filtration advice for new pond build

[BGJ223]

Hi folks you all have helped in the past with a couple other builds and I'm seeking your advice yet again. So here is the deal. I am building a pond in the Chicago suburbs. Size is roughly 8 feet by 9 feet with a depth of probably 4 feet. I say probably because I dug to 3 feet but think I should go a little lower due to winters here in Illinois.

For filtration I am thinking 3 55 gallon drums. First is settlemen . Second is mechanical (matala pads). Third will be bio. I plan to install a 4 inch bottom drain that will connect to this filter series.

A pump will pull from the bio filter and run the waterfall. Not sure what size pump I should use for that. I am pretty sure the waterfall will not have any filter material in it unless I do a small filter.

Next to the waterfall I plan to have a small bog that is roughly 3 feet by 3 feet that will spill back into the pond

Next up I want to run a skimmer as well. Not sure if the skimmer should have it's own pump or if it should be connected to the same circuit as my filters.

Input, suggestions, ideas are totally welcom .

Thanks

 

[RobAmy]

As far as the pumps, I would run the skimmer on its own and the bottom drain on its own. One cleans the top of the water and one cleans the bottom of the pond. I do not have a bottom drain but mine has 2 pumps pulling from in the pond to my filters and another in my skimmer. Sounds like a very nice project

 

[addy1]

I have my skimmer and draw from the pond all going to one pump. I do have a ball valve on the skimmer line to dial it to pull harder or less depending on what is falling into the pond ie. leaves etc.

A lot of people have a pump in the skimmer, I prefer having my system run off one pump.

 

[BGJ223]

Thank you both for the replies.

I am still stuck on whether or not I should do direct draw from skimmer, or plumb it into my filter. Either way I can do a single pump to feed the waterfall and the bog filter, which would make the setup a little more simplified since it will be a single pump.

If I went with a single pump and replicated Addys split draw (1 from filtration 1 from skimmer) What size pump would be recommended? I was thinking somewhere in the area of 3500gph, but I am not sure.

Also, for 55 gallon drums and settlement tanks, I have read that you should not exceed 1800gph otherwise particulate will stay suspended more. Is that statement true?

 

[addy1]

Mine is around 6500 gph, some of the flow is sent to the 1000 gallon stock tank, some is sent to the three small ponds, the rest (majority) goes into the bog. I have also used a pump rated for around 4500 gph which worked great. I use the larger pump since I have around 11000 gallons, more or less to move around.

I can't answer about the settlement tank, I do think they say a slower feed is better. So the particles can settle.

 

[BGJ223]

How does this sound.
BD to Filtration (Settlement, Mechanical, Biological) ball gate to manifold
Skimmer with gate valve to manifold
Then Manifold to pump inlet
Then pump to manifold

From the manifold after the pump I can add ball valves for each outlet (1 to waterfall, 1 to bog)
This will allow me to tweak flow and isolate the inlets and outputs. Which I think will be important since I have winter months planning to take into consideration.

Which leads me to another question, winter. So I am from sunny southern california, which means I have never even thought about having to do anything different for my pond in the winter. Now that I am in Chicago, the cold weather and designing with the winter in mind is important.

I have read various strategies for dealing with the winter from people in similar and colder climates and the strategies vary considerably. Some folks run their waterfall all year with success. Some turn off the waterfall. Some Shut off the skimmer. Some add an air ring to create an opening. Given all various routes, I am a little lost on what methodology to focus on.

 

[BGJ223]

Update:

My Filtration is in place, but not final yet, here is what I have.

BD to 55 Gallon Drum settlement to 55 gallon drum with 3 matala sheets in it. Pump draws from this last barrel and goes to the bog area with 300 pounds of gravel.

Next spring the plan is to install the skimmer, then gravity feed that to either the settlement tank or the barrel with the matala ( 1 sheet green, 1 sheet blue, one sheet Gray) in it. Hopefully this will help with the drawn down in the barrels. Or should I hook it in with the pump inlet for direct draw?
Pumps off the barrels fill to around 45 gallons, pump running fully open I drop down to about 30 to 35 gallons. The pump is an Evolution ES4500. If I can get the water a little higher I can either add more Matala or strapping

Also in the spring I will get the waterfall hooked up also, figured why try and get that done in the winter.

I think I am pretty good as far as bio is concerned, but I am a little concerned about fines filtration. What do you guys think?

 

[texmaster]

I think you are very smart to stay away from store bought filters. I spent 1000 bucks on mine and I should have listened to the folks here who tried to shy me away from it.

 

[texmaster]

Update:

My Filtration is in place, but not final yet, here is what I have.

BD to 55 Gallon Drum settlement to 55 gallon drum with 3 matala sheets in it. Pump draws from this last barrel and goes to the bog area with 300 pounds of gravel.

Next spring the plan is to install the skimmer, then gravity feed that to either the settlement tank or the barrel with the matala ( 1 sheet green, 1 sheet blue, one sheet Gray) in it. Hopefully this will help with the drawn down in the barrels. Or should I hook it in with the pump inlet for direct draw?
Pumps off the barrels fill to around 45 gallons, pump running fully open I drop down to about 30 to 35 gallons. The pump is an Evolution ES4500. If I can get the water a little higher I can either add more Matala or strapping

Also in the spring I will get the waterfall hooked up also, figured why try and get that done in the winter.

I think I am pretty good as far as bio is concerned, but I am a little concerned about fines filtration. What do you guys think?

Dont forget bacteria in the spring to prime your filtration!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Dont forget bacteria in the spring to prime your filtration!

Not really a necessity.

 

[texmaster]

Not really a necessity.

couldn't hurt!

 

[BGJ223]

Dont forget bacteria in the spring to prime your filtration!

Never added bacteria before, never truly saw the benefit of using it. Bacteria is free, why pay for it?

 

[texmaster]

Never added bacteria before, never truly saw the benefit of using it. Bacteria is free, why pay for it?

Because you can loose quite a bit in the winter time and it simply speeds up the accumulation in the spring but if you don't care about waiting a month or two more, go right ahead.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Because you can loose quite a bit in the winter time and it simply speeds up the accumulation in the spring but if you don't care about waiting a month or two more, go right ahead.

Not entirely accurate.
Fist, bacteria do not die at a greater rate in low temperature water. However, autotrophs such as the nitrifiers, cease growth (or reproduction) at temperatures below 39F. Heterotrophs, including the sludge eaters, encompass so many taxa that some are active at all temperatures except below freezing and very high temperatures. Additionally heterotrophs reproduce at a rate that is up to 100 times faster than autotrophs, so a sizable population of heterotrophic bacteria is present in pond water during winter months. If they were not active, there would be no reason to maintain a hole in the ice cover for there would be no gases that needed venting. Gases that are a direct result of heterotrophic activity. In the Spring the growth rate resumes as water temperature rises and ,as Nature would have it, is usually in direct proportion to the increase in the metabolic rate of the other aquatic organisms, including and most especially, the fish.
If a pond has that much sediment accumulation, then a good clean-out is warranted. Quick reduction of any sediment by the addition of bacteria only increases the nutrient content of the pond's water possibly triggering an algae bloom which then invites the addition of some "snake oil" algaecide that will further disrupt the biochemical equilibrium of the pond.

 

[BGJ223]

Not entirely accurate.
Fist, bacteria do not die at a greater rate in low temperature water. However, autotrophs such as the nitrifiers, cease growth (or reproduction) at temperatures below 39F. Heterotrophs, including the sludge eaters, encompass so many taxa that some are active at all temperatures except below freezing and very high temperatures. Additionally heterotrophs reproduce at a rate that is up to 100 times faster than autotrophs, so a sizable population of heterotrophic bacteria is present in pond water during winter months. If they were not active, there would be no reason to maintain a hole in the ice cover for there would be no gases that needed venting. Gases that are a direct result of heterotrophic activity. In the Spring the growth rate resumes as water temperature rises and ,as Nature would have it, is usually in direct proportion to the increase in the metabolic rate of the other aquatic organisms, including and most especially, the fish.
If a pond has that much sediment accumulation, then a good clean-out is warranted. Quick reduction of any sediment by the addition of bacteria only increases the nutrient content of the pond's water possibly triggering an algae bloom which then invites the addition of some "snake oil" algaecide that will further disrupt the biochemical equilibrium of the pond.

WOW! Read that a couple times, very good write up. And I am glad it supports my thoughts on bacteria populations during varying seasonal temperatures. Since I have a body of water and some forms of food source for bacteria present in the water, bacterial growth or sustainability will continue during the winter. Meaning, starting up the pond season in the spring shouldn't come with a huge worry about bacterial populations. Unless however I go crazy and try to stock the pond too quickly.