The secret to a crystal clear garden pond. 

I do this for a living, and this is the simplest and most straightforward explanation I've ever heard. Well done!

How the hell does this guy only have 23k subs!? Maybe it's his voice... but I like it.. and I like the pace of information.

Kev is spot on! There are ppl on RU-vid who proclaim to know the best ways to filter and treat your ponds. 99% are bunk. Everyone is trying to do stuff nature does on its own. All the pond stores and manufactures all push chemicals. Again all bunk. Sure they’re happy to sell you expensive stuff you simply don’t need. A basic understanding and patience along with setting up your pond correctly works. Sadly I went down the wrong road for over a year. Kev is 100% correct. Now my water is crystal clear , all levels are good and my Koi are big and happy. And speaking of. The worst thing you can do is feed your fish too much. Koi especially. Sure feeding them is fun. But keeping your water clean and cleaning filters not so much. Trust me they will not starve! How do you think they can live through the winter without feeding them. There are so many things to eat in the pond let them do a lot of the work for you. They will scavenge the bottom stones and pebbles. They will eat algae. In the end you simply need to mimic Mother Nature. Trust me she’s been doing it right forever. Thank you Kev. You helped me a lot in the beginning when I had trouble. Most of which was bad information from so called experts. In fact there’s a jerk on here that says you shouldn’t have rocks or pebbles in a pond. They don’t provide wet surface for bacteria. Yeah right ….🙄. Thx man🤙🏻🤙🏻

Beginner here. Really simple and easy to understand. Thank you

Not boring at all. I needed this info

Have you built a pond that does not require feeding the fish? I built a (hopefully) ecosystem pond. It has come through the first winter (Northern Hemisphere) with and has slightly non-clear water (lots of pine needles fall into the pond, releasing tannins. There is a fuzz on the rocks but no algae. It's now June in a cooler region in N America and I've barely fed the fish. If I offer food in a floating ring, they don't rush to the food but get around to eating it after a while. They seem perfectly happy grazing on agae/bacteria/scum on the rocks, mosquito larvae, etc. Even wild frogs in the area have moved in. Would be great if I could make it the entire year with only giving them treats from time to time. (about 2400l as as a small to medium pond with a 'river' area and short waterfall with a bunch of plants). About a dozen large goldfish.

Kev you do amazing work I enjoy watching your videos thank you for sharing God bless you always have a beautiful day

very informative ...gave me some great ideas 👍🌿

Awesome video, you have the best ponds! I think the water should be clear, a lot of people think it’s okay for it to be murky for the fish but I’d rather have good visibility to be able to see the fish and I think it’s just more hygienic for the fish. Very cool video 🐠

Kev, I would like to thank you for all the time and knowledge you put into these videos! My stepdad got a deal from a guy with "Koi" (they are comet goldfish) and I've used your videos to set up some temporary tanks to keep these fish in...they were in really bad living conditions and some have sores, diseases, fin rot, etc. We didn't really have time to let the tank cycle before needing to get the fish so at this point, we are hoping for the best. Our water is in what I believe to be much better condition that what they were in and they all seem to be looking better. Our Ammonia spiked, now the nitrite has spiked pretty high which I think is a good sign that the cycle is happening, but the ammonia hasn't dropped much. I'm pretty much just hoping the fish can hold out long enough because there just wasn't any time to leave them where they were previously. We've got plants and tons of rocks, bog filter from a trash can filled with rocks like you've shown in your videos. The water is still pretty clear but I'm worried about the nitrogen levels. The fish all seem to be happy but I can't help but worry about them since this was all so rushed.

Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge. Apparently I am also a pond crazed individual in Arizona, USA. I have built one pond a year since 2020. It's all an experiment using information gathered from around the world without leaving my house :). I thought I could get lucky and build an eco system with no filtering, only waterfalls, rocks and plants. I had some success for a couple years using a bit of beneficial bacteria but after my third build, I realized I needed some bog filtration. I used 55 gallon plastic barrels for bottom up filters and I am seeing results after only a week. At this point I am confident on success.

It's a fascinating subject.. Most of my ponds in Britain don't have moving water, pumps, but are fed from rainwater from the roofs. I wouldn't say zero issues but few, I use the native oxygenating plants and only have stickle backs for fish.. and keep the ponds for . Amphibians and dragonflies, if lucky reptiles, slow worms breed in one compost pile from excess cut pond vegetation. So far only client had to ruin things with goldfish!!.. One in semi desert lanzarote surprised me most with a couple of oxygenating plants being found in remote highland ponds.. Doing very well 30 years on!! I love ponds, keep getting ideas for designs, never enough clients.. Underwater spotlights rock.. I want to build a subterranean cosy room with a large window to view into a wildlife pond Not the usual monoculture of koy carp forced to swim in some kind of chemical soup?! "with some cameras that magnify the wildlife natural ponds are just so dramatic. I guess you agree with some of this?

This is seriously a really good pond video ..........loved it

Your information was fantastic and eye opening, thank you😉

From your videos, I've learned a lot and changed the design plan of my upcoming pond in various ways even though our environment is totally different. The water for me is under the ice for 3-4 months of the year with air temp dropping to -35*C at the lowest but in summer +30*C easily in the shade... Thank you for your Playlists with explanations and reasons... (this allows me to understand and choose the best fit for me instead of only following someone's example) Thank you

Awesome talk and really stunning ponds 💯👍✌️

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. I found it very interesting and helpful great video.

Great information. It covers what it has taken me 20 years to learn through trial and error! I now have a 1000 gallon above ground pond with two filter systems: One a simple fountain with a mechanical filter and the other a pump running mechanically filtered water into two 1/2 wine barrels filled 50/50 with bio-balls and lava rock. The water enters one barrel and flows from it through two outlets, one back into the pond and the other into the second barrel and from there to the pond. I have comet goldfish, shubunkins and some ruby nosed minnows at about 150% recommended inch per gallon capacity (they do keep reproducing!). Other than during mating season, the water is always clear and I have never had any disease🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞 Encouraging good bacteria is a must!

Man I am so impressed. I threw together a quick bog filter to see if it would clear up my new 800l pond in my greenhouse. In 2 DAYS the water has gone from pea soup to totally clear. Going to build a proper one now that doesn't look as shitty. Thanks so much for your insightful and useful content. A+++

There is so much helpful information in your videos I have to watch them multiple times to take it all in. Every time I listen I get more understanding! Thank you so much for your sharing of information we love our ponds and they were just green cesspool’s now are clear and working to improve them every week. We found 20 fish we didn’t know were in our small one and have ducks swimming around in our large pond. Would appreciate a video on what you think about any benefits of birdlife attraction to your pond? Next upgrade bog filters in both thankyou x

This was excellent! Thank you!

Great content 👍 Awesome video quality 😍 I really enjoyed watching this video New friend here 🙏🙏🙏

Awsome explanation of how the biological bacteria works it magic in our ponds. Most concentrate on the mechanical I did not realize how Important biological was until watching your videos👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾 love your work Thankyou for your informative videos 😉

Native shrimp are great for cleaning, not yabbies, shrimp.

Great video thumbs 👍

My name is Kev too thanks Kev for the info

What an incredible amount of useful information simplified so that us hobbyists can understand. Thank You sir. 2 questions for you if you please. Does the use of a UV Clarifier harm or kill beneficial bacteria ? Does a low Ph play a role in delaying the N2 cycle ? Thanks again from Pennsylvania USA !! Cheers Mate.

Very interesting and informative, I live in UK and have just had issues with "green water" in a goldfish pond 1000litres with pressurised spin filter, UV did not help, it only cleared when I stopped feeding the fish for a while, combined with a partial water change. Your video provides the explanation that this would give the biological process time to catch up and now all seems to be oK again and I can see the fish. I would rather have the "bog gardens" that you suggest but space in my garden does not allow this.

man im so glad to find your videos!!! converting a pool into a natural pond!!!

You are a Godsend for those of us quite new to "serious" pond keeping... Such a thorough, but simplistic way of explaining things... Thanks for all of your uploads..

For some reason I imagined you 👨‍🔬wearing a white Lab coat for this video 🧐

Excelentes consejos,muy buena tus indicaciones y lo estoy probando en nuestro nuevo proyecto de estanque en la Huerta en la cuidad,desde Chile un afectuoso saludo, Gracias

6:42 how did you solve the sediment problem? is there any video about it?

Thanks so much for your useful content.

Thanks again big Kev. you kick ass bro.

Your large pond looks awesome. Wish I could fly you to Ireland to build mine

Great videos ! Wondering if you could tell me the plants you used at 5:43 the green spiky leafed bush against the wall and the two small blue/gray bushes at the back of the pond?

My newish pond has gone from greenish to black and very acidic now., Green I understand but black never had that before

There's no secret. Simply make sure your nitrate take up is greater than that of the fish stock are producing. Plants basically.

Good video. I'm in my 7th year with a backyard pond. Learning more all the time. One of the things I recently read was that plants photosynthsizing increase the pH. I'm trying to get the pH down in my pond. I understand that fish just want stable pH. But I've also read if its too high they won't breed. In addition I have aquaponics in my pond (last year I grew kale for example) and it worked but the plants were smaller than their ground based comparison groups. This has puzzled me and my research has suggested its because my pH is too high, around 9+. I've done all I can to decrease my pH and when I read that photosynthisizing plants increase the pH I about fell apart. I even resorted to adding a chemical to lower the pH, which I don't use any more because it accomplished nothing. I don't have any limestone rocks. Trying to think of everthing. So long story short, how the heck can I decrease my pond's pH?

That was very good and I don’t think purveyors give enough credit to the science here as a fascinating hobby. Properly posed, it becomes the most compelling part of the hobby; certainly for the DIY’er who wants to develop on test various forms of bacterial filters, some of which can be very attractive gardens sporting wetlands plants.

Great video Kev, thank you for all your time and info. I would like to request a video on how the best way to clean the filter skimmer and filter media materials...(I don't have a bogg filter) and I know you shouldn't really use a garden hose...so what the best way? Thanks again Kev!!

Good detailed advice. Thanks 🙂

Do you do anything different is you want to set up a pond as a freshwater swimming/dipping pool? Obviously it has to be deeper

Fabulous video. Really appreciate the detailed explanation. Would you say an adjoining wetland filled with small rocks and pebbles and plants would be an excellent nitrogen filter if moving the water from pond to wetland and back again? I'm in the process of converting a standard pool to a natural swim pond. I'm also lining the sides and base of the swimming pond with rocks and pebbles. I hope to add a few tilapia too. Any advice? How deep should the base of rocks and pebbles be? Thanks again for the reallly helpful video.

I have a 275 gallon tote with a 55 gallon drum bio filter that filters the water. There as been 8 sunfish in there for a few weeks now. In one week the water turned PEA SOUP green. The fish are still alive. I have nothing in the tank but water and the fish. In my bio tank I have lava rock, plastic Scrubys, and some PVC pipe, and old fittings. The tote gravity feed off bottom valve thru a 200 micron sock into drum. I then have a 800 gph pump that pump the filtered water back into the top of the tote. Tote then drains from the top portion of the tote back into the drum thru a sock. What can I do to get rid of the algae?? Tote is outside in the sun, but I now have place a roof over the tote which blocks most of the sun. Any help would be great! Thanks!!

At the end of the day you can remove all the nitrogen and still have a problem because the excessive remaining phosphorus will grow blue-green algae. They get their nitrogen from the air. This is essentially why backyard ponds try to basically pulverize nature into submission. People continue to partially drain ponds which eliminates some phosphorus, but all the water changes and filter cleaning are just a lot of work that is only needed because the designs of these ponds is still very lacking in the understanding of ecology. Thus the lament of the diy pond. Yes, some "filters" can put the problem off for several years, but eventually they do clog.

1 may I ask what part of the glob you are in please? So I know how to try to compare it /or not to where I am. Thank for the info and videos

i could not help but see 2 of your gold fish eating something. was it a worm? some long thing!

Bacterium: singular. Bacteria: pural. ....no such word as Bacteriums!😑

Kev you haven't done a video on this yet so I'll ask here. Do you have any experience with "aggressive fish behavior"? I got bored of my basic comet goldfish so I bought 2 shubunkins to add some color. They are maybe 1 inch smaller then the comet goldfish and the pond isn't crowded so I thought I'd have no issues but my comet goldfish are bullying the new shubunkins. They constantly chase them around and I've even noticed 2 or 3 of the comet swim them into the wall of the pond. Is this just them establishing a fish pecking order and they will stop in a few days or a bigger issue? I feel really bad for my new little friends. Thanks Kev.

So...simply add rock to increase surface area ?

Just started out in the UK and this was an excellent informative video

HOW WOULD I SCALE DOWN WHAT YOU SHOW TO A 250 GALLON AQUAPONIC SYSTEM?

Why is my koi stay on the bottom and never swim on top of the pond? Please help me , thank you so much

Trying to post for the second time 😊 just found your channel. Great info. I put in a small 8ft diameter by 2-3 ft deep pond about 3 yrs ago. No fish, no waterfall or filter. It just has a small aerator . Most of the past two years have struggled with string algae and not so clear water. I had(I think) a lot of plants too. Last winter I removed most of the plants and this spring the water has cleared up without me doing anything. Guessing the bacteria found my pond 😊 However, there is a lot of pine needles, leaves that constantly fall in and there is a quite a bit of sediment in the pond. The small rocks at the bottom are no longer visible and there is sediment on the larger rocks too. What do you recommend I do? I would love to see the pebbles at the bottom and have a “cleaner” looking pond. Thank you

I small pond (1.6m at widest 2m at longest 0.5m at deepest). This works out to 1600L, but it would be a a few hundred L less given the pond slopes down to the deepest point. The pump is a low voltage 1800 L/H. The pump sends water to 100L bog filter (inlet at bottom of filter, rather than the piping coming over the top and down; I'll be making changes to accommodate a type of breather pipe setup) and the bog filter water leaves to a jug that pours back into the pond. It takes ~6sec to fill a 1L jug, so works out water flow through bog is ~600 L/H (after head, pipe friction, resistance from material in bog, etc). Water from the jug is on one end of the pond and the pump is on the other end of the pond (no skimmer). The pond is home to around 20 small native fish - small enough to be tadpole safe. The pond has several different plants in it, but the primary plant I can't get rid of is green string algae. It has been there for over a year. I have a drill with a stick, that I use on a regular basis, to get some of the string algae out, but it just will not go. I've used different types of natural additive bacteria products, but nothing. It just won't go. During winter, the water is clear, but with heaps of string algae. Now we're moving into the warmer temps, the water is still clear, but a lot more string algae is forming. I'm considering adding some small solar pumps to move water from the sides. Perhaps I have to fork out for a bigger bog? I just have no idea what else to do. It is rather frustrating :/ And I'm envious of your beautiful ponds and how they have turned out.

wtf is flockulent?

For more bacteria contact can you add Lava rock. This pond is located in New York Long Island. No plants in pond

Great tips, I’ve modified my bog filter with your important info ❤

Why don't they let you keep Koi carp in your state?

What did you say you used to help clear the sediment?

I have pond in my garden...about 2700 liters. First i got green water, but the bottom is brown/red....what can i do to get clear water. I have no fish inn it, only birds drinking and bathing in it. Greatfull for answer.

When my guppies moved out to the patio pond for the summer, they brought one of the two already in use sponge filters from their indoor tank with them. That's a good way to kick start your cycle: Pre-seeded sponge filters.

oh my gosh this guy just talks and talks and talks get going

Really boring. Just kidding! One of the best pond bacteria videos on RU-vid. I'm currently fighting muck buildup at the bottom of my pond. I'm having to clean my filter twice daily. Hoping Muck Away does the trick. Thanks!

Lol can you please list your website on your videos? Lol 😂 I want to support you some how. You sparked something inside me. I wanted a pond so bad, but I thought it was just a large outside fish tank. After watching a couple of your videos, I feel that a pond with a big style filter is more my speed and I have some ideas for what to plant into the top of the bog filter. I legit spent a day binging your videos. Lol I spent 4 hours at lowes. Worst experience ever… luckily I met up with the manager of the garden center. I got some Papyrus plants. Lol I saw they can survive in water, so imma try to slowly train it so I can set a netted root ball to have it be a part of this thing I’m putting together. I got one of those plastic liner things, it’s very old and I got a good price. It’s old because it does not have that step platform thing as it gets deeper. It looks like 2 fused bowls, but I have to start somewhere before I jump into the liner sheets. I dug it too deep….. lol but luckily it’s on the part of my land that’s the highest and it’s next to the house. I’ll trench some drainage stones around it and have a path leading away from the pond. Still looking for rocks and I am making a big filter. Lol I’m using a thin tall 22 gal trash can. I get the concept and the shape of the trans can works out for me. I wish I could show you. It will be a while before it looks good enough to show off, but I’m patient enough to let life in at stages. Microbial life, then plants, and maybe 🤔 some sacrificial gold fish. Lol Thank you and please continue what you do. I’ll continue to share your videos on my Facebook to spread the news of what you do!!!!

Is a bog filter the same as a bellsiphon system that is used in aquaponics? Could you do both to your ponds to grow fish and plants in a beautiful setting?

Howto grow pownes

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My pond is like pea soup….I have watched this video but still don’t know how to make the water clear. What is a ‘big filter’ I have a UVLight.

what bout a pond that dont have fish and stays green

How to increase the anoxic zones in ponds? Simply, depth and variety of surface materials, rocks?

Thumbs up

Cool information. I tried Daphnia but of coarse failed because of having to use tap water for an exchange kills the Daphnia. I like the beneficial bacteria thing. My pond is just an old bathtub with 3 little fish, a turtle and 2 Axolotls.

Kev, your videos are always so helpful. Thanks to you, the water in my 12,000 gal. liner pond has remained crystal clear this entire season here in north eastern USA. The rocks and gravel however, are all covered with a film similar to the rocks in the underwater shots of the video (1:53 and 2:08). How do you keep your gravel and rocks so clean and clear?

at 4:10

I never feed my pond fish, except to throw in slugs from the garden beds. No filter either except oxygenation plants & water lily. However some time I will have to empty the pond cos it has 20+ years of sediment

Facultative bacteria is the type of bacteria that converts Nitrates into Nitrogen. They also consume Phosphates. This conversion only happens in an Anoxic environment between .5pmm - 2ppm dissolved oxygen in water.

What is your opinion of splosht?

Have had my pond some 8 yrs and every summer it turns green. Trying to get away from algaecides and am using fine filter pads in my skimmer and polyester quilt batting to capture that pesky algae but with 90 degree weather it went green real fast. Have waterfall, 2 air stones, fish, not a lot of plants since here in mid Michigan their not a hot commodity. Very frustrating.

Quick Q: Any value in holding back rinse water from an old pond liner from defunct pond to use as a bacteria starter, while constructing pond, to introduce into pond as needed, or would this be more harmful than beneficial or of no affect at all?

Even with a somewhat monotone voice it wasn't too boring especially sense the photography was great & love when people are direct :)

What is the powdery stuff that gets all over the pond plants in my pond? I think it’s killing my plants, is this the bacteria? Thanks for your videos, love your ponds!

So if the bog filter is deeper and/or slower flow (so the water takes longer to follow through), will you get anoxic zones in the bog filter that will completely remove all the nitrogen?

Kev, does the intake in the bog filter have to come into the filter under pressure or can it just just flow in by gravity? I have only a solar pump?

I heard that it’s best to have different depths to a pond. It’s to do with movement of water or something. Just like the oceans. Is this true?

i have ponds for years, and this is the first year i have ever had an algae problem, but when i put in new fish this year, i dont feed my fish, but rarely because they eat the algae pretty well and i add clean water to the pond every morning early, and i shade our small pond, in summer,

Long winded get to the point

How to clean pond with goldfish?

Thanks for sharing your video, great one btw!

Does a pond vacuum help with keeping the Ammonia and Nitrites lower? Also thank you for all your information.

I don't have a pond

I swear by a bog system. I used to use filters and it was a pain to keep clean. I've used a bog for years, never had to clean it once and my water is crystal clear

Heyo! Kev let me start by sayin sorry I haven't been on your material as much of late! Just now getting that clearish water this season after all the leaves and muck have built up. I'd love to get with you and just share and chat about a current project if you get bored my smurfy friend! I have a super small and super cheat setup with such amazing small and friendly Koi. You should do a segment that includes viewer pics!

I pooped in my pond.

I have a wine barrel pond that I love. What can I add to keep clear? Are pathos plants and there roots safe for the fish?

Hey Kev! Sad news about your goldfish. Btw do you have any place to hide for them? A fish cave?

Splosht is a wonderful product also

He admired more than once did not know why, green water and string algae,amature… not quite pal.🤦‍♂️🤙