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Yes , you could clean your pool water course and fast with this Empress of Dirt method acting — no chemicals needed . It works in fish pond and most murky water set out to take in within hour .

If you desire more tips , also seeAdvice for Starting a Backyard Pondand ourGallery of Backyard Pond Ideas .

Before and after of pond water using the empress of dirt batting method to clear the water.

How to Clear Murky Pond Water

Whether   it ’s slightly green or thick like pea plant soup , where you ca n’t see the bottom and only get glimpses of the fish , this quick cleaning method acting for pond water may work for you .

While , I ’ve mostly tested it on pool smaller than 1000 gallon , it can also work on tumid ponds if you have the appropriate force of recirculating pump and you allow enough time for all of the water to be filtrate .

In other word , the large the pond and the double-dyed the water , the longer it will plausibly take . But it can work .

Pond water before and after using the Empress of Dirt batting method to clear murky water.

A moderately murky 600 - gallon pond will commonly become visibly clearer within an time of day or two of using this method , and continue to clear after that .

Since originally compose this , I ’ve hear from numerous gardeners with very large pond and they have said it does take long ( up to several week for a really grown , murky pond ) but , if you stick with it , it bring . If you ’ve tried other methods without success , you may be in hazard .

Let ’s get started . Be sure to watch the video hereto see how it ’s done . If you do not want to do what I show in the picture , there are alternate setup shown after in this clause .

Pink water lilies.

Testimonials

“ Last summer , I used the batten method you suggested and my pond has never been more clear ! I ’ve had my pool for over 8 years and used quite a few chemical substance , helpful hints and gadgets , but this was the good , simplest and very cheap ! ! I will preserve to apply it . give thanks you ! ! ”

“ I read your advice on using puff batten to houseclean my pool . A thousand thank you is not enough . I have a 3000 gallon . Pond and could not get it sportsmanlike . I shroud the filter with the batten and in 3 days was so clear I could see the bottom . I could not think how fast it worked . At first I had to change the batting every 12 60 minutes or it would blockade the water supply period . You saved my fish . I am a grateful follower . ”

There aremore testimonials from happy pond owner here .

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Is this method safe for fish?

Yes , as far as I have a go at it , this method acting is safe for pond Pisces the Fishes assuming you utilize therecommended comforter battingand do not veer from the instructions provided . It has been age since I first shared this method and since then I have never find out of any issues with Pisces . I would also never share this method acting if I thought it could harm Pisces in any way . Ultimately , I consider it benefits Pisces the Fishes by offering unobjectionable , oxygenated water system instead of turbid , pea soup . But the disavowal remains : try on at your own risk as I can not possibly anticipate your unique fortune .

Contents

Get the Free PrintableThere ’s a complimentary printable with this article . Go toResources(below ) to get yours .

How to Clear Pond Water Fast Without Adding Chemicals

How It Works

Empress of Dirt Quilt Batting Clear Pond Method

If you translate the rationale of this method , there are uncounted ways you could countersink it up .

How to Make a Quilt Batting Pond Filter

Video Instructions

follow the video to see one way to set up the batting . Then translate the instructions ( below ) for more item .

As mention , this is just one way to set up the comforter batting . Other setups are exhibit below . So long as you get along up with some means to track down all the water system through the batting , you are very probable to clear up your pond water .

Photo & Written Instructions

The central ingredient ispolyester quilt batten . Donotuse cotton :   it must bepolyesterand in force calibre . This stuff comes in unconditional sheets the size of a seam cover ( often rolled up in a bag ) . It is not loose gourmandize ; it is all one piece .

I test legion other item including cotton quilt batten but nothing bring as well as the polyester . Any raw fabric tended to clog too fast ( filter out the ticker ) and leave remnants in the water ( not sound ) .

comforter batten is traditionally used to make quilts and comforters poofy inside . But we will be using it to filter the pond urine and gather up up all the muck that is make your pond green .

YouTube video

Buy Quilt Batting

Here’sthe comfort batting I use on Amazon.com . If you haveAmazon Prime , just regularise one handbag . you’re able to always get more if you need it later . The amount needed will depend entirely on how much sludge you have . One canvass will be cut into piece to provide several cleanup academic session .

Some readers need about flame repellent products or the possibility of fire retardants in the product . jibe product labels or manufacturer ’s website if this is a concern for you .

Polyester quilt batting, pond pump, and milk crate.

tawdry polyester quilt batten can be a trouble for frogs and toads : their hands and feet get tangled in it . Please usethe Mountain Mist brandor like lineament if you have any wildlife in your pool . Also seethese tips for creating a safe have for frogs and toads .

The headstone to get your water clear and maintain it that agency is to have good circulation to help oxygenate the water .

I usebasic recirculating pumpsin my pool . I have used several brands and do not have any particular one to recommend . They all seem to do a well job and last several age ( year - round consumption ) .

Frog sitting next to garden pond.

Most of these pumps have a sponge - type filter inside that is obliterable and washable . Once you get a flock of algae , these parazoan get clog with muck quite rapidly and that ’s how the algae builds up : there is n’t anything to filter it out . And that ’s how I thought of this idea to use quilt batten .

Some readers have replaced the sponge filter with the polyester batten . I do not recommend this just because it could damage your pump and will likely need replacing so frequently you wo n’t be capable to keep up with it .

If you could , do one of the method listed below to make it more manageable .

Submersible pond pump.

Submersible Pump| Amazon

Choose a pump that is the right-hand strength for your pond ’s intensity of body of water and allow extra power for any distances the ticker has to ‘ uprise ’ the water .

Example : A 600 - gallon pool with a waterfall that sit 2 - feet above the surface of the water .

Milk crate.

This clause onAdvice for take up a New Garden Pondhas more information on choosing a ticker .

Assemble Your Filter

There are many different ways to do this . Ultimately , you just need a way to a pass all the pee through the batting without stressing your pond heart .

Start with some form of container like amilk crate , wire waste basket , plastic basket , or anything elseyou can find that meets these criteria :

The purpose of this crate is to support thequilt battingwhile keep open it away from the ticker . This will prevent stress on the heart .

Placing pond pump in milk crate.

After setting everything up , the crateful is going to be placed subaquatic in your pond , either on a pond shelf or the bottom of your pool .

So long as your pump will not get damaged , do whatever work with the supplies you have on hand .

If you have a modest size pump , this waste - basket setup also works .

Placing quilt batting over milk crate with tip of pump hose exposed.

invest the pool heart ( this has to bea submergible , recirculating pumpmade for home garden pool ) in the crate . You want a hose attached to the pump to head the output water system to the exterior of the crateful .

Next , wrap the outside of the crate inquilt clobber .

In this example , I was work with small piece of batting , but do use one large man if you have it . It ’s okay if there is some overlap where you fold it at the corner .

Large piece of polyester batting wrapped around milk crate.

You want batting on every part of the crateful where water can get through .   I do n’t wrap the bottom because it sit flush on the pool flooring , but there ’s not harm in having there too if it ’s easier .

Once you submerge this in the pool , the water unremarkably   holds the batten in position . you may also add a bungee cord cord or some nylon roach to also secure   it in place .

Be sure to position the output water hosiery so that the permeate water will be send outside the crate , back into the pool .

Using bungee cord to hold quilt batting in place on milk crate.

That ’s it for forum . Now , submerge the entire thing in your pool . you could batten down it in position with rocks or bricks as needed .

Before you start up the pump , take some picture and videos of the murky water . Then , turn on the pump and let the filter do its work .

take up the pump and keep an oculus on thing to verify everything is running finely .

Milk crate covered in quilt batting held in place with bungee cords.

Take picture every half 60 minutes or so , or whenever you start noticing an improvement .

The comforter batting will gradually rick green / brown as it collects up the goop from the pool water .

So long as the heart is working alright without any reduced water menses , the batting is all right . When it becomes obviously saturated in gunk and/or the flow from the output hose is weaker , it ’s sentence to change the batting .

Pond water before and after using the Empress of Dirt Quilt Batting method.

How often this needs to befall depends entirely on your pool size , the amount of gunk , the enduringness of your ticker , and the batten used — it could need changing a few time in the first few Clarence Day or not .

When removing the dirty batting and crate from the pond , have alarge tub or binright beside it to set everything inside . This will prevent a clump of gunky water system from dribble back into the pond .

As remark , I find a small , 600 - gallon pond with moderate fogginess can show melioration within an hour or two . Often the water is unmortgaged within 4 hour . I trust it ’s the same for you .

Polyester quilt batting.

I ’ve had lots of emails from people with big and/or murkier pool and they say it can take Clarence Shepard Day Jr. or even a calendar week but it works . You have to stick with it , keep vary the batten as needed and eventually the urine will clear ( i.e. you will lam out of alga ! ) .

I ’ve had just one person say they did n’t get results . My only guess is perhaps they had some eccentric of alga or other increment that the batting could not collect .

If you try this , I ’d love to learn how it goes . And if you make out up with a impudent set up , let us know what you did . I arrive up with this method many years ago when we could not find a solution for my mom ’s murky pond . It was pretty nerveless when , within a half hour of essay this , her pool eventually set off to clear and we could see the Pisces the Fishes — and the bottom of the pool — again .

Two mesh baskets sandwiching quilt batting and a pond pump.

Alternative Setups

In-ground Skimmers

I have a second pond with a built - in , ground - grade Panama box . For that one , I sandwich a piece ofpolyester comfort battingbetween twobaking cooling racks(held together with a couple of binder clips ) and place it at the entry to the leghorn .

broil Cooling Racks| Amazon

This filters any piss drop dead toward the pump place in the skimmer loge .

Beautiful Garden Pond

purchase IT HERE

Waterfalls

If you have a modest falls , it is also potential to setup the quilt batting so that all of the water system runs through it on its way back to the pond . I ’ve done it by suspending the batten like a small hummock .

This will work out if your pump is pulling water from the bottom of the pond , ensuring everything gets filtered .

Small Pumps

If you have a smaller pool pump , this setup can work . It does n’t proffer as much surface as the larger Milk River crateful though so you may have to change the batting more often .

habituate two wire mesh wastefulness baskets from the dollar bill store . Sandwich batting between the baskets including the base . lay the pump inside and lower into pool so lip of baskets is just above weewee level . Aim water output hose to shoot piss over top and back into pond .

It does n’t offer as much strain surface as the large milk crate but works alright if your pump is small enough to fit inside .

Quilt batting pond testimonial.

There are more steer forusing wasteland baskets in the garden here .

Maintenance and Prevention

you’re able to continue using the Empress of Dirt Quilt Batting Method and convert the batten as needed ongoing .

It is the fastest method acting but these can also help with on-going upkeep :

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you clean out a pond?

There ’s commonly two parts to this .

First , if your pond water is green and murky , there is potential excess alga . The Empress of Dirt quilt batting method evidence above is very effective at murder the algae from many ponds .

The other trouble is often gunk or debris or gunk on the bottom of the pond . This is some combining of moulder organic materials including leaves , fish wastefulness , and so on .

Before and after photos of the Empress of Dirt quilt batting clear water method.

To me , this is not a problem at all but a signaling that your pool is naturalizing and benefiting wildlife .

I ’ve got so many fish and toad living in my ponds that I no longer fray about this stuff and in fact welcome it . A gunky pool floor provides vital habitat for frog in special and they likely could not come through without it .

If you do n’t have wildlife living in your pool , you may always drain it , make clean out the bottom gunk , and refill it . I ’ve seen some use squiffy - dry vac for this .

Before and after photos of the Empress of Dirt quilt batting clear water method.

To prevent future issues , keep stuff like leaves out as much as you could .

Also , heat promotes algae growth so some nicety over a pond is helpful .

Some mass try leaf net in declension , but I ’ve never find they work as desired .

Before and after photos of the Empress of Dirt quilt batting clear water method.

And you’re able to always go on using the Empress of Dirt batting method to stick around ahead of the algae .

How do I make my pond water clear naturally?

By “ of course ” I ’m assume we mean without added pool chemical substance intended for clean ponds .

First , do everything you may to prevent leave of absence and other natural materials from getting in your pond .

Next , get a good recirculating pump suitable for the sizing of pool and amount of water you are charge to any falls or natural spring .

Before and after photos of the Empress of Dirt quilt batting clear water method.

Then , usebarley straw , which is shown to prevent the growth of algae in backyard pool .

good bacteriamay also help .

If you do see the water supply go bad green , use the comforter batten filter method ( above ) to remove the piddle .

Pond before using Empress of Dirt quilt batting method.

Resources

Buy The Right Batting

Do not employ cheap batting : it can congest your ticker and get sweep up with fish and anuran .

Free Tip Sheet

EmpressofDirt

FREETIPSHEET

Beginner Backyard Pond Tips

File provides an overview of backyard garden pond bakshis .

The download tie will be send off toyour e-mail . Joining our detached newssheet list isoptionalat checkout counter .

Pond after using Empress of Dirt quilt batting method.

Reader Testimonials

Over the years I have take in century of tribute about this puff batten method for clearing pond urine . I ’m actually yet to invite something saying it does not lick for anyone who follow the instructions .

“ We tried this in our 1200 gallon pond ,   and the poly batten work bully !   I make out pieces of batting to stick around on the backside of our filter in the skimmer .   Very easy !   At first I was changing the batting every two hours , but eventually the piss cleared up .   Now I can see the bottom of the pond and all our fish again ! ” ~J.

Ruthsent these photo testify how much gunk the batten collected after just 45 minutes :

That ’s a lot of droppings out of the pond . Hers will take many batting change before it ’s clear . That ’s why it ’s significant not to give up . You ’ll get open water if you allow it to do a thorough job for as long as it takes .

Di   in Australiarecently shared some photos from her pool . It ’s 5×7 feet and 9 inches mysterious . Her pool was load with alga and she said it take 12 hours to light up it as shown below .

Here ’s the pondBEFORE . The pictures are quite small but you may see the immature water , some plants , and a hint of a Pisces below the meshing screen .

This next photo is a good example of what the batting calculate like when it is saturate in algae . When the body of water catamenia indicate any sign of the zodiac of slowing down , it ’s time to change the batting . Depending on your situation , this could be hours , sidereal day , or month .

DURING

While there ’s still some loose alga , now you’re able to see the bottom of the pool and all of the fish . Di jest that they in all likelihood had no mind there were other fish in there with them .

AFTERDi sent this next photo later , showing that the urine continues to clear .

Once that algae is cleaned up , you’re able to either keep using some to maintain the clear pee , or switch to something likebarley straw , which is also good for maintaining it .

Pond companies also commend addingbeneficial bacteriato the water .

Thanks for sharing these pictures , Di !

Victoriasent these exposure with this note : “ I found your idea on how to sort out a murky muddy pond . We gear up it all up last Tuesday and changed the polyester 4 times and its now Monday the following week .   It ’s so clear now . We can see the bottom – about 4 ft deep . It wonderful ! Thanks for post the terrific idea ! ”

Before

After

splendid results and happy fish !

If you ’re new to this , be sure to take photos .

salutary luck !

~Melissathe Empress of Dirt ♛