pressurized filters

[svenni]

Hi Mike,

I would not take the comments too serious. If you have a 500 gallon pond it should be somewhat 2000 liters (I hope that is correct). Having 4 fishes with approx. 40 cm length in there is a bit much. If you have a 5000 gallon pond and 40 koi in the same size a lot of people will tell you that it is OK, actually it is the same (and not OK). Bottom drain is the choice for sure but I disagree that for a 2 gallon pond it is required, especially if you use a pump that has a flow rate 3x of the pond volume. If there is a decline on the floor it should be OK. The Bioforce filter is OK for your application, but I would recommend the biggest model they have (in here it would be Bioforce 16000). A good option is the Saturn Booster (same Brand) which uses a fine mesh and does great mechanical filtering. Both filters are pressurized and can feed a water fall.

Just to make it clear, I also think "the bigger the better" but talking about state-of-the-art pond technology and mentioning a settlement chamber (or call it a poop reservoir better) at the same time is the same mismatch with 4 koi in a 500g pond.

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by mike4100 Thanks Papabear. Is say 700-1000 GPH splashing down a waterfall not enough to add oxygen to the pond? Like I said, so far I have had no problems with water quality or fish health in the 4 years this pond has been running. The pond is in shade 80% of the day, and I use the Microbelift products. I`m just sick of reaching down to the bottom of the pond everyday to pull out the Laguna foam filter to clean it.

Where oxygen is concerned, more is almost always better. The air diffusers on bottom drains perform 2 important functions. The obvious one is that they add O2 to the pond, but the current generated by the air also sweeps water and wastes toward the bottom drain, which minimizes any accumulation of detritus in the bottom of the pond and improves the efficiency of the whole system.
I can definitely understand the sponge cleaning issue. It is an unnecessary thing if you have a good filter setup. Any Koi Pond needs water that is completely free of Ammonia, and Nitrite, with minimal Nitrate levels, and stable ph. These are difficult with smaller ponds stocked to any level, but especially so if they are stocked heavily as yours is. That means your filtration needs to be overkill sized to compensate for the natural instability of a small water volume as even a modest rain shower can cause major changes in your water chemistry.