Help needed with new large fibreglass pond please

[Carlos]

Hi all, new to this forum and fairly new to pond keeping, firstly I have attached photos to help explain hopefully.

right, I have purchased a large fibreglass , I believe lotus pond, I intend to keep a handful of smallish koi , that’s about it .

I know nothing however about filtration and pumps etc, and I need help mainly with the two holes to the upper part of the pond , see pictures. I obviously would assume ones an inlet and one and outlet ???

but there both different sizes , which I don’t understand…

My idea was to use one for a Oase type pressurised filter , the ones you can partially bury, I was looking at a 10000l model to make sure it’s adequate

so I was thinking to use one hole for that , running from the pump, through the hole using some sort of flexible pipe using a HOSETAIL type fixing ??? But I can’t seem to find male and female ones to join through the hole of the pond …..am I being thick….

Then I was thinking of just blocking the other hole ??? But not sure what to use !!!

then just running the flexible hose return from the buried filter along the side of the pond and forming some sort of waterfall or getting a water blade type thing..

the pic of the pipe was the one that was on the pond when I received it, the other hole was blank as seen in the photo….

I may sound thick but i can’t get my head around it …especially pipe sizes and diameters I’m struggling with , I mean are the flexible type hoses that come with the filters a standard size ?????

any help would be so appreciated
Many thanks

Carl

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! I can’t help with your questions, but others on here will chime in.

Please, let me strongly discourage you from putting koi in this pond! Maybe consider some pretty goldfish, like Shubunkin, which are just as pretty as koi…..they just don’t get a big.

 

[Carlos]

Thanks for that , really ,,,,,strongly,,,,,no koi, …?..

 

[j.w]

and welcome @Carlos
Lol, no such thing as smallish koi, they get humongous! You would love Shubunkins too if you like the koi colors. These fish don't get as big. Still in that small of a pond I would only put a few in there. These can get about 12" but it will take a long time. By then you will be addicted to ponding and will be digging out a much larger pond. Of course we will help you w/that

 

[brokensword]

they're advising correctly; koi can get to 36", and typically easily reach 20", so the general rule of thumb is 1000 gallons for the first koi, 250-500 for each additional. Koi put out a lot of bioload and once you overwhelm whatever filtration you have, and it will as the koi grow (and they grow very fast), you'll lose the fish and most anything else in there as the water becomes toxic. Also, consider bog filtration as it's less labor (after the initial setup) and better for keeping the water healthy and clear.

Flex pvc generally comes/is used in 1-1/2" or 2" sizes. From your pic, I'd say it's about right for those size hoses. A lot of peeps use submersible pumps, so one lead comes from the pump and via a bulkhead, exits the pond through the lower opening in your preform to your filter. The upper is probably the return. The second pic is probably the bulkhead fitting to which your pipes connect and this unit screws into the hole(s). You should have two of them, unless you're going to bypass one and send the filter outlet over the top and into the pond to provide some waterfall/agitation action. In that case, then yes, you'd have to seal up one hole.

Yes, generally the hoses are standard size(s).

 

[Stephen Noble]

Hi all, new to this forum and fairly new to pond keeping, firstly I have attached photos to help explain hopefully.

right, I have purchased a large fibreglass , I believe lotus pond, I intend to keep a handful of smallish koi , that’s about it .

I know nothing however about filtration and pumps etc, and I need help mainly with the two holes to the upper part of the pond , see pictures. I obviously would assume ones an inlet and one and outlet ???

but there both different sizes , which I don’t understand…

My idea was to use one for a Oase type pressurised filter , the ones you can partially bury, I was looking at a 10000l model to make sure it’s adequate

so I was thinking to use one hole for that , running from the pump, through the hole using some sort of flexible pipe using a HOSETAIL type fixing ??? But I can’t seem to find male and female ones to join through the hole of the pond …..am I being thick….

Then I was thinking of just blocking the other hole ??? But not sure what to use !!!

then just running the flexible hose return from the buried filter along the side of the pond and forming some sort of waterfall or getting a water blade type thing..

the pic of the pipe was the one that was on the pond when I received it, the other hole was blank as seen in the photo….

I may sound thick but i can’t get my head around it …especially pipe sizes and diameters I’m struggling with , I mean are the flexible type hoses that come with the filters a standard size ?????

any help would be so appreciated
Many thanks

Carl

Welcome Carl! How many gallons is your pond? You might consider using bulkheads for those holes. Here is a link that might give you some ideas: http://www.lagunakoi.com/Bulkheads-Pond-Fittings-sc-147.html

 

[GBBUDD]

Be careful tightening bulked fittings to a fiberglass tub you don't want to make the nut too tight and you definitely want a soft washer on both sides of the fiberglass. you can easily crack the fiberglass by over tightening.

Once you get the fittings in place you can get a plug to screw into the bulked but you need threaded female or you can use slip fittings and glue it in by i would recommend threaded fittings

 

[Carlos]

Wow thanks for all these replies I’ll take some time to digest it all

he pond is around ten feet long and 600 deep and I worked out at just over 1000 for the volume….

Be back shortly, great stuff, cheers all so,appreciated, just going to read it all again….

 

[brokensword]

600 deep, huh? You dug to Capetown?

 

[Carlos]

600 deep, huh? You dug to Capetown?

Lol, my bad , had just got in from work, lol….. you know what I mean lol

 

[brokensword]

ah, actually no; that supposed to be mm? So approx 24" deep, then?

 

[Relic]

I'd just seal the holes and use a submersible pump to send the water out over the edge of the pond to a filter, and then let gravity return the water to the pond via a waterfall or just a hidden hose. I have a British-made green fiberglass tub for a pond (probably the same manufacturer who made yours) that I bought back in 2001 - still works like a champ. It is around 650 gallons, so koi are iffy. I've had one Koi before and it was massively huge in that pond. I planted it heavily and filtered it thoroughly, but have since restrained myself to a few goldfish instead.

 

[Carlos]

Hi all, again thanks for all this .. I don’t understand why you all recommend zero koi for this pond, I have several friends with smaller ponds/or about the same for years, and they all have small koi in, maybe seven to 10 inches , and have had no issues really.

don’t fish grow to the size of there surroundings…

This is the filter etc ,recommended to me

Laguna Clear-Flo 10000L Waterfall Pump & Pressure Filter Kit

Laguna Clear Flo 10000

www.lagunaponds.co.uk

also did I mention I’m from the UK, not that matters…

so this bulkhead, are they screwed into the holes and the tubing threaded through the formed hole, is this watertight ??.

I think I’ll maybe just block the holes then, and run the pipes over the top , just seems a shame as there obviously there for a reason…

can I easily get the threaded plug in for the bulkhead if I do go down that route..??

I was really considering hosetails like in the attached pics …

Thanks again all , really great stuff this…

Carl

 

[brokensword]

have you ever tried living in your car? Imagine this a moment and consider this is the life you're wanting to give koi. Including the fact your car is your loo.

 

[Jhn]

Hi all, again thanks for all this .. I don’t understand why you all recommend zero koi for this pond, I have several friends with smaller ponds/or about the same for years, and they all have small koi in, maybe seven to 10 inches , and have had no issues really.

don’t fish grow to the size of there surroundings…

This is the filter etc ,recommended to me

Laguna Clear-Flo 10000L Waterfall Pump & Pressure Filter Kit

Laguna Clear Flo 10000

www.lagunaponds.co.uk

also did I mention I’m from the UK, not that matters…

so this bulkhead, are they screwed into the holes and the tubing threaded through the formed hole, is this watertight ??.

I think I’ll maybe just block the holes then, and run the pipes over the top , just seems a shame as there obviously there for a reason…

can I easily get the threaded plug in for the bulkhead if I do go down that route..??

I was really considering hosetails like in the attached pics …

Thanks again all , really great stuff this…

Carl

Fish will grow to the size of their surroundings but know you are shortening their life span doing this. Obviously, a fish like koi that has an adult size of 3’ and is put in a 20 gallon tank won’t get 3’ long, but it also won’t live for 30 years either and in all likelihood would die in a couple years at best due to poor water quality.

In you case, putting koi in say an 6-800 gallon pond they will still try to grow to 3’ long. What will happen though is as they get bigger they will overwhelm your filter system and you will end up with dying fish before they attain that size, as well…..As for your friends ponds and their “success” with keeping koi, they are successful until they aren’t and when they aren’t they will end up losing all their fish. we have many come on here asking for help because their koi are dying in there 800 gallon pond, but have been ok for years until now. What is changing is the fish are getting bigger and producing more waste and this will overwhelm the ponds filter system resulting in degrading water quality and sick/dying fish.

Bottom line is save yourself the headache and put the appropriate species of fish in your pond and you will be successful , and can just sit back relax and enjoy the pond.

Also, the holes are meant for bulkheads, bulkhead stick through the holes and have nuts that go on the outside that you tighten up, the rubber gaskets/washers make a seal on the tub as the nut is tightened to prevent water from leaking. There are slip and threaded bulkheads (these are the internal part of the bulkhead) where you attach your fitting to connect your hoses to the filter. Personally, I would use those, why run hoses over the side of the pond when it is drilled for bulkheads so all that stuff can stay hidden for a cleaner look. No it won’t leak if you do it correctly.