Pond Vacuums

[dsep]

Hi Everyone
I am a new to forum and would like to know what type of pond vacuums you would recommend  I live in New York
My pond is 2 to 3 feet deep and 18x33 7500 gallons
Thanks Donna

[Bonnie]

Hello Donna and Welcome!
For your size pond I would recommend nothing other than the OASE Pondovac 3.  My pond is close to the size of yours and it works better than anything that I have tried.

[Julles]

My pond stays pretty clean, Donna, so I've never had to vacuum it.  But this spring, after Hurricane Ike, I may need to do more dredging then usual.

Welcome to the forum!  Sounds like you have a pretty large pond.  We love photos on this site, so would love to see some of your pond and pets.

[PondJoy]

Hey Julles,

I am also in Houston....may I ask how you clean the "sludge" if you don't use a vacuum?  I have been thinking about getting one but I don't want to store something else.  Here is my pond..you can see it's not that big, but I still have trouble getting the stuff at the bottom.  The picture of course is from spring....now everything is brown and the trees are without leaves.

[Julles]

7500 gallons sounds plenty big to me!

I guess I'm lucky, because I just don't get an accumulation of gunk on the bottom.  Maybe my filter removes it??

I have been breaking the pond down completely each spring, for a thorough empty and cleaning, but, even then, there is not much in the way of anything on the bottom.  Only a little algae, just to make the task slippery and fun.   

I don't intend to break the pond down any more unless it's totally necessary - not convinced it's good for the fish. 

An ex used to borrow my Shop Vac to clean the bottom of his pond.  You can do that if you change to the proper filter, made for water applications.  With a long enough hose, and then enough ridgid rod attachments stuck together, you could reach the bottom of your pond, and walk around in it.  Have to make sure the vacuum doesn't fall in, though.  And you'd need a mighty long flexible hose.

Say, I am sure you are familiar with Nelson's Water Gardens.  Their Garden Party is the last Saturday in April, and I and a friend are going.  A full day of educational seminars, vendors, more.  Hope to see you there!
http://nelsonwatergardens.com/

You might also be interested in the Houston Pond Society
http://houstonpondsociety.com/
We meet the first Saturday of each month, at noon, at a different member's house / pond each month, and it's a pot-luck with lots of wine and talk... Occasionally we have a speaker.  The first weekend of June, we host a HUGE 2-day pond tour.

[Julles]

What part of town are you in?  I'm in Montrose (downtown Houston).

[pondlady]

  I have a pondmaster pond vac. I love it saves me so much time and effort. I can spend more time enjoying my ponds now and less time working on them. Rocks sometimes hide the gunk, leaving the pond looking clean and clear. All that stuff hiding down there can cause major problems. The vac will get between larger rocks but small ones like gravel get socked up. I recommend to everyone such time savers if you happen to not have bottom drains or large filter systems.

[casey]

Karen,

I am in Tucson, AZ and have a 5500 gallon pond that used to be a 14x28' swimming pool so my situation is not too different than yours.  I swear by the Oase Pondvac 3.  Some say it doesn't do a good job in 3' depth but ours is slightly over 3 feet and works great.  The benefit of a pondvac 3 is that it has two tanks.  When one tank is full it automatically switches to the other tank.  While the first tank empties, the second tank fills, then they switch again.  You attach a pool vacuum (or regular vacuum) type hose to the outlet and direct the used water wherever you want it.  The pondvac comes with all needed hoses, nozzles, etc.  The vacuum only stops sucking for a second at the moment of the switch and you never have to stop to manually empty the tank like you would a shop vac.  The pond vac 3 is not cheap but if ours were to break we would replace it in an instant.  We have had it for about 3 years and have had no problems.  I sucks up the pond mulm, dead plant parts, fish poop, small rocks, etc. 

Casey

[PondJoy]

Thanks Julles....

I am Northeast by Lake Houston (Humble/Atascocita).  I think a lot of the "gunk" I have is decaying crepe myrtle leaves, and from when the critters (whatever they were) knocked some of my plants over in the pond!

I love Nelson's...but it's a long drive for me.  There is no other place though that I know of.  I will look up your suggestion for April...sounds like fun!

[dsep]

Thanks everyone for the information. I will check out prices on line. How do you add pictures?

[casey]

Ooops, Donna, sorry I remembered your name incorrectly from your original post and addressed you as Karen.  Casey

[Jerry]

The vac reccomended seems a favorite here.  I don't know how id store it

[pondlady]

Thats easy I just rinse it out towel it dry and put it all back in the box. The box goes into the shed until next time i need it.

[Jerry]

You assume i have room in a shed..
I have been selling lots of stuff via Ctaig's list.  Getting more room all rhe time.
Sold a hot transfer machine today (Tee Shirts) and a Cap machine.  A few 100 lures too

[casey]

Jerry, I leave mine up and ready to go in the shed.  Don't think it takes up more room than in the box.  You sound like my DH whose philosophy is not the usual 1 thing in, 1 thing out as far as "stuff" goes.  His idea is 10 in and none out!  Anyway, if you got rid of a t-shirt transfer machine you now have room for the vac.  Casey

[Jerry]

I am acquiring room.  I grew up poor and never threw stuff out.  I sure do now.  Not easy though.
The thought of my kids dumping when I am gone is something! :'(

I hope to leave them little burden

[Esther]

My pond is relatively small compared to yours so probably what I'm saying won't apply to you but maybe somebody else. My pond is about 10 X 13 X 30". I use skimmer nets that are either designed for a spa or swimming pool with an extendable handle. If you rig up some tule (tool) fabric and line your net with it, sewing it in place with just a heavy fishline, the water still goes through but it holds the fine gunk. When I say sew, I don't mean anything fancy. I just pushed the fishline through the net and tule and wound it round and round the frame of the net and tied a knot at the end. I keep a 5 gallon bucket behind a big rock by the pool and just whack the net upside down on the top of the bucket and all the gunk falls out. That gunk is great in your garden by the way.

We made a DIY vacuum that works wonderful but it is cumbersome and would be a storage problem to most of you seeing it is a 55 gallon drum. To be honest, it is kind of overkill for my small pond. Depending on the attention my pond has gotten, I really wouldn't have to vacuum it if I'd stay on top of my degunking the bottom.

I would never break my pond down each year. It just doesn't need it. This will by my 7th summer I think and have never emptied it accidently or on purpose. But I do scoop the bottom maybe once a week or so. If I see something on the bottom that needs to come out, I go after it and scoop a few more times.