Karen - I have a 1600 gph Laguna pump. The pond has been going since
November. My filter is pretty low end (first try). It is a Laguna out of
pond gravity - basically a commercial storage tote with some bio media and a
coarse filter mat. That empties into a regular Rubbermaid storage tote
which I have stuffed an eggcrate mattress pad in, also gravity. I think this
would work very well except I have put in a couple of pieces of pvc pipe to
provide a path of least resistance so that it doesnt clog up and overflow.
Some of the water must and does go through the padding, just not all of it.
Currently I have about half my flow diverted just circulating the water. I
have had plans to eventually divert this half to a second filter that would
be a better mechanical filter. The bio part of existing system seems to be
working very well. This was part of my considerations which caused me to
think about the uv. Because I do have plenty o fishies I am reluctant to
change much with the filter right now. I would hate to have crystal clear
water to see my poisoned fish. For next season I would be very interested
in knowing how you 'reworked' your Skippy. I am vacillating between that
and a similar design very popular around here but it uses gravel and some
sort of air blower to help clean it out. It does require using the bottom
drain a bit more often to clear the settling portion. The Skippy does sound
very good but I must admit I have some minor reservations about how the
'scotchbrites' stand up over time. The stinky, slimy, attracts who knows
what, aspect described on his site at least causes me to think twice. Of
course people not loving gravel does as well.
Thanxx for the input
Bill Brister - Austin, Texas