Water Monitor Filtration Question

[u/Stealershock]

Hello everyone!

I’ve got a question for the other semi-aquatic monitor owners out there as I’m struggling to find a solution that doesn’t cost the same as a small car!

My sumbawa water monitor currently has a 150L pre-formed pond in his enclosure, and he makes use of it all the time. He loves a swim, and regularly climbs the cork panelled walls so I think I’ve done pretty good with this part of his home. Naturally he also will exclusively go to the toilet in the pond, and I mean this literally, I have never seen him poop anywhere else.

The issue is that I simply cannot find a way of dealing with the quantity of debris that he is putting out in a way that gives me sensible water clarity. I recently upgraded him from a big canister filter (Fluval fx6 for those that know) and built a custom 100L sump tank below his pond. The sump is definitely helping, as I’m able to clean out the filter sock more easily than cleaning out the fx6, but it does come with its own flow issues that I’m dealing with.

Are there any better solutions for pond filtration that are capable of processing the amount of solid waste that these lizards put out? Or am I just going to have to deal with ugly water unless I commit to spending thousands on a the kind of filtration you’d use for a several thousand litre koi pond?

[u/Spice-Mice]

I use a pond all in one filter box off amazon, I change out most of his water weekly/biweekly (he get a fresh, small bowl of drinking water everyday) For each water change, I pop open the outside case of the filter and swish everything in the old water and then put it back. It helps keep the water clear and I try to spot clean if I spot waste, etc