On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:50:46 CST, Chip wrote:
David Starr wrote:
On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:59:06 CST, "John Arruda" wrote:
I'll be building a 5k gallon pond this spring and need to know what type of
filtration others are having success with.....
Should I build a filter or buy commercial which should run roughly $1500??
Thank you
What will the dimensions of the pond be?
The dimensions will determine how many bottom drains you'll need, and the size
of the settlement chamber before the filters. Normally, the settlement chamber
is 10% of the pond volume or more. There should be a mechanical filter after
the settlement chamber and the skimmer, then biological filters after that.
I thought I had read just about all the requirements for plumbing a
large pond, but this is something new. I never heard of a "settlement
chamber". Is this a "pre-filter"?
Bottom drains connect to the settlement chamber. The pipes enter the chamber in
a way that gets the incoming water to swirl around in the chamber. This allows
the fish waste and other larger debris to settle to the bottom. The cleaner
water then goes to the other filters. This way, the other filters don't require
cleaning as often. The chamber is sized - 10% of the pond volume or more - to
allow the waste time to settle out. You can either have a drain at the bottom
of the chamber to drain off the accumulated waste, or use a trash pump to pump
it out.
I am planning several bottom drains and a skimmer, to run through a
large pool sand filter w/ backwash capabilities, then to a veggie or bog
filter, finally over a stone lip to a waterfall back to the pond. Are
you saying I should have a "settlement chamber" and/or a pre-filter
before the sand filter?
A bottom drain connected to 4" pipe should flow about 3600 gallons per hour, and
with an air dome attached, clean an area about 12ft in diameter. The number of
bottom drains would be determined by the dimensions of the pond.
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