~ jan wrote:
http://www.aquaart.com/StrBsk.html

For $35? Wow...I guess building one is a useless idea.


Did I miss something? SrBsk are usually used on out-of-the-water pumps and
it appears to me that BV is going to use a submersible.....

That said, BV, here's what you're missing in going with small settling
tanks, they may be easy to clean due to size, but you will be cleaning them
often, and IME I do mean often. I originally started with a 10 gallon
filter on my koi ponds which worked the first year with tiny fish and lots
of plants, (basically the ponds were veggie filters). 10 gallons was a snap
to clean (15 minutes) but it had to be done EVERY day. If you make your
pond system an every day or even every few day maintenance chore, I hope
you have no plans of ever being sick or on vacation, cause no one can keep
up the pond better than the pond master builder (that's you).....

Take a little extra time now and dig a hole for a 40 gallon Rough Tote
Trough at the very least*, use window screening and up flow. In the ground
with water hyacinths growing in the top and it will soon be invisible.
Depending on the inhabitants in your pond, you'll only clean this every 3-6
weeks.

Everyone is right though, that said your veggie filter can also be your
mechanical filter** you've just got your pump placement wrong, imo. It
needs to go after the veggie filter, preferable in a container large enough
that it can't suck it dry faster than it can fill.***

* I'd used a 55 gallon barrel as you get more vertical space to keep the
screen off the bottom but also away from the hyacinth roots.

** A mechanical chamber is still easier than removing all your plants and
cleaning the veggie filter if you have to do it more than once/year. If you
are in an area with winter, the veggie filter should be cleaned in winter
or before spring start up, imo.

***For pump protection you need enough vertical space to use a float switch
so if something clogs the system the pump will shut off rather than burn up
or suck the pond dry.

Just out of curiosity have you looked at my website? ~ jan )


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

to add to what Jan said

one of my filter setups runns 1200 gph through 4 50 gal drums and then
into the veggie filter when I shut down last fall there was 2 in of
muck in each of the barrels and 3 in in the veggie filter.
if I remember right this setup ran from end july to sept
this may give a idea of how much a 5 gal bucket would pick up
--
John Rutz

I'm not Porg am not am not am so
see my pond at:
http://www.fuerjefe.com