Pond equipment suggestions

[jimfish98]

Please try and bear with me as this is my first koi construction project. I am in Central Florida and plan on building a pond that is a mix or recreation and to possibly raise a few koi for show as a hobby. I will be building a 12 by 8 pond that is 3 to 4 feet deep through the use of large lumber, liner, and a lot of hardware to support its weight out onto the walls. I plan on having a small upper level of small stone and plants to have my water return to and then flow down from it using multiple water falls. Right now I am looking for recommendations on my pump and filter. I do not want to invest in a huge system yet as this is still a young hobby. I was thinking of a SICCE Green Reset 40 with a submersable pump of up to the max 2200gph the filter can take. The pond will get a mix of sun and shade and will have probably 10-20 koi in it max. The pump would also have an additional inlet so I can hook a skimmer up as well. Any thoughts on my filter? Any suggestions?

[Snake]

I don't see a settlement tank. I don't see a bottom drain. Koi are a dirty fish compared to goldfish. My pond is around 5500 gallons with 25 koi in it, with 2 bottom drains to a 330 gallon S/C pumped to 2-55 gal. bio filters that feed 2-2" TPR's. Skimmer feed 2-55 gal. S/G (fines) filters. Ten to twenty koi in 2160 (3' deep) to 2880 (4' deep) is a lot of fish. I'm not an expert but I feel you need to go bigger with pond and filter or go less with the fish load.


Just my $.02 worth

Haver fun & enjoy and stop learning

[jimfish98]

I am open to suggestions. I have not built my own pond yet and I have heard multiple ways of doing everything from those with ponds, those that build them, etc. Everyone has their own right way of doing it. I am hesitant on cutting a bottom drain yet due to this being a first build and the cost of a liner that big. i was thinking of forming the bottom to slope into two lower points where i can stick the submersable pump that pushes out to the filter. One pump and one pressure filter with UV to each of those lower points. Return would be through the bog/waterfall and then a second along one end to create a slight current for the fish. With two pumps running at near 2000gph through 4000gph tanks should run a pretty heavy cleaning loan in my mind.

[bighatbulls]

Are you going to have some of the pond underground?

I have a 10X5X3.5 "koi crate" That I built last summer with 2x12's, 4x4's and 2x6's. One of the problems we have with this pond is that it bows out. The problem is that it doesn't have a solid bottom, its a bottom less box.

Also is this going to be "THE" pond. Meaning are you going to make a more permanent pond later or is this it? If this is it you want to do it right the first time. There are several bottom drains that work with liners. You also should consider a skimmer, and a waterfall. The Waterfall helps mix in O2 into the pond. If you are not planing to have a big waterfall, make sure your return is out of the water. Don't put the skimmer right next to the waterfall, try to keep the waterfall and the skimmer on opposite sides of each other. Preferably with the waterfall up wind.

[jimfish98]

The plan thus far is to create a 12 by 8 by 4 pond into a partial incline right next to the house (gutters remove the issue of rain run off). The long side near the house will be partially burried (about 2ft) while the other end is fully open. I will be using 4 by 4 pressure treated posts to build the frame. I will alternate the corners and use metal pins/rebar to lock the corners in together. I will also be using 7 inch screws along the walls and will probably add in a few more pieces of rebar as well. The bottom row will sit on FHA Header blocks that will be filled with gravel to move rain water off the base and give sturdy support. For a bottom (and maybe on the sides due to recent hard freezes in FL) i will put in foam board. I will then top that with playground sand to create two pockets where i can put in the submersable pumps rather than bottom drains. One pump will lead to a UV pressure filter (maybe to a prefilter first), and then run up to a 12ft long bog box on top of the pond. This will use gravel and plants to help filter the water and then over flow with three waterfalls back into the main pond. The second submersed pump I was thinking of having a second inlet on and using that for bottom drainage and the skimmer. This would run out to the UV pressure filter (again, maybe a pre-filter) and then returned to the pond split between the bog box and some jets on one end to create a current. For this second filter i would have the returns with valves to control flow between the box and the current to adjust as needed. At some point I may upgrade the filtration and set up, but for now I am looking for a starting project. I do not want anything too permanent yet. If the system is slightly under performing for a bit, its not a big deal as I work from home and often have a lot of free time where i can tweak the system, adjust, or clean the pond a bit.

My main question is, any recommendations on the submersed pumps or UV pressure filters? Reviews online are limited and stores always push what they have in stock.

[bighatbulls]

My main question is, any recommendations on the submersed pumps or UV pressure filters? Reviews online are limited and stores always push what they have in stock.

You will be happier with a pump that is not in the pond. Some of the draw backs with the pump in the pond: electrocution, accidental drainage from loose connection or broken fitting etc., and the grinding of fish poo by the pump impellar. The latter fouls your filter with poo something that you want to avoid. Idealy you want toe poo removed from the water before it goes through the pump. This is why Snake mentioned the vortex.

I quickly drew up my koi crate filtration system. It uses a Tretra vacuum drain (1). These drains are good for retrofits, but gravity fed bottom drains are far superior. It goes to a leaf catcher (2) the pump (3) UV (4) my DIY Biofilter (5) and then the outlet back to the pond (6)

I think my goldfish pond filtration unit my give you some ideas so let me draw it up and post it for you.

Hope this helps.

[jimfish98]

It uses a Tretra vacuum drain (1). These drains are good for retrofits, but gravity fed bottom drains are far superior. It goes to a leaf catcher (2) the pump (3) UV (4) my DIY Biofilter (5) and then the outlet back to the pond (6)

Any recommendations on the pump? What about filters? Any opinions are welcome.

[bighatbulls]

I am using a 800 gph Pondmaster pump that can go in or out of the pond. Pondmasters have a good warranty and you can get parts to rebuild them.

My crate is about 1000 gal. Someone better versed on pond turn over rates should step in here and talk to you about how many times your pond should "turn over" in an hour. That is the key to selecting the correct PUMP needed for your pond.

Ok this system in the picture is a gravity based system. The idea here is that gravity does most of the work pushing the water through the pipe at the bottom of the pond which keeps all the water lvls the same. It is very cost effective.

This is a complete DIY project. The box is 6LX3Wx2D(feet) with a liner. 1. is a concrete antivortex dome. the mold is an old rubber maid bowl. 2. is a shower drain. 3. pipe going into the vortex. The vortex is made with a 5 gallon bucket, styrafoam, and fiberglass. The bottom of the bucket is a 1 1/2 ABS drain grate. 4. We are going to plumb this to a valve so we can water the flowers when we do water changes and back flush the system. 5. the pipe to the biofilter, idealy it will be fed by a 90 degree elbow that sits just below the water's surface. The water flowes out a shower type head onto 6. japanese mat (matala) that is supported by a pvc grate (light diffuser) held up by pvc pipe. 7. return to pond.

I am not sure what pump I am going to use here, something small maybe a 50 gph or a 100 gph, but I need to get the water from my filter to a deer scare I am going to build and possibly a crane spitter.

I hope I gave you some good ideas. I am positive that other people will chime in and give you even better ideas.

[ricshaw]

Please try and bear with me as this is my first koi construction project. I am in Central Florida and plan on building a pond that is a mix or recreation and to possibly raise a few koi for show as a hobby. I will be building a 12 by 8 pond that is 3 to 4 feet deep through the use of large lumber, liner, and a lot of hardware to support its weight out onto the walls. I plan on having a small upper level of small stone and plants to have my water return to and then flow down from it using multiple water falls. Right now I am looking for recommendations on my pump and filter. I do not want to invest in a huge system yet as this is still a young hobby. I was thinking of a SICCE Green Reset 40 with a submersable pump of up to the max 2200gph the filter can take. The pond will get a mix of sun and shade and will have probably 10-20 koi in it max. The pump would also have an additional inlet so I can hook a skimmer up as well. Any thoughts on my filter? Any suggestions?

I am not familiar with the SICCE Green Reset 40 pond filter.

I could be wrong, but from the web site (www.sicce.com) it does not look like the SICCE Green Reset 40 is a big enough bio-filter for a 2000 gallon pond.

How big is this filter? From the web site it is hard to tell.

[jimfish98]

I am not familiar with the SICCE Green Reset 40 pond filter.

I could be wrong, but from the web site (www.sicce.com) it does not look like the SICCE Green Reset 40 is a big enough bio-filter for a 2000 gallon pond.

How big is this filter? From the web site it is hard to tell.

The 40 is for up to 5300 gallons with a max flow rate of 2200gph. I am opting now to to above and beyond that. I am going to take a page from Mike Holmes, Do it Right, and Do it Right the first time. I will be posting an updated plan later today as i have found the bottom drain, the external pump, some of the filter media, etc. Will be able to give everyone a clearer image soon and get some more solid opinions.