since the water is basically traveling through a mass of stagnant roots I can't imagine it would add oxygen. Maybe I'm wrong.

Bogs are usually shallow so there's some photosynthesis going on plus there are some emergent plants which will consume the nutrients. Maybe the DO won't increase but I'd guess it would.

Anyone know where I can buy an inexpensive test kit that tests for nutrients? OK, how that I've decided I should do some water tests to document how this project is working (or not working) I can't fine one. I checked in stores that sell back yard pond kits and they have tests kits to do PH, hardness, nitrates, nitrites, and some other stuff but not specifically what I think of as nutrients (phosphorous & potash) like the soil test kits I use for deer food plots and gardening. Does a measure of nitrates and nitrites tell me this some how? Or does anyone know where I can buy an inexpensive test kit that just covers nutrients and not 10 or 20 other things that I don't need? Thanks in advance!