Crosswords11 mins ago
pond
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I have a pond, and a outside pump and filter called HOZELOCK 2000.It runns for about a week, bevor i have to clean the Foam. What happends when i go away for a few weeks, will it still run when its dirty?or will the pump switch off? anybody can help?i would be gratefull.
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Chances are that if it clogs after a week, it will clog twice as much after two weeks.
It will therefore either reduce to a very very small trickle or stop altogether and risk burning the pump out.
If you could get someone to come in and clean it, that would be good or you could try running the pump without a sponge to see what happens for a few weeks....but keep an eye on it daily (make sure there are no fish small enough to get sucked in though).
If you turn the pump off for a fortnight, the filter will cease to be effective.
Sounds as if the set up is too small for the pond, if it was the right size or bigger you would prob. get a bacterial motion running and that would lessen frequency of cleaning. If it's primary purpose is a display or fountain, take the filter out, if not clean the filter before you go and leave swiched off.
My pump and filter areHOZELOCK titan 2000 a BIOFORCE 1100 outside filterb ox with one round foam in it. the pond is about 2m x 1 mtr.and 40cm deep. the water is very clear, and the return of the clean water runns over some rocks. there is no cascade or anything else connected to it. i live in australia and the pond is in the shade, does only get a bit of morningsun. in june when it is winter in australia we go for 6 weeks to Queensland. do i leave it running?, but what happends when it clocks up? it says the pump will switch off if it overheats, but what happens to my fish???
www.hozelock.com gives specifications for filter/ pump combinations.
I agree with Hard@it in that you need to get a bigger filter. It is quite normal as ponds get established and fish grow and breed that the amount of waste produced exceeds the capacity of the filter.
Your pump is perfectly ok for the job.
Have you considered an above ground filter box like the ecopower or ecomax. As they are not pressurised they are less likely to clog up and if they do there is an overflow pipe to return the water to the pond thus avoiding accidently emptying the pond. I have 2 ponds and have this type of system on both and they run constantly requiring very little maintenance.
As a rule of thumb, double the amount of filtration capacity you think you need and you cannot go far wrong.
Incidently, if you have to clean your filter do not use tap water. Use pond water as the bacteria in the filter medium is less likely to be destroyed during the cleaning process. As you have been cleaning the filter every week there is little chance of bacteria developing anyway and without it the muck will not break down properly.The filter is only acting as a sieve and that is why you are having to clean it out every week.
I am sure that if you upgrade to a non pressurised system of adequate size, set it up using a good filter start product you should not have any more problems.
Sorry to have taken so long but I live in UK and there is a small difference in time. Good luck, i've had this problem myself but it is easily solved, trust me.
What you must also remember is that fish are hardier than you think and most filtration is used for viewing purposes. Obviously we do not know your circumstances but you could be overfeeding your fish and causing your filters to be overworked, sometimes fish get lazy and need a bit of a 'pampering' rest. We do not know your fish, are they Koi orfe common gold carp, the likes of koi enjoy trolling through some green water.
Going back to your filters I would imagine that being in Australia you have a large size garden etc. and you could probably manage a filtration area the same again as your pond, (if not half). As les saisies says an above ground larger unit would do the job as long as it is correct size. After you come back from your fortnight away get stuck in and make sure your filters are adequate !
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