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#1
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Another Filter Question
I'm getting to the point where I think I'm going to need to put in a
good external filter, maybe with UV. I don't need the pond to look like a swimming pool, but the suspended solids and algae are really getting out of control. At present all I have is some filter material in my skimmer over my pump, and some lava rock and filter material (and plants!) in my waterfall box. I'm definitely not handy, so a diy solution isn't gonna work for me. Any recommendations regarding a good ready-made filter system? Thanks. Joan ___________________ |
#2
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Another Filter Question
On Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:11:56 CST, Joan wrote:
I'm getting to the point where I think I'm going to need to put in a good external filter, maybe with UV. I don't need the pond to look like a swimming pool, but the suspended solids and algae are really getting out of control. At present all I have is some filter material in my skimmer over my pump, and some lava rock and filter material (and plants!) in my waterfall box. I'm definitely not handy, so a diy solution isn't gonna work for me. Any recommendations regarding a good ready-made filter system? Thanks. Joan Joan, you may be fine, clue us in on how big the pond is, the flow rate, the inhabitants, etc. Water parameters, if you have test kits. Patience may be all you need. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
#3
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Another Filter Question
I'm getting to the point where I think I'm going to need to put in a good external filter, maybe with UV. [snipped for bandwidth] Joan, you may be fine, clue us in on how big the pond is, the flow rate, the inhabitants, etc. Water parameters, if you have test kits. Patience may be all you need. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us The pond is about 1800 gallons, only around 8 goldfish. Water parameters are all good. Just have tons of suspended solids: mud and now a major algae bloom, despite barley straw and elodea. Can't see the fish unless they are right up close to the top. Joan |
#4
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Another Filter Question
Your fish load is good and light. If you have all those solids, some
more effective filter medium or settling tank may be in order. Lava rock is notorious for getting clogged and for not filtering. Folks here will suggest many options. The slow-passage veggie filter is always good. Ours take about 45 min for the water to pass through. The hyacinth roots really slow the flow and most of the junk settles out before the exit. We have used a UV to handle initial algae blooms. Once the pond plants really get going, however, we turn it off. It needed less than 2 weeks this year. Low use saves cost! Good luck. Jim |
#5
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Another Filter Question
Your fish load is good and light. If you have all those solids, some
more effective filter medium or settling tank may be in order. Lava rock is notorious for getting clogged and for not filtering. Folks here will suggest many options. That's kinda what I'm thinking. Any recommendations in particular? The slow-passage veggie filter is always good. Ours take about 45 min for the water to pass through. The hyacinth roots really slow the flow and most of the junk settles out before the exit. Do you set that up outside the main pond? Like, for instance, would I put them in my waterfall box? We have used a UV to handle initial algae blooms. Once the pond plants really get going, however, we turn it off. It needed less than 2 weeks this year. Low use saves cost! Good luck. Jim Oh that's good to know. I have been thinking about UV and wanting to make sure it's safe, in terms of oxygen crash/dead algae, harming beneficial bacteria, etc. What do you all think about the bottom drain issue? Can I get by without one if I vacuum or scoop the bottom with a net on a long handle or both? Joan |
#6
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Another Filter Question
Hi Joan - 8 GF in a 1800 gal pond shouldn't need much to clear the water - a
bio-filter and oxygenation will do it (waterfall for O2) - I have ~ 40 fish (incl 2 large koi in a 1100 gal pond and it is clear with no UV) - is this a new pond? - it takes awhile to stabilize and a bacteria supplement helps to speed things up Gale :~) The pond is about 1800 gallons, only around 8 goldfish. Water parameters are all good. Just have tons of suspended solids: mud and now a major algae bloom, despite barley straw and elodea. Can't see the fish unless they are right up close to the top. Joan |
#7
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Another Filter Question
That's kinda what I'm thinking. Any recommendations in particular? Screening seems to do well and to be easy to clean. Do you set that up outside the main pond? Like, for instance, would I put them in my waterfall box? Our hyacinth are in berm ponds that act as veggie filters. The rule of thumb, as I understand it, is 10% of the surface of the main pond in the veggie filter. More is always better. Regardless of how much space you have available, more plants is good. You can see our setup on our website (see our profile) Oh that's good to know. I have been thinking about UV and wanting to make sure it's safe, in terms of oxygen crash/dead algae, harming beneficial bacteria, etc. UV is a great interim measure. We prefer not to have it necessary in the longer run. Algae cannot compete with more complex plants once the latter get going! UV lets you crunch an algae bloom. What do you all think about the bottom drain issue? Can I get by without one if I vacuum or scoop the bottom with a net on a long handle or both? If your pond has a low point, it is a great place to pull water from for the filter. If the junk can settle in a veggie filter of regular filter before the pump, pulling from the bottom is a self-cleaning mechanism. We pull the water from the bottom of a 7' 'deep well' (old septic tank) in the pond. The koi stir the muck, which drifts down into the hole. The pump intake is 4" off the bottom in a 5 gal bucket with as many 1/2" holes as I could put in it. Big stuff can't get in and the draw on each hole is very low. Works great. Small stuff goes to the veggie filters and settles. Good luck. Jim |
#8
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Another Filter Question
That's kinda what I'm thinking. Any recommendations in particular? Screening seems to do well and to be easy to clean. Regular nylon screening? Do I put that in my skimmer filter? Do you set that up outside the main pond? Like, for instance, would I put them in my waterfall box? Our hyacinth are in berm ponds that act as veggie filters. The rule of thumb, as I understand it, is 10% of the surface of the main pond in the veggie filter. More is always better. Regardless of how much space you have available, more plants is good. You can see our setup on our website (see our profile) A berm pond is a nice idea. Don't know if I can do that, but I can float water hyacinth in the main pond. I have quite a few in there now. It's not doing much to clear up the murkiness though. :-( UV is a great interim measure. We prefer not to have it necessary in the longer run. Algae cannot compete with more complex plants once the latter get going! UV lets you crunch an algae bloom. Sounds good. What do you all think about the bottom drain issue? Can I get by without one if I vacuum or scoop the bottom with a net on a long handle or both? If your pond has a low point, it is a great place to pull water from for the filter. Do I use one of those retrofit drains that pulls water from on top of the liner? Do I need a submersible pump for that? Can I use my skimmer pump? Do people sometimes need more than one pump in their pond? If the junk can settle in a veggie filter of regular filter before the pump, pulling from the bottom is a self-cleaning mechanism. We pull the water from the bottom of a 7' 'deep well' (old septic tank) in the pond. The koi stir the muck, which drifts down into the hole. The pump intake is 4" off the bottom in a 5 gal bucket with as many 1/2" holes as I could put in it. Big stuff can't get in and the draw on each hole is very low. Works great. Small stuff goes to the veggie filters and settles. Good luck. Jim Thanks Jim. That sounds like a nice design. What kind of maintenance does that system require? Joan |
#9
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Another Filter Question
The pond is about two years old. I thought this year it would be
clear. I have a bunch of elodea that I thougt would out-compete the algae, plus plants. My biofilter seems to be working fine (knock wood), since the ammonia seems to be cycling okay. Don't know why it's so murky. What about the gunk on the bottom? I don't wanna drain the pond in the fall, since I've been working on "seasoning" the water for two years and have it pretty nice now. A pond guy in a store scared me about hydrogen sulfide buildup and said my skimmer pump won't get the stuff from the bottom well enough. The pond is about 3 foot deep. I did get a pond vac and I'm gonna get a swimming pool net on a long pole, as some folks here suggested, to try to get the muck out before it gets bad. Will that do it? Joan Hi Joan - 8 GF in a 1800 gal pond shouldn't need much to clear the water - a bio-filter and oxygenation will do it (waterfall for O2) - I have ~ 40 fish (incl 2 large koi in a 1100 gal pond and it is clear with no UV) - is this a new pond? - it takes awhile to stabilize and a bacteria supplement helps to speed things up Gale :~) |
#10
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Another Filter Question
"G Pearce" wrote in message
... Hi Joan - 8 GF in a 1800 gal pond.... Hehee.. .enjoy that while you can, and plan for more fish! We started with 5 walmart 25 cent goldfish 3 years ago.. now we easily have over 50 goldfish, and some are BIG. If you are building filters or such, plan for 3 years from now, not today, because you;'ll end up having to rebuild the damned thing again as the load increases. Gareee...on his third larger filter in the same pond after 3 years... |
#11
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Another Filter Question
"Joan" wrote in message
... That's kinda what I'm thinking. Any recommendations in particular? Screening seems to do well and to be easy to clean. Regular nylon screening? Do I put that in my skimmer filter? Walmart carries this large dark green screening.. it's $3 a sheet, and is reusable and durable. You can also cut it with a heavy scissors. It comes in a large plastic bag, and walmart stocks a cardboard case of them.. you just take as many as you need. They are about 2 ft by 3 foot. Just bought 3 more a few hours ago to increase my filter efficiency -- Gareee (Gary Tabar Jr.) |
#12
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Another Filter Question
On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:18:16 CST, Joan wrote:
The pond is about 1800 gallons, only around 8 goldfish. Water parameters are all good. Could you give me the numbers, I may see something you don't. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
#13
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Another Filter Question
Jan,
Would you like to chime in on filters and filter media? Jim |
#14
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Another Filter Question
Walmart carries this large dark green screening.. it's $3 a sheet, and is reusable and durable. You can also cut it with a heavy scissors. It comes in a large plastic bag, and walmart stocks a cardboard case of them.. you just take as many as you need. They are about 2 ft by 3 foot. Just bought 3 more a few hours ago to increase my filter efficiency Oh, thanks. That's a great tip. Joan |
#15
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Another Filter Question
On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 23:42:35 CST, ~ jan wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:18:16 CST, Joan wrote: The pond is about 1800 gallons, only around 8 goldfish. Water parameters are all good. Could you give me the numbers, I may see something you don't. ~ jan Ammonia and nitrite negative, pH around 8.0, carbonate hardness around 107-125 ppm. Joan |
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