Small pond vacuum

14 years ago

Now for my next question. I really don't want to use a shop vac. I used one last year and it sucks out so much water so fast that I felt like I was getting more water than gunk. I have such a small pond that I think it is overkill. I also hate the noise! It is like when I am having a wonderful, tranquil time puttering in the yard with my plants and my husband comes along with his power lawn equipment. It just ruins it for me. So I don't mind more/longer work, I just don't want to get something that is not going to do the job. I'll use a shop vac if that is what it takes but want to avoid it if possible. I am also paranoid about sucking up some of my smaller fish in the shop vac, and worry about the whole thing stressing out my fish, especially in such a small pond. There can't go very far to get away from things.

I am surrounded by oak trees so I have alot of oak trash. Up until a couple of days ago my water was the clearest it has ever been, but I knew that nastiness was lurking on the bottom and I have put it off as long as I can. Now I have it all stirred up with raking the bottom with a net, but that only goes so far. I also have 'mud' down there that needs to come out. I'm also researching an external filter and pre-filter and am going to set those up today or when I can finally get all the components together. Something simple but more effective than the pitiful filter that is attached to the pump. I think I may also need eco-floc or whatever that stuff is called to bind some of this gunk. I'm going to go slow and see what works.

Has anyone tried those suction vacuums and found them to be any good, and if so, what brand? They aren't very expensive (another plus) and look easy enough to use in a small pond.

Thanks in advance!

Angela

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Comments (6)

sleeplessinftwayne
14 years ago
You don't say how big your small pond is.You can get a pool vac at Wally world for under $20 but it is run with water from your hose so using it is going to give you a water change as you use it. It is adequate for 500 gallons, more difficult up to 1000, over 1000, impossible. Figure on getting a new one every year because it is really flimsy. If your debris is as you say it is, figure on using it at least once a week. If you intend to try to suck up mud, etc. it will just pass through the catch bag back into the pond.
Python makes a more complex version that gives you the choice of sending the water outside the pond or back into the pond which is good if there is a bunch of mud such as you would have if a pot got knocked into the water. The big problem there is the plastic jar that is supposed to collect leaves and such is too large for anything but the largest hands. It is a wrestling match to empty it. Twigs quickly block the intake. I found it very clumsy to use. It runs about $70.
I find a sump pump for dirty water does a decent job of pumping out mud that is in one place rather than mixed with the water but it doesn't handle debris very well.
Your best option is to rebuild your pond with a bottom drain and a skimmer if you must put it under those oak trees. I understand the frustration since I have several 50 foot red oaks and sycamores and we get all the leaves from the neighbors, too. Even a net doesn't get all those twigs and small branches.
You might be interested in Floyds pond vac if you are into DIY. But then it uses a vacuum, too. Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: Floyds Pond Vac
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angelajgood
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Sandy. I'm sorry, I meant to include my pond size. It is 6x6, so really anything beyond dipping it out with a net and my hands will work well. I can always resort to a shop vac, but am just looking for less intrusive options. I think I'll probably net most of it and then try out a cheap vac like the Python and see how it works. I enjoy the cleaning as long as I don't have to drain the whole pond or listen to loud machinery.
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I use a Shop-vac at the beginning of the season to get the sunken leaves and other winter-accumulated muck out of my 1400-gallon pond. (Those leaves make their way in even though I cover my pond in the late Fall.) It takes a lot of stops to empty the 5-gallon container, but the Shop-vac is powerful and it will even lift small rocks out of the pond. For regular maintenance, I use a Matala PondVac II which automatically empties itself and resumes vacuuming after a one-minute drain cycle. It is far more convenient, but not nearly as powerful as a Shop-Vac. Personally, I have not heard good things about hose-powered Muck-Vacs. They just don't generate enough suction to do the job below a depth of 1 or 2 feet. Maybe if someone has a good experience with these units, they could post that here.
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1500 gallons is about the size of my pond. I've had my pond about 10 years now. I got a shop vac in the early years and found it to be lacking. vacuuming 2 1/2 to 3 feet deep was very slow going and took a lot of water out of the pond. Plus you had to constantly empty the thing. What a pain. Next I got an Oase pond-o-vac II (at that time that was the new version). Vacuum power was a little better and it shut off when full and emptied itself. But still a lot of stop and go and still took a lot of water out of the pond. I've tried a lot of home made contraptions too. None of them did what I wanted. The problem is that I thought vacuuming the pond was going to be about as easy as vacuuming the living room. It is not nearly that easy. It probably isn't easy for anyone with a pond larger than about 4 ft in diameter and maybe 2 feet deep. I know you don't want to hear this, and probably won't listen. Just like I didn't listen to whomever it was who told me (I don't remember now): Save your money and scoop the mulm out with a net. it does a better job and you don't have to replace any water or worry about sucking up your fish!! Both of my vacuums are sitting in the shed. I almost never use them unless I'm cleaning out my filter tanks (much smaller and easier to manage). Once you realize that a pond is not an aquarium and will never be as clean as one, you can stop stressing and enjoy it for what it is. Of course, it takes some people years of failure to reach that conclusion. I know it took me at least a couple of years. LOL Best Wishes, Phil Here is a link that might be useful: nmpondguy's Watergarden Retreat This post was edited by nmpondguy on Tue, Mar 25, 14 at 23:06
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Back years ago, I think in this forum, several members were interested in building vacuums specific to cleaning fish ponds. I was one who got into it. I developed several vacuums and went to several people's ponds to test vacuums in different conditions. Here's my page on vacuums. There's also links to building vacuums. I don't know your pond, but in general, some species of string algae when alive and mature is like horse hair. Bind a little together and it's like rope. I've pulled every bit of out of a pond in one pull and it brought pretty much everything in the pond with it up to the size of a brick. I don't think it would be possible to remove the string algae without removing the hornwort too. Once removed you could try and get some hornwort out of the string algae and replant. But string algae can come back, although often it's another species or it doesn't grow the same way next time. Even if you had no hornwort, gravel or reeds, I don't know of a single vacuum that is effective with string algae. If the string algae is still alive it is basically one plant and in your size pond when removed it could be in the 100-200 pound range. No vacuum can't handle that. I've seen a vacuum with a cutter on the end that's suppose to be able to cut the string algae. I doubt it works, but you should read reviews if considered. Even dead string algae, which breaks up easily is a big problem for a vacuum because of the volume. Easier to remove by hand or a swimming pool leaf rake. For live string algae I used 2 pieces of 1"x1" wood nailed or bolted together in the middle so they would open and close like scissors. I'd make them about 5' long. Open them a bit, push into the algae, close, and then spin them so the algae wrapped around the wood. Once I had a good ball I'd pull it out. Generally every bit of algae came along with this ball, along with anything it was attached to. Different species of string algae and the different life cycle stages can require different methods. I learned 2 basic things. First, there is no single vacuum that is effective. Ponds are cleaned in steps, removing big stuff first and ending with the small stuff. Different tools for each. Second, don't build a pond that's hard to clean. Loose rock, gravel, plants, all good great...until it's time to clean. I mortared rock so it was easy to clean and moved all plants into their own beds and so their crowns were above the water. Crowns above the water = no string algae = happy pond keeper. That means no underwater plants like hornwort and no lilies. Lilies can get their own pond or their own deep water bed adjacent to the pond so the pads can grow out over the fish pond.
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teri904
14 years ago
I have a Python Pond Ulti-Vac and works very well on my small pond for the price. Only one down side I have with it is that you have to get on your knees and bend over the pond to use it. We have found out it works better to get inside the pond and use the vac (better on your back) lol. Usually hubby would get in the pond and use the vac while I stay out side of the pond and clean the container when it got full.
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angelajgood
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Sandy. I'm sorry, I meant to include my pond size. It is 6x6, so really anything beyond dipping it out with a net and my hands will work well. I can always resort to a shop vac, but am just looking for less intrusive options. I think I'll probably net most of it and then try out a cheap vac like the Python and see how it works. I enjoy the cleaning as long as I don't have to drain the whole pond or listen to loud machinery.
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watershaper
14 years ago
Oase's pond vac is the only thing on the market that is worth a darn in my opinion. Its expensive, but well worth the money if you are going to use it regularly. As far as pulling out the water, that's just part of the process. I don't know of a single product that wouldn't do the exact same thing.
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nbacres
14 years ago
angelajgood: I have a Pondavac 3 and I'M IN LOVE WITH IT! A friend pointed me towards e-bay and I got mine for around $130. It has 4 different tips, a VERY long electrical cord and VERY long vac hose and suction tube for the tips to fit on. It takes very little water out but sure sucks up the muck and leaves quick as a wink. It also has an automatic drain channel so you don't have to physically get out and empty the muck. I have my discharge hose pointed towards the iris bed and they love the fish poop and dead leaf water.

My pond is 15' x 20' and around 3'-4' deep. I can stand on the edge and vac the bottom very easily. I've attached a pic of the pond and waterfall berm.

In the summer, I use this vac more often than I use the Hoover for my house carpeting (opps, don't tell anyone that I don't vac or dust in the summer!!)

Here is a link that might be useful: South side of pond and waterfall
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Small pond vacuum

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Small pond vacuum

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