$189.95 |
2500 GPH Portable Pond Rapid Vacuum Filtration System
Rapid Clearing of Pond Water
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Notice: We are now shipping this product with the 2500 GPH pump above.
Every year we get tons of calls from frantic pond owners asking us how they can control the algae that is growing rampant in their ponds. This is our solution.
What was needed is a method to clean the pond without carrying or wasting expensive water. Other pond vacuums are basically wet-vacs. They fill up quickly and then you have to dispose of the muddy water. That is a back breaking job and it wastes a huge amount of water. Then you have to replace that water with chlorinated water from the supply tap and that in itself can be a problem.
Our solution was to couple a fine filtration bag to a submersible pump and clean the water on the INSIDE of the pond. We experimented with numerous materials for the bag before we found a method that was strong enough to resist exploding in the water and yet capable of catching the fine sediment that needed to be removed. Over the last ten years we have continued development. We are now marketing an efficient system that is easy to handle, clears the water quickly, and is simple to clean.
However, if your pond is full of trash, leaves and debris, you must remove that layer before using this vacuum system. Otherwise, you will clog the bag rapidly, and this will require numerous cycles of bag removal and cleaning. A pool net will usually get most of the solid debris.
Let me touch on another matter first and then we will get back to this in-pond vacuum system.
Our ponds go through seasonal cycles. In the summer, our Bio Systems are working at full capacity. Our plants are receiving warmth and sunlight and everything is happy. Then along comes fall. This brings leaf drop, and wind that carries a lot of mess into the ponds at exactly the wrong time. Our Bio Systems are slowing down, and their capacity to keep our water clean and healthy is falling. This is really the best time for yearly clean-up and maintenance, but the water is getting cold, Brrrr, and this is about the last thing on our minds. Then winter moves in and the leaves and trash sit on the bottom rotting away. Water quality falls, but our fish still do OK because their systems slow way down in the cold water. You did stop feeding when the water got below 50 degrees F, didn't you?
Follow the steps here and soon your pond will be clean, clear and healthy again.
If you have a lot of String Algae, (the green stuff that grows in dense threads across the pond), go to Walmart and buy one of their clothes dryer vent cleaning brushes. Those are about two feet long, and have a straight handle. Roll the brushy end across the String Algae and it will collect much of it. I cut the brush end off and chuck up the wire stem in a portable electric drill. (NEVER a corded electric drill around water) and then I use this great tool to gather up most of the string algae. Be sure to reach well down into the pond, as often, string algae will be growing up out of black mossy algae clumps on the bottom. Removal of the other types of algae is a choice you have to make. The thick smooth fuzzy type that sticks to rocks and the side of the pond are great places for the Koi to lay their eggs, so we just let it be. The fish browse on it and it has no harmful effect on the pond other than visual. Later, as the water exceeds 80 degrees F, that algae will dissolve away.
Next, use a large swimming pool net on a long pole to get the heavy debris off of the bottom. Stir the net rapidly across the bottom to lift the trash and then swoop it back across the same area to gather the mess. I recommend shutting off your pond's circulating pump while doing this. Because our fish are heavily stressed in springtime, you don't want to add to their problem by spreading the silt all over the pond while working. This has a negative effect on oxygen levels and we don't want to make things worse. Turn the pump back on after you finish. The more you can oxygenate your pond in springtime, the quicker it will recover to a healthy state.
Now that we have the big part done, we need to remove the fines from the water column. It is these billions of tiny specks suspended in the water that reduce visibility and turn your pond into pea soup. What happens is that the suspended particles, the tiniest bits of leaves, trash, fish food and waste, are excellent food for algae. In addition, they give the algae something to attach to and grow on. Each tiny speck soon becomes a glob of floating algae, that rapidly turns your water Pea Green. The solution is to REMOVE, not treat, these suspended particles.
Treating a pond with chemicals will kill algae, and maybe also your desireable plants or even your fish. Barley straw helps to slow algae growth, but if left in the pond too long, it becomes more a hindrance than a help. The dead barley straw or algae sinks to the bottom and ADDS to the load on your ponds Bio filter. UV lights will kill algae that slowly passes thru them, but UV does not remove the dirt particles and the process starts all over again. The correct method of dealing with fine suspended matter is to catch it in a tight filter screen and physically remove it from the pond.
Brush screens, Matala, and most media filters are far too porous to accomplish this. They are wonderful for Bio Filtration (removing the ammonia from the water), but do little to assist with fine particle removal. A combination Bio filter and settling tank works well, but it is designed to be an all day, all month, all year, slow process that cleans a little at a time, continuously. Don't expect it to be able to do your annual housecleaning.
This is where an in-pond vacuum with a very fine mesh bag comes into play. The bag system has a pump that sucks water in and then the water exits through the large bag attached to the outlet. The fine cloth filter bag catches the tiny suspended particles. The filter never fills up like a house vacuum bag would. Rather, it builds a layer of mud on it's inside surface, further aiding the bag in catching even finer particles. But, eventually, the cloth becomes plugged by this layer and the pump pressure causes the bag to become rock hard to the touch. Now it's time to pull the plug on the system and clean the bag.
Bag cleaning is started by slowly removing the system. The bag is heavy with water. If it is possible, use something smooth and flat to slide the bag on as it drains. Remove the system slowly and safely, so as to give it time to drain completely. Use a standard screwdriver to loosen the clamp and remove the bag. Turn the bag inside out and clean it with your garden hose. If you do this step at the base of a tree, the tree will love you for the fertilization it receives. A rich layer of mud will be coming off of your bag. Use a strong spray to clean. inverting the bag a couple of times to dislodge the buildup. Then, reattach the bag to the pump and start the cycle again. Please read the enclosed instructions and follow them to insure that you will get long life from your system.
Contact us for larger systems that can process water faster. We also offer 4500 GPH systems with larger bags. The increased flow and greater bag surface area is more suitable for big ponds. Be advised that larger filter bags hold more water and are much heavier when handling.
