Starting Over
 

I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 10'W x 13'L x 3'D.
(2,400 gal)
Until recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root
system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom, but not
sure
if this the right thing to do. What kind of filtration/pump equip
would
be best suited for this size of pond?

Starting Over
 

My advice is forget the gravel, unless you never EVER plan to clean it
again.

Once it gets a nice deep layer of sediment in the rocks and some more
root systems, it's like a new layer of concrete and a REAL pain to
remove, even with a shovel.



On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:53:31 CST, RobJ wrote:

I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 10'W x 13'L x 3'D.
(2,400 gal)
Until recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root
system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom, but not
sure
if this the right thing to do. What kind of filtration/pump equip
would
be best suited for this size of pond?
Mike Patterson
Please remove the spamtrap to email me.
"I always wanted to be somebody...I should have been more specific..." - Lily Tomlin

Starting Over
 

You should get lots of reponses to your question.

You have enough volume to handle koi.

Most ponders with enough fish to create a substantial amount of waste
try to avoid gravel. It is hard to clean and holds muck
anaerobically. My suggestion: avoid gravel like the plague.

Does your pond have a sloped bottom? If it does, a bottom drain will
serve you well. The koi will stir the muck and a collector, such as a
2" drain in a 5 gal bucket with as many 1/2" holes as you can put in
it, will clean your pond for you very well. You will only have to
clean up leaves once a year or so. (That is how we have st ours up.)
Other pick up and filter options would allow an inline filter to grab
the leaves etc. for you.

People have various filter choices. We went for ample veggie
filters. Slow flow through the roots of growing plants will provide
you with good mechanical filtration, good bacerial surface, and a way
to remove nutrients by plant growth. They are very easy to clean by
drining and flushing...once a year.

We have gone with a submereged filter at the deepest point. We are,
however, set up to put in an inline pump. The forer is very quiet.
Perhaps not as effecient.

Others will have more and different info for you.

Enjoy your new pond.

Jim

Starting Over
 

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:53:31 CST, RobJ wrote:

I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 10'W x 13'L x 3'D.
(2,400 gal)
Until recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root
system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom, but not
sure
if this the right thing to do. What kind of filtration/pump equip
would
be best suited for this size of pond?

No to gravel on bottom. If you want to go with koi I highly suggest a retro
fit for a bottom drain to keep a filter out of the pond. Easier maintenance
and leaves more room for the fish to swim. You can see how we did this on
my website, *My Filter* below. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us