Thank you all for the suggestions !
I wound up doing both a handmade filter and a waterfall plus an upper pool.
Using water hyacinth at the top of the filter and also in the upper pool.
So far the critters all seem happy ...
Joe Ficalora
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"JoeT" noway@today wrote in message
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" ..." wrote in message
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Hi folks,

I need some help with planning for a new pond.
I am building a 6 x 15 kidney shaped fish pond and was going to fabricate
a biofilter in a large drum.
This would follow the many DIY plans available ...
I was going to hide it inside a 1.25 meter waterfall....complete with
access from the back and plumbing to reverse flush clean the filter....

However, a friend of mine who has had a pond for many years has suggested
a stream with a few deep pools separated by two waterfalls.
He tells me these are capable biofilters, I believe that is what he has,
and it's a new option for me as you can't do that in aquariums...

I am a seasoned aquarist with both Salt and Fresh water aquariums.
So the usual idea of mechanical, chemical and then biological filtration
is standard operating procedure for me.
For the pond I had chosen a skimmer and pail with a net plus a filter in
front of the pump as mechanical filtration.
I was planning on following it with a UV lamp, and then the drum
biofilter / waterfall....

My questions are these:
Is a stream, which I have room for, as good as a crushed gravel 40-gal
drum for a biofilter?
Will the stream require draining and flushing periodically like I had
planned for my drum filter?
If so what is the typical interval and process?

Thanks for any help and suggestions you can provide !
Joe Ficalora


Joe

Everyplace in the system that can collect debris and sediment will. Do
yourself a huge favor and put in bottom drains where applicable. Pond,
Streams, waterfall pools, all filter components. You'll be ever so much
happier you did in the long run. Better still to draw water from pond via
bottom drain into multiple stage filter via gravity with pump housed in
final stage of filtration ( cleanest ) then pump the (clean) water back up
to the falls.

This last arrangement prevents buildup in the pond itself and keeps the
pump from clogging as well as long as the prior filtration stages are
designed well. Don't forget to put a drain in any place where water pools,
unless you like the idea of dredging and vacuuming sludge.. lol