filtration for 1350 gal pond

[50shadesofjaredgray]

hey everybody just joined on here to hear from more experienced people so let me introduce my self I'm jared and i have been reefing since i was 6 (now 14) and i have a 180 gal sps reef tank and a carpet anemone biocube and my mother would really like to get a pond and we came to the agreement that if i built it i could put several fishes of my choice in but forget that for now lets get to the pond it is going to be 10 feet long 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep (1350 gal) I'm going to build this pond above ground with a lot of wood and screws aside from the point i need help with filtration I'm going to be keeping a red tail cat fish a silver arowana some koi fish a plecostomus and possibly some other cat fish or other semi predatory fish i know next to nothing about ponds and I'm looking for advice from everyone on here to get the best filtration system to accommodate my fish and make sure they are happy and healthy so please let me know what filtration would be best for this pond preferably something that could handle around 2500 gal since will have several large poop machines a.k.a the cat fish and the koi fish as a side note price is not much of a issue but would rather it be in the $1000-$1500 range and also what pump that would fit the filter

 

[Alpravinosh]

Hello Jared welcome to the forum. What a huge leap for you from reefing to 'ponding'. I too was around your age when I built my fish pond and just like you I came to this forum for help and advise, you came to the right place. Well I am from Malaysia so I can't really quote brands and products you can buy for your pond, but what I can do is maybe give you a general idea of how your pond filter should function.
You need a pump (~3000 gallons per hour) to drive pond water from your pond to your filter/ water features. Your pump can just sit in your pond/ can be located in your skimmer box/ hooked up to a bottom drain. Then it goes into your filter. For a pond of your size a large filter is needed. You could go for a compartment styled filter. Where pond water from pump enter first compartment which handles mechanical filtration of large - medium size particles. U could use a vortex or brushes. Then a second compartment which handles the finer particles. Then another two compartments that have filter media. These media shld be in a fluid motion for proper aeration, to enhance bacteria growth required for your chemical purification. You can hook up an aerator in these two compartments. Then it leaves the filter to the pond. In a nut shell the filter must Handel mechanical and biological filtration. Many companies have condensed these two into a single filter which is more user friendly and efficient and is something you should definitely look at. Always ensure the filter is big enough to handle your fish load. Go for filter meant for dedicated koi ponds as they are larger and more robust.
Other assecories you should add is a UVC which would clear up that filthy green water and even kill of harmful bacteria. Aerators are good option in your pond just to provide a healthier environment for your fish and lastly a skimmer to remove surface derby that may sink to the bottom and pollute your pond.
Well that's all from me. I am sure the other memebers in this forum will give you more input which you could use to create the perfect. Best of luck and do update us in your progress.
Regards Alpravinosh.

 

[ChrisP]

Jared, that sounds like a serious fish load for that size of pond. Even the koi alone is pushing it for this size of pond.

It doesn't sound like you're planning much in the way of plant filtration, so you're going to need a multistage system like Alpravinosh is recommending. This could be a homemade system of barrels or something else. And UV will probably be required as I believe that you'll be wanting clean and clear water since it sound like you want a fish showcase as opposed to a water garden.

Your pump should be in the range of 3000-4000 gph. Aeration, either air stones in the pond, a fountain, or aeration in the filter sequence will likely be required.



PS - Some punctuation in your posts will help others read them.