As far as the health of your fish are concerned, over-filtering is not really an issue. While they do not naturally live in water that is completely devoid of suspended particles and without the merest hint of algae or weeds, they will quite happily exist in such an environment as long as it is kept healthy and stable. Stability of water conditions is the key to success as far as keeping fish in a pond is concerned and is something you should strive to achieve in the long term. With this goal in mind, it is easy to see that over filtration is in fact a very real possibility.
Are You Over Filtering Your Pond?
Given that over-filtering is unlikely to cause any health issues as far as your stock is concerned, you need to look at other factors when evaluating whether you have more filtration than you really need. As a preventative measure, you can check the handy hints in our pond filter section, to see how much filtration will be adequate for your pond. If you are evaluating equipment that was installed some time ago and is being used to filter a mature pond, the following signs could indicate over filtration:
- Constantly Blocked Filter Media – If you have packed in your media too tightly, or selected pads that are so fine they will catch the smallest of microscopic particles, you will probably find that you are constantly having to remove the media and rinse it (with pond water of course!). If this is the case, and your pond water looks unnaturally clear, you may want to use coarser media or pack less of it in. Filtration at this level is unlikely to be harmful to your fish, as mentioned earlier, but maintaining the water in this state could prove to be problematic in the long run. As we have already established, stability is what we are aiming for so once you have reached a certain level of water clarity, any more filtration could cause more issues than it solves.
- Excessive Water Flow – If you install a filtration system with a pump that circulates the entire volume of your pond multiple times per hour, you will not only be using far more electricity than you really need to, and spending more on your filtration system than is necessary, you could be upsetting your fish too. Fish that are constantly battling a strong current may find it difficult to survive in the long run so try to find a sensible balance: if your pond filtration system turns over the volume of water in your pond once every hour or two, this should be sufficient.
If you are unsure which is the best type of pond filter to use in your garden or how much water flow you need, please feel free to call and speak to one of our pond experts whenever convenient. We are also happy to answer questions on any other aspects of pond maintenance that you may have.