double 5 gallon filter

[gasman]

Hello to all. I am contemplating in building a two stage filter system with 2- 5 gallon buckets. They will be run in series of course with the first fed through top and out of the bottom into the bottom of the second bucket and then out the top on side and back to pond. I plan on using a elite 800 series out of water pump to push the water. Filters will be mixed layers of limestone and media. Does anyone see a issue with this set up? It will filter a pond totaling around 2500 gallons.

 

[sissy]

It may be to small for that sized pond .Not sure how many fish and what kind .Right now on my pond I will have 2 -50 gallon filters like I had before .I am just building the second 1 .I had to rebuild my pond after moles chewed through the liner

 

[dieselplower]

Depends on your fish load and gph of pumps. Seems too small.

 

[gasman]

Fish load will about be about 8 in the big pond. Sizes are about 12-14 Inches. GPH of Elite series pump is around 4500. I only question this because I have a Jebao out of pond filter running the small pond. It only pulls about 400 gph and does a great job. I also have heavy growth of water lettuce. Those plants do a great job also in keeping it clear. BTW, 4 fish in that pond with a avg size of 8 inches.

 

[sissy]

But plants use up oxygen at night .I have a 2900 gph split off and part goes to 1 filter and rest goes to the waterfall and i have a 2400 gph and it is split the same way and then i have a 370 gph pump that just goes to a uv

 

[gasman]

But plants use up oxygen at night .I have a 2900 gph split off and part goes to 1 filter and rest goes to the waterfall and i have a 2400 gph and it is split the same way and then i have a 370 gph pump that just goes to a uv

 

[gasman]

Never had a O2 issue. Have a good aeration system set up.Also a water mover set up just below the surface with a bubble screen. It is on a timer that runs only 6 hrs a night.

 

[JohnHuff]

One of my DIY filters is a 5 gallon bucket. I use bio-balls in it. Water goes in the top at a angle creating movement and aeration.

 

[gasman]

That was my plan for the second bucket. Media and stone in first and bio balls in second.

 

[dieselplower]

Im not really sure I care for the idea. I personally think a 5 gallons bucket is going to be too small for over 100 inches of fish. Is the pump 800 gph? That's a lot of flow for a little bucket. What order do you plan to put the media in? I would think it would be better for the water to enter from the bottom as well....

 

[JohnHuff]

That was my plan for the second bucket. Media and stone in first and bio balls in second.

Why not make them both moving media? Putting K1 in one of them would vastly increase your bio capacity. I only use bioballs because I already had them.

I have prefilters to make sure that the water going in is clean. You can also add one more as a settlement chamber like waste water treatment plants, though I'd put it in front.

8 fish at 14-15 inches is quite a lot. If you have room, you should consider adding more buckets and more media, like the above setup with an airpump.

 

[gasman]

Way off on the gph. The elite pump I plan on using pulls about 4600 gph. The reason I will use a pump that size is because I plan on placing the filters about 15 feet from pond. I plan on using strictly Japanese filter mats. Please let me clarify one thing the 5 gallon buckets will be a pressurized system. I am using buckets from the food industry that have a top that seals with a o-ring. The whole reason for the buckets is that I figured that if my little Jebao 2 gallon canister cleans my 500 gallon pond than I should have more than enough to handle the big pond.

 

[gasman]

Why not make them both moving media? Putting K1 in one of them would vastly increase your bio capacity. I only use bioballs because I already had them.

I have prefilters to make sure that the water going in is clean. You can also add one more as a settlement chamber like waste water treatment plants, though I'd put it in front.

On the diagram, the air valve at bottom right. Is that a check valve?

 

[gasman]

On the diagram, the air valve at bottom right. Is that a check valve?

I also have extra bio balls. Thus the reason.

 

[JohnHuff]

The whole reason for the buckets is that I figured that if my little Jebao 2 gallon canister cleans my 500 gallon pond than I should have more than enough to handle the big pond.

The guidelines that those companies put out are worthless. It all depends on your fishload. Personally, I wouldn't use the Jebao for more than my 55g indoor tank.

What matters is the amount of media and aeration in your filters. Moving media will give you the best surface area and saturation. With that amount of fishload I would strongly advise K1 plus an airpump.

But in the end, the most important thing will be testing. As long as you have 0 ammonia and nitrites you will be OK no matter what filter system you use.