What should I do if my water isn't clear?

In reality fish don’t mind the water being cloudy, as long as the quality of the water is O.K.

• You should either get your water tested by your local aquatics outlet or alternatively buy your own test kit.
• Make sure the test kit will test PH, Ammonia and Nitrates.
• If you buy your own test kit, we recommend the type with test tablets, which give a colour coded indication of the attribute being tested. 

Why is my pond water brown?

If your pond water is brown, we would recommend taking a look at the following causes:

• Make sure that that the pond has not become overstocked due to growing fish.
• Ensure that excess build up of silt or sediment has been cleaned out.
• Check that soil is not entering from the sides of the pond. Certain aquatic plant soils are very fine and can work their way out of planting baskets. Remove the plants for a while to see if this is what is causing the problem.
• Check the foams in the filter for shrinkage, as this can cause dirty water to bypass them – change them if necessary.
• Hungry fish can disturb the sediment on the floor of the pond, as they root around for food. Consider if they are underfed.
• If the pump is sat on the floor of the pond, in sediment, then this will be continually distributed through the pond and filter. Raise the pump off the floor of the pond by approximately 6-8 inches (15-20cm) This will ensure the pump does not pump sediment.

What maintenance is required on filters?

A filter will need checking from time to time to make sure algae is not clogging it up. Apart from that, it should normally be kept running 24 hours a day.

• You should normally clean 25% of the foams in your filter once every 2-4 weeks in pond water, as long as it is sized correctly and the pond is not overstocked with fish.
• However, you should only clean the foams when absolutely necessary (usually when they have become completely blocked).
• The plastic media should not be cleaned, as this would risk killing essential bacteria.
• A normal cleaning regime, as we have just outlined, would mean that you would need to change the foams after approximately 3-4 years.

How long until the system starts clearing out the pond?

Once fully mature you should notice a difference within one week of turning on the UVC and full clarity should be achieved in two weeks.

Which equipment should I use?

The deciding factor for choosing which equipment to use is the volume of water in the pond.

• The first thing to do is calculate this using the following formula:
• Average length (m) x average width (m) x average depth (m) x 1000 = pond volume in litres
• Add on 25% if the pond depth is less than 70cm. 
• Add on another 25% if the pond is in sunlight during any period of the day. 
• The figure that you arrive at is the size of filter that you are looking for.
• For example: if the answer you get is 5500, you would chose a filter with this rating. If the size of your pond falls between 2 filter sizes, then always chose the bigger size as it is better to over filter than under filter. 
• The pump you'd get with the filter, as a general rule, is rated at approximately half the size of the physical pond volume and should mean that at least half the pond is filtered every hour.

What is a pond filter system?

It is a system for filtering, clarifying and maintaining healthy, clear pond water in a garden pond environment. A pond filter system is made up of three main items:

• Filter – the filter works in two ways, mechanically and biologically.  Mechanical filtration means removing the solid particles that cloud the water. Biological filtration removes the pollutants that can be harmful to fish.
• UVC – an Ultra Violet Clarifier clumps together the algae that cause green water so that the filter can then remove it.
• Pump – a solid handling pump will pump dirty water into the UVC and filter. The movement of water will also introduce oxygen into the water, which is needed both by the fish and the beneficial bacteria in the pond.

How do I install a filter system?

Most filter systems are “pump fed”.

• This means that the pump is in the bottom of the pond as far away from where the water returns as possible and at the deepest part.
• The UVC and filter are placed together at the edge of the pond connected using the largest bore hose possible to ensure a good flow rate.
• Pond water is pumped (by the pump) to the filter and UVC and then the water returns under gravity back to the pond.