Cheap and Easy Pond Filter Trick

My pond is small and I am no guru, but I do have this little trick that works great for quickly clearing murky water without using chemicals. Last year I rigged up an inexpensive homemade biofilter [link], but this is even easier.

I take a big square of polyester quilt batting and wrap it around a mesh waste basket ($1 at the local dollar store):


I squish the excess inside:


Next I place my pond pump inside, angling it so that the intake is free to, well, take in water, and the outspout can do its thing too:



I lower the whole thing into the pond, turn on the pump and within a day or so, the polyester has gathered up the gunk and the water is nice and clear.



I used to remove the polyester batting after a week or so, but since it works like a good biofilter and looks quite natural in the pond once it is covered in gunk, I just leave it. Clear water. No problems.



And how are the fish, you ask? I've got three from last year's batch: they're nice and big (about 6" long) and I just added five more feeder fish, hoping to establish them before the winter.

Elsewhere:
Some favourite recent podcasts [link]
In summer, the song sings itself.
--William Carlos Williams (1883 - 1963)....[link]