Ok I am still in the construction stage of my pond. Liner is in and have some plants in. I still have to build falls and perimeter rocks. I originally planned on building a Doc's biofilter and just placing my pump in the pond with no skimmer. Then doing research I decided I was going to build a skimmer. Then the pond gods spoke to me and told me to check craigslist for a cheap pool skimmer. Instead of a pool skimmer I ended up with two aquascape Biofalls and a aquascape skimmer for $250. The skimmer I will install but with all the research I have done it seems like the Docs biofilter works really good. I have already built the Docs filter so do I use the Docs or 1 or both of the boifalls. Thanks for any suggestions.
Doc's Bio filter or Aquascape Biofalls
- Thread starter charleyd
- Start date
fishin4cars
True friends just call me Larkin
The bio-falls can be used along with the DOC filter, In fact there are several ways you can greatly improve the overall performance of the DOC filter and use them. Don't discard them yet. You got a heck of a deal and if use them to your benefit you may be glad you got them in the long run. Plumbed correctly they are really good DYI filters to work with,
The more filtering the better. If you can set the doc filter slightly higher than the falls you can use gravity return to run them. Even an inch higher would work and they could become a fines filter. If you use both falls, one can be gravity return and real low to the water and just trickle in so the doc filter can be hidden better. Then a pump can run the other that is higher for a more dramatic waterfall.
fishin4cars
True friends just call me Larkin
I was thinking running one from the DOC as you described Kenneth and running one from a diverter valve so he could set his flow rate for optimal filtering through the DOC, the seond one could be used as a slow rate filter or even fill it with plants and it could be a mini bog to help control nitrates. There are many possibilities and very useable now that you have them in hand!
So if I place the discharge for my Docs slightly above the discharge for my biofalls I should be fine? I am assuming I still would plumb the discharge from the Docs into the bottom of my bio falls. I have a 3000 gallon pond in the works with a 3600 gph Beckett pump. Will this be enough pump to still produce a decent waterfall flow using 1 docs and one of the biofalls?
I love building filters. For 3 years that's pretty much all I did, build and test all kinds of filters. A great hobby.
But I do want to let other readers know that obsessions with filters is kind of a separate pond hobby. Most hobby ponds do not require additional filters, beyond what the pond itself provides. Fish farmer type fish loads require additional bio filters. Ponds full of large Koi may need bio filters. In those cases ammonia has to be monitored to make sure there is enough bio surface area for the ever changing fish load.
The "more filters the better" is the filter builder's mantra. Building or buying a bunch of filters that aren't actually needed isn't really something we like to admit to. But there's no reason for others to get caught up into this side hobby if you're just wanting a simple water garden and some fish.
But I do want to let other readers know that obsessions with filters is kind of a separate pond hobby. Most hobby ponds do not require additional filters, beyond what the pond itself provides. Fish farmer type fish loads require additional bio filters. Ponds full of large Koi may need bio filters. In those cases ammonia has to be monitored to make sure there is enough bio surface area for the ever changing fish load.
The "more filters the better" is the filter builder's mantra. Building or buying a bunch of filters that aren't actually needed isn't really something we like to admit to. But there's no reason for others to get caught up into this side hobby if you're just wanting a simple water garden and some fish.
It should be fine as long as you don't have very far to pump it. Was also thinking you could have the pump split the flow in 1/2. Send 1/2 threw the Doc which flows into the biofalls. Then have the other half flow into that same biofalls for a nice waterfall flow if you only wanted one falls running. You would have to add a bulkhead or fitting tho if the biofalls has only one inlet.