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20-06-2006, 01:50 PM posted to rec.ponds

On 19 Jun 2006 19:08:42 -0700, wrote:

Last year I buried a 145 gallon hard shell pond (80" x 54" x 18" deep -
Tahoe model) and installed a Pondmaster 500 gph pump - box said it's
good for up to 10 1/2 feet lift. The pond is about 18" deep and I
stacked flagstone about 12" high to create a small waterfall. The pump
has a 3/4" output and I used a splitter to create 2 outlets that
cascade down over the flagstone. The waterflow is way too weak for
what I'd like. It's less than a garden hose would produce.

I did that once and the 500 gph pump, not split flow, gave me about
5x1/2" (That is a best guess, eyeball measure.) of spillway that
almost disappeared over the rock falls I had built below the spillway.

Also, the water is constantly cloudy so I installed a "Garden
Treasures" Low Profile Mechanical/Biological filter (Model MF750) . It
says it's for use in ponds up to 750 gallons with pumps between 300 and
700 gallons per hour. It's not a bypass filter, the pump's input is
connected to this filter so the pump draws through it. It's just 2
sponge type filters and some bio balls and it didn't help, the water's
still cloudy and I'm guessing it's restricting the water flow.

It takes some time for a fish pond system to load up with the bacteria
it needs and balance itself. The biofilter houses bacteria that are
found in the earth and ponds with fish waste. These bacteria consume
and convert fish wastes into nutrients plants can absorb, but it takes
a few weeks to get the filter working properly.

Aluminum sulfate is a great for coagulating floating stuff in the
water that makes it cloudy. It either drops to the bottom or gets
taken out when you clean the filter. Aluminum Sulfate 2.66 ounces
per 1000 gal. However it may drop pH and leave a small white ring
around your pond if used a lot. I don't use it as a regular
treatment, but sometimes once or twice a year I kill algae and clean
up with it.

What would be a good filter & pump size to go with to create a better
water flow and keep the water clear? This is a little pond so I don't
want overkill but something that will look nice. There aren't any fish
or plants in the pond.

The pump and filter you have may be adequate for a good goldfish pond,
but it may take a bit of tinkering to work out everything. If you
are set on more water flow over the falls, that may be achieved with a
larger pump and perhaps you can rig the filter for gravity flow, or on
a splitter not to exceed it's limit, instead of pump draw.

If you don't plan to introduce fish and plants into the pond, life
will be more simple if you shop at swimming pool type centers and buy
pool products that will kill fish and plants, but allow you to have
clear water without having to balance and maintain the balance of a
pond. These pool chemicals have to be added regularly to maintain
clear water without fish and plants too.

Regards,

Hal