I have a 35 gallon pond. I know, I know. Way too small, but I'm
going on my 5th year and I have no room for anything larger right now.
I have tried several filters (aquarium, etc. with no success) and am
wondering if anybody out there has a plan to make a homemade biofilter
(external preferrably) for such a small pond. I have seen several
plans for trickle down biofilters made out of large Rubbermaid
containers, but they seem very much overkill for such a small amount
of water. (By the way, it is a preformed, kidney shaped pond and is
sunk into the ground. It does get dirty by the end of the season.)

If you know of any such plan, I would love to hear about it. I know
it is important to have some kind of filtration and/or aeration for
the fish, but just haven't found the right type yet for my particular
situation. The fish end up dying, probably of suffocation. I am not
trying to keep a bunch of fish, but it would be nice to be able to
keep 5 or 6 successfully. The best I have done so far is 2. All the
plants do nicely, and algae is not a major problem. I am very limited
on space, so even a 5 gallon bucket is iffy (and not too
attractive--in such a small space it would be hard to conceal). I
know the pond probably really heats up in the heat of the summer, and
maybe that is a contributing factor, but if I shade it a whole lot,
then the lilies won't bloom. Ugh!

Thanks so much for any help!

Pondluvr wrote:
I have a 35 gallon pond. I know, I know. Way too small, but I'm
going on my 5th year and I have no room for anything larger right now.
I have tried several filters (aquarium, etc. with no success) and am
wondering if anybody out there has a plan to make a homemade biofilter
(external preferrably) for such a small pond. I have seen several
plans for trickle down biofilters made out of large Rubbermaid
containers, but they seem very much overkill for such a small amount
of water. (By the way, it is a preformed, kidney shaped pond and is
sunk into the ground. It does get dirty by the end of the season.)

If you know of any such plan, I would love to hear about it. I know
it is important to have some kind of filtration and/or aeration for
the fish, but just haven't found the right type yet for my particular
situation. The fish end up dying, probably of suffocation. I am not
trying to keep a bunch of fish, but it would be nice to be able to
keep 5 or 6 successfully. The best I have done so far is 2. All the
plants do nicely, and algae is not a major problem. I am very limited
on space, so even a 5 gallon bucket is iffy (and not too
attractive--in such a small space it would be hard to conceal). I
know the pond probably really heats up in the heat of the summer, and
maybe that is a contributing factor, but if I shade it a whole lot,
then the lilies won't bloom. Ugh!

Thanks so much for any help!


--Im guessing here that you need a bio filter and aeriation mainly so I
would sugest a small maybe 1 gal can sized Trickle Tower, you would
only need a 30 or so gallon per hour pump (at the most smaller would
do ) you can builld one rather easily with hi temp hot glue and some
lava rock or old CD,s antything that would let water and air mix on
all the surfaces of the media shape of the TT doesnt matter so take a
tube and start glueing whatever to it till yoo get something you like :-)
put in in the pond and turn it on-- it takes about a week for the
bacteria to form on the media







John Rutz
Z5 New Mexico
If it can't be fixed with bailing wire or duct tape
its not worth fixing

see my pond at:

http://www.fuerjefe.com

do you have room for a flowerpot beside the pond? choose one that will hold
about 2-3 gallons of water. chip a lip into one side of the pot and balance
the flowerpot with flat rocks at an angle so that when the pot fills with
water it will overflow back into the pond. get a small submersible water
pump. silicone the return tube from your pump into the bottom hole of the
flowerpot. put plastic pot scrubbies in the flower pot. get a smaller
flowerpot drip tray and drill holes in the bottom of it. put the flowerpot
tray inside the pot, on top of the scrubbies, to hold the scrubbies down.
you could plant watercress in the tray and it will help filter the water.
the pump will pump water into the flowerpot filled with plastic scrubbies.
when the pot fills up, the water will spill over the side back into the
pond. the scrubbies inside the pot will collect the good bacteria, as well
as some silt you won't want in the pond. the watercress will help filter the
water. to hide the bottom of the pot with the tube sticking into it you
could pile rocks around it and silicone them in place so they won't fall
over.
also, 2 or 3 fish are the right amount for 35 gallons--10 gallons per fish
is the going rate.
good luck!
mad
--
A great many people believe they are thinking when they are
merely rearranging their prejudices.

From: (Pondluvr)
Organization: http://groups.google.com/
Newsgroups: rec.ponds
Date: 26 Apr 2003 20:20:52 -0700
Subject: Tiny pond biofilter

I have a 35 gallon pond. I know, I know. Way too small, but I'm
going on my 5th year and I have no room for anything larger right now.
I have tried several filters (aquarium, etc. with no success) and am
wondering if anybody out there has a plan to make a homemade biofilter
(external preferrably) for such a small pond. I have seen several
plans for trickle down biofilters made out of large Rubbermaid
containers, but they seem very much overkill for such a small amount
of water. (By the way, it is a preformed, kidney shaped pond and is
sunk into the ground. It does get dirty by the end of the season.)

If you know of any such plan, I would love to hear about it. I know
it is important to have some kind of filtration and/or aeration for
the fish, but just haven't found the right type yet for my particular
situation. The fish end up dying, probably of suffocation. I am not
trying to keep a bunch of fish, but it would be nice to be able to
keep 5 or 6 successfully. The best I have done so far is 2. All the
plants do nicely, and algae is not a major problem. I am very limited
on space, so even a 5 gallon bucket is iffy (and not too
attractive--in such a small space it would be hard to conceal). I
know the pond probably really heats up in the heat of the summer, and
maybe that is a contributing factor, but if I shade it a whole lot,
then the lilies won't bloom. Ugh!

Thanks so much for any help!



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a few more things:
1. can you put a tall, bushy potted plant on the west/south side of the
pond? you could set it out and watch so the shadow falls across the pond.
that would shade the pond a little in the late afternoon.
2. an air pump with tube and airstone would help your fish with their oxygen
problem.
3. what kind of plants do you have in your pond? i believe you say you have
a waterlily?
mad
--
Shortest distance between two jokes: A straight line.

From: (Pondluvr)
Organization: http://groups.google.com/
Newsgroups: rec.ponds
Date: 26 Apr 2003 20:20:52 -0700
Subject: Tiny pond biofilter

I have a 35 gallon pond. I know, I know. Way too small, but I'm
going on my 5th year and I have no room for anything larger right now.
I have tried several filters (aquarium, etc. with no success) and am
wondering if anybody out there has a plan to make a homemade biofilter
(external preferrably) for such a small pond. I have seen several
plans for trickle down biofilters made out of large Rubbermaid
containers, but they seem very much overkill for such a small amount
of water. (By the way, it is a preformed, kidney shaped pond and is
sunk into the ground. It does get dirty by the end of the season.)

If you know of any such plan, I would love to hear about it. I know
it is important to have some kind of filtration and/or aeration for
the fish, but just haven't found the right type yet for my particular
situation. The fish end up dying, probably of suffocation. I am not
trying to keep a bunch of fish, but it would be nice to be able to
keep 5 or 6 successfully. The best I have done so far is 2. All the
plants do nicely, and algae is not a major problem. I am very limited
on space, so even a 5 gallon bucket is iffy (and not too
attractive--in such a small space it would be hard to conceal). I
know the pond probably really heats up in the heat of the summer, and
maybe that is a contributing factor, but if I shade it a whole lot,
then the lilies won't bloom. Ugh!

Thanks so much for any help!



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