Here's an effective way to combat the high cost of pool chemicals and maintain a clean, clear pool naturally.
By using a natural bog filter, this method harnesses the power of beneficial bacteria and riparian plants to filter and purify the water, reducing the need for harsh chemicals while keeping the pool in top condition.
Materials:

Large container full of rocks and pebbles (e.g., a cheap trash can)

Riparian pond plants (e.g., creeping Jenny, Japanese taro, and yellow flag iris)

Pond pump (pumps enough gallons per hour to cycle the pool once every hour or two)

PVC fittings for a spout and drain at the bottom of the filter

Copper pieces (optional but helpful)

How It Works:

Setup:
The pond pump pulls water through a flexible pipe into the bottom of the trash can.
Water flows upwards through the layers of rocks, trapping debris and hosting beneficial bacteria.
Filtered water spills out of the spout at the top.

Filtration:
The rocks trap debris and help filter the water.
Beneficial bacteria consume nutrients and waste from decaying leaves, preventing algae growth.
Riparian pond plants consume nutrients that algae would otherwise use to grow.

Maintenance:

    Skim floating debris and vacuum settled debris regularly.

    Once a season, turn off the pump and open the drain at the bottom. Flush out any gathered debris by running your hose on top of the rocks.

    Keep the pump running 24/7; the power needed to run a small pond pump is negligible.

Benefits:

    Chemical-free pool maintenance

    Cost-effective solution

    Fresh, clean water that is safe for skin

For detailed instructions and visuals, look up natural pools and bog filters on YouTube, especially the “bog filter in a barrel” by OzPonds.
Credit: Selah Harrison

Hashtags:

#PoolMaintenance #NaturalPool #BogFilter #ChemicalFree #PondPump #RiparianPlants #GreenPoolSolution #CostEffective #FreshWater #EcoFriendly #DIYFilter #AlgaePrevention #BeneficialBacteria #PoolCare #SustainableLiving #PoolTips #WaterFiltration #HealthyWater #PoolCleaning #BackyardDIY #OzPonds #ChemicalFreeLiving #PondFilter #NaturalWater

My Aquarium

Today was weekly water change day for my aquarium, full disclosure by the way, it’s usually weekly but I never managed to do a water change last week due to a persistent bad back so this one was fortnightly instead 🙄 But anyway, as I did my water change today, which is also my weekly maintenance session, I decided now would be a good time to do a post about my aquarium.

My tank is a 90 litre (60cm x 40cm x 40cm) “All Pond Solutions” Ultra Clear Glass Aquarium, I have two LED lights on it, one to the back (IREENUO LED Aquarium Light) and one to the front (NO.17 LED Aquarium Light) to give a good overall spread of light, I’m also running two filters on it, an All Pond Solutions EF-150 canister filter at one end and an All Pond Solutions HOB-500 hang on filter on the other end, the two outlets are positioned to give a flow going fully around the surface of the water, these two filters together are providing more than enough filtration.

I have just recently started using the Tropica Plant Growth 60 CO2 System to add CO2 for plant growth, this system is only meant for tanks up 60 litres so as Mine is a 90 litre tank I supplement that with additions of liquid CO2 substitute. I feed my plants with liquid fertilizer daily and a couple of times a week I add a liquid humic acid supplement to promote blackwater conditions, of course the weekly water change stops it becoming to dark in colour.

I have aqua soil at the bottom of my substrata covered in a decent layer of sand capping it off, my hard scape as can be seen on the photo is black lava rock and wood, the tank is then planted with a variety of plants. I have added a good amount of botanicals to the tank, leaves, cones, pods etc plus I have added some micro fauna, Paramecium, Seed Shrimp and Zooplankton as I am trying to create as natural an ecosystem as I can (within reason). There are Nerite snails and Ramshorn snails in the tank as well as a variety of shrimp, Tangerine Tiger Shrimp, Blue Rili Shrimp and Amano Shrimp.

As for fish, there are Cherry Barbs, Sparkling Gouramis, Clown Killifish, Emperor Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Scarlet Badis, Otocinclus Catfish, Duplicate Corydoras catfish and a Dwarf Gourami in the aquarium.

The tank has been set up for around five weeks now and all seems to be going well.

As I said at the start of this post, once a week I do maintenance including a water change. I change around 50% of the aquarium water, added to the new replacement water is API Stress Coat+ which conditions the tap water making it safe for the fish and Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+ for healthy shrimp, then when the water change is done I add some beneficial bacteria in the form of API Quick Start. While I am doing all this I check to see how things are going in my little watery world and if needed I do maintenance, today for instance my stem plants needed a little trimming and the floating surface plants needed thinning out, and you’ll be glad to know that all seems well.

My fish get fed a mixture of dry food, flakes, granules, pellets etc and live food and I have a few types of shrimp food as well.

So that’s a rundown of my present aquarium which from now on shall now be known as my “Nature Blackwater Bedroom Tank” so when I eventually set up another tank of my own we both know which I’m talking about.

Addendum :- I stated that I have Scarlet Badis in my aquarium, Jonathan has the same fish bought at the same time and place along with me, but we have become a little doubtful about them being Scarlet’s and after some research online and talking to another knowledgeable fish keeper we now believe our fish to be Tiger Badis.

https://passivevoyeur.uk/2023/10/17/about-my-aquarium/

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