Rather than use the small fountain pump, why not go to Wal-Mart/Meijer/Target and get a indoor aerator/bubbler for a fishtank? I use one year round in my pond. I buy the big one and it costs about $25. With additional tubing and the aeration disk total cost will be around $30.

I put mine under a toad house to shield it from the rain etc. Runs 24/7 and draws a tiny fraction of the power of a even a small pump.

I have to replace it yearly as the cold weather plays heck with the diaphram, although the one I bought last year is still going strong. Kept working even when the cold dipped to -5F!

There are solar pumps on the market that have battery back-up for nighttime and cloudy days. At least one regular here uses one for a pond she has. That would eliminate the need for electrical connections yet give you a working pump.

It is much more possible to keep a pond without a filter if you don't have fish, but having fish means a great deal more maintenance in general.

I think a lot of those products like Muck Defense are meant as a one or few-time treatment, not for ongoing maintenance.

If you got rid of the fish and added lots of plants, you would have a much more maintenance free pond.

If you are going to have a pond without a pump or aeration then I would plan on small frequent water changes to help keep the water fresh. Add water (with dechlor) and overflow the pond every week or so. Add a couple inches of fresh water and keep the bottom clean. Running water prevents mosquitos from breeding. Your pond will be not have a waterfall to keep things running so don't forget to add mosquito dunks.

A filter is pretty essential if just to keep the water moving. Mine also helps remove all kinds of floating muck.

The simplest filter you might get away with is called a sponge filter: it is a piece of sponge at the pond bottom. You run air into a tube inside the sponge so the bubbles pull water in the sponge and out the top of the water. I use one in my 5 gallon aquarium you would need a larger on for 1200 gallons.

They work by giving the bacteria a place to live; your fish need them to process waste. Also air is always a good thing for fish.

If you winter over your fish air is absolutely essential!

I use Tetra Whisper air pumps in my pond, the largest one has 2 outlets. Try 2 sponge filters as big as you can get, one on either end.

Thanks for the advice. I never realized that solar-powered pumps are available (although, as I think about it, why not?!).

I have to keep the fish. I've had them for years and I like to think that they like me... ;)

Now, I wouldn't be adverse to adding a pump at this point, even hiring an electrician to run an exterior power line, but I have to ask you all if I should, or just simply leave well enough alone.
Here's why I ask this(with more details on my pond than I have written about earlier):

As I mentioned, I've had this (filterless) pond for over 10 years. In winter, I keep a hole in the ice at all times. We have a pump (attached to an extension cord) which pumps water from the main pond up to a smaller area and spills over to create a waterfall. But I only run it for a couple of hours per day in the spring through fall, then take it in for the winter.

I have one major concern at this point.

If I add the filter and new pump (the current one uses too much power) do I have to run it all of the time? And what happens when I cannot do this?

We go away for frequent long weekends, and in the summer go on vacation for 2-3 weeks. At those times I will not run it because, although I have a friend who comes over to check on the house, she is only here for a few minutes each day (she feeds them, and sprays the garden hose on the surface for 10 minutes or so to aerate and refill a bit). I am afraid that during the weeks which we go away, when the pump/ filter would not be used, it would hurt the fish somehow since they would be accustomed to the filtered water instead of, well, the sometimes stagnant pond which I will clean out and do a partial water change just before we leave and then again immediately upon our return.

So, the question is-- if I filter the water, and get the fish accustomed to frequent aeration, would that cause problems when I do not run the filter/ pump for a few days (or a few weeks)?

I apologize for the long post, but I want to be certain that after we go through the expense of buying the filter and having an electrical line installed, this is something that we will not regret. I know that adding a filter would make the water look nicer, and the fish may be healthier (although they seem fine now), but should I leave well enough alone?

Thank you all, so much, for your comments and advice. :)

The fish will stay healthier with well oxygenated water that a pump provides. Your fish will do better to have it most of the season even if you do not run it while you are on vacation. When you go on vacation you can use an air bubbler instead of a pump. Your fish will still have oxygen and you can use it in the winter to keep a hole in the ice.

I actually did the outside electric for my pond. It is seriously very easy. I had an electrician friend check it out and everything was well. Research it a bit and research your city codes too. All in all I had mine done in less then a day and it was way cheap to DIY it. Just make sure you use a GFI outlet or breaker.

Lisa

You don't need a filter as you can see from using the pond for 10 years. We raise fish and the tanks we raise them in don't have pumps or filters. Just fish and plants. We only use filters in the selling tanks because filters are to keep the water CLEAR so people (and predators) can see the fish. The combination of fish and plants is what makes the water healthy. The fish don't care if they can see through it or not.
Forget about all the chemical garbage. Just let the fish be happy. Unfiltered ponds mean the fish don't need to be fed as often because the pond supplies their food.
As long as you keep the debris cleaned out and the water surface opened up (like not 100% covered by fairy moss or duckweed) they will be happy and healthy. Ammonia eating bacteria don't live in the filter....they live in the WATER

eyecndiggit, I know what you say to be true. I am just beginning to populate my pond (see photo; 5' long and 2.5-3' deep; kidney shaped); no fish yet. What plants do you recommend for a healthy environment? Thanks.

I'm unclear on your situation or plan. You don't want power out at the pond but you somehow do have power out there to run things for a couple of hours. Obviously, things already work since your pond has been functional for 10 years. From your second post, it appears that the real concern is the variable treatment, but again your experience shows that variable treatment works.

My own experience shows that various things work ok. I have a pumped ~800 gal stream-pond system that runs all year every day and I also have a larger no pump water storage pond in the woods, filled from our french drain, that has become filled with water plants. The pond-stream started with 3 comets that stabalized at ~17 fish and I moved a few into the storage pond for mosquito protection. They turned into ~30-40 fish that are only occasionally fed but a few of the original group have grown larger than those in the pumped, attended pond.

These ponds have sometimes frozen solid, so that the stream-pond could be stood on. One year, the pump appeared to fail and I eventually turned it off. It had actually blown its hose off and was circulating water around the pond. Anyway, the pond 'appeared' to be totally sealed but the fish were fine.

So: I think you can do whatever you wish. To support goodkarma, running power is easy. You may want to find a neighbor/friend with experience to do it for you. You need a little trench or perhaps an above ground installation (if there is a deck or other established structure) using some plastic conduit that is essentially glued up plastic water pipe to contain/protect the wiring from dampness or abrasion.

Hydrogen peroxide is cheaper than all other pond treatments, it kills bacteria (algae) is safe for ants and fish and breaks down in full sunshine, so add to pollinate do at night.

Im confused too - your first sentence reads you've decided on a filter, then you've decided to look for other options. So basically it sounds like you're wanting to cut down on the work? The skimmer filter would be the way to go IMHO - which removes plant debris before it settles to the bottom. All those chemicals cost $$$ so really, youd come out ahead by putting in the filter- plus you get the benefit of the circulating water/oxygenation.

Also, what filtration does (besides filter stuff out) is provide place for the beneficial bacteria to grow that converts plant debris and fish waste (ammonia) to nitrate which your plants use to grow - (Biosteps 10 is a great filter for this purpose.) All things considered I guesss Im not understanding why you would consider an aerator but not proper filtration?

Read up on the oxbow effect. It is how a natural pond is made. Patience and time is all that is needed. I have 5 ponds of differing sizes and none of them have pumps or filters. Just plants and fish. They went thru a small adjustment as they settled, but now are clear and nice.

Uh oh. Why a hole in the ice? Is that only necessary on ponds with no flow? I hope!

The last 2 connect to each via a tunnel. I am the boss at filter free ponds, i have had garden specialist seek my knowlegde on. This exact topic, i can make umbrella palm grow out of the concrete. 2 to 3 years of this plant power and youl be jumping from concrete slab to slab. Sounds fun , well it is !! This also survives winter 100% with no sun at all, i have winter breeders n summer breeders,

All up i have confirmed all of 7 species breed every year when they are due too, frogs dont swim in here. Over one generation they have learnt this pond is dangerous, and produce tadpoles in the narrow eco tunnel. The narrow structure was designed to be so different to the fibre glass pond that the fibre glass material its self is foreign enough to keep the frogs at bay in their canal environment, i also believe a few have never seen the big fibre glass pond before, being that foreign haha. The frogs n tadpoles live with certain fish that has nature to focus on food that is better to them then tadpole, also special plant structures providing several mini niche scenes, like human minority housing sections. DO NEVER EVER PUT MOSQUITO FISH IN ANY OF YOUR PONDS, their scientific name sound like a curse, then theres their proof they are, i have not met a fish this horrible, based on size they are capable of every myth of tolerance some fish are known for ,but at the time of fish talkism over exaggeration occurs. But not with mosquito fish, your pond life will be shithouse !!!

Plants. Algae isn't a bad thing in general. A few tips. 60% of the pond should be covered in plants. Duckweed, or any pond plant really. There is a lot of reasons this could happen but with enough plants they will compete with the algae. You will still possibly have string or one cell algae but maintained. Don't fret. As a general rule if the water smells do some 20% water changes once a week until you get your plants settled.

Um...devallan8...mosquito fish are guppies and guppie related. Where are you getting your information?? Guppies are only 2 to 3 inches long...goldfish eat guppies.

"The scientific name sounds like a curse so its true" is the silliest thing I've heard from somebody with internet access over the age of 13...i mean for real?

"I have not met a fish this horrible"

You haven't met or even bothered to research either before opening your mouth...

While guppies can tolerate a lot they aren't little demons. They WILL breed if happy and produce like rabbits.

I wouldn't recommend guppies in a pond but not because they are mythological monsters or a cursed fish smh

Ally youve agreed with me but just dont like the fact im arrogant in my answer, fyi ive actually had mosquito fish in my ponds and they arent good at all you look ne where with mozzie fish n notice the poor quality of water they create, and your a drama queen obviously making a scene of the facts , mozzie fish are a pest and over time in a natural pond with goldies will destroy the water and possibly breed too much for goldies to control, u obviously dont know the broad problem they create, u more or less just attacked my character , i still have all my ponds and guess what feminist they run perfect

We used to have a small waterfall in our pond, and there was a filter which hosed water back into the pond, via the 'waterfall' which was a stream-like affair, running down on 3 levels, before the water went back into the main pond.

One bright spring day, having bought some watercress for salad, from a supermarket, I noticed that some stems had roots forming, but I knew that watercress prefers moving water (My SiL lives near a watercress farm in Hampshire) so I stuck these stems into the top section of the waterfall, and placed a flat stone on top to keep them there. Within 3 weeks, I had to pick and divide the clump, and keeping an amount in the top section for the duration of the summer, gave us plentiful supplies of fresh, peppery watercress, AND - it filtered the water amazingly well!

Could I ask for a bit advice. I have a small "nature pond" created in a large plastic barrell aprox 70 gallon . At the moment I have two or three frogs resident, which I'm thrilled about but we get lots of midges and I was advised to get a couple of fish. Would my small barrel be too small for fish.

Far better to start new thread, but sure, 70 gal is bigger than many aquariums. It would certainly not be good in full sun due to overheating of a small water volume. Like almost every gardenweb post, your location or zone would help.

Uk midlands.

I've just realised , not 70 gallon 70 litres. Sorry.

Contrary to popular belief, Goldfish do not STOP growing according to the size of their container. Growth is governed - or limited - by the water quality and general care. Otherwise, they keep growing until they die. Your best bet would be to take a picture of your 'pond' to a local aquarium stockist and speak to an employee there... they could advise you on the most suitable thing to do. You may not even need to buy fish, there may be other solutions...The other thing you can do, is set up a fountain to disturb the water surface. That way, they can't breed as prolifically... they need still water to breathe ... moving water breaks the surface meniscus, and they have less surface tension to attach themselves to...