Hey guys and gals

[keep'nshallow]

So I have a failing pond that I've kept on the cheap. Its undersized and I'm not able to accomplish what I want with it.
The fail is my pump went out on me last year and I'm ready to step it up. My 300ish gallon pond with its max depth of 10" isn't firing on all cylinders for me. I've drew up a approx 3000 gallon pond that would allow me to have large koi. So I joined on here to see different ideas and other perspectives.
Decisions like:
- Pressure filter or a 3 chamber bio/mechanical filter
- Plants in with the fish or a fish only pond
- Rock bottom or keep only the liner
- Rock the walls or only liner
- I will have media in my skimmer and water fall, how much more is necessary
- I'm thinking if I do ALL the work I should be able to accomplish what I want at or about $3500...........am I hallucination?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

-If you have the space go with the 3 chamber system.
-Koi love to destroy plants
-Gravel bottom can be an asset or a liability. It all depends on the flow rate and level of mechanical and bio filtration.
-I would rock the walls. Creates mini-habitats for myriad aquatic creatures.
-Do not put any biofilter media in the skimmer. It will not add that much and will only create more maintenance.
-And finally, you may possibly be hallucinating.

 

[sissy]

I have 2 koi over 2 feet long and in 5000 gallons + not sure any more since I raised height of it .2 pumps on mine laguna 2900 gph and 2400 gph was less than 400 dollars and reason for laguna and 2 pumps .energy efficiency and rural area .Try to get a pump fast if one goes out ,built my own filter and used lava rock and liner well that is a sore spot with me since I just rebuilt after another dog destroyed my new liner .That price you can get from any place but look for free shipping if possible .Like webbs or dr foster and smith or ebay or amazon .Plants koi destroy and they kill snails and frogs .plants in filters the best thing ever aerator is next .Mine is laguna also .I guess it is the matchy matchy so I can remember

 

[keep'nshallow]

Why the 3 chamber over the pressure system?
I've seen all the video's of the 55 gal blue drums made into filters. I've never seen anyone make a filter out of say a 15 or 30 gallon blue drum, is their a reason? They would be considerably easier to fit in more locations.

I'm not following you on the gravel. Why or how would it be an asset or liability?

I do like the aesthetics of having the stone encased walls, and your point makes sense too. I'm a bit afraid of the cost though.

So in the skimmer than just a catch net?

 

[Becky]

Just wanted to say welcome to the forum

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome indeed!

I just wanted to chime in the that not ALL koi destroy plants. We have a number of sizable koi in our garden pond, and they are well behaved. The only plants they eat are the watercress I toss them. They pretty much leave everything else alone. And they don't bother with the frogs or snails either - @sissy just has herself some naughty koi!

 

[keep'nshallow]

How would you describe the effectiveness of the bog filter?
- do you have to clean it, and if so how often, and how.

I'm looking into the idea of a bog filter instead of a pressure filter system, heard its a lot less fuss, great for koi and there nitrogen levels.
Total picture: Looking into a pond approx 4-5' deep, 5-10k gallons, I realize thats quite a spread I have the room just not sure I have the will power for the extra digging and pond elements. A Skimmer with a submersible pump, a bottom drain and wall jets. My idea would be to have the skimmer mostly recirculate back to the jets to keep the water moving with maybe 25% going to the bog filter, and then the bottom drain with a diefuser to be pushing through the bog filter 100%. Allowing the bog to cascade into the main pond for aeration, I figure the skimmer would keep the surface clean, but most of the filtering would be the crud that gets to the bottom.

I have a co-worker that is suggesting the bog filter as only a secondary filter, he's positive that it will not be enough of a filter for a fish pond. How many fish you ask??? I have no idea, lol.... somewhere between 5-15 i would think. My bog area would be somewhere around 4'x8' to 8'x8' at a depth of 4'. My co-worker is positive the fish feces will clog the bog....

Do you have pictures that my convince me the bog is the correct option ?

Thanks for listening, I do hope you get back to me.

Mike

 

[peter hillman]

Welcome, how long did you have the smaller pond? Just curious.

 

[keep'nshallow]

Welcome, how long did you have the smaller pond? Just curious.

A total of 14 years, 7 with an even smaller pond and 7 with what I have now.

 

[Lisak1]

We love our bog. It's our only filtration. However we don't have a bottom drain - the water flows over a negative edge (which acts as our skimmer) into a down flow "bog" and then it's pumped up through the up flow bog and cascades back into the pond. No solid material gets to the bog, so there's nothing clogging the bog.

You could definitely support a 5,000 gallon pond with a low fish load with only a bog filter - I can say that with confidence because we do!

What experience does your co-worker have with ponds to be offering advice?

 

[keep'nshallow]

We love our bog. It's our only filtration. However we don't have a bottom drain - the water flows over a negative edge (which acts as our skimmer) into a down flow "bog" and then it's pumped up through the up flow bog and cascades back into the pond. No solid material gets to the bog, so there's nothing clogging the bog.

You could definitely support a 5,000 gallon pond with a low fish load with only a bog filter - I can say that with confidence because we do!

What experience does your co-worker have with ponds to be offering advice?

I guess his own pond.... He is quite successful in the condition of the pond he keeps but he works for it. Approximately 5000 gallon koi pond with a 10k gallon unit pressure filter system, bottom drain, skimmer, small waterfall. He keeps no plants or stones in the pond, fish pond only. Because of this he is constantly changing 25% of the water to lower the chemical values the fish cause and cleans the pond sometimes twice a week for only 6 fish. That just seems like more work than I care to do on top of my work & family schedule.

 

[mrsclem]

Sounds like he's got a really clean pond! Maybe too clean! Plants can be done with koi. Son koi destroy plants , some don't. I just hung 4 water lilies off the sides of my 5' deep pond. Fish haven't touched them (so far). I use a bog on one pond and window box bog on other. Plants help with water chemistry. I have diy filters and only clean every 1-2 weeks. Whatever water gets flushed out from filters gets replaced. Maybe 1 hour work.

 

[sissy]

I have found that when my koi were younger they had a habit of destroying plants and as they got older they have stopped .I guess age does slow them down and the loose interest in the plants .Being bigger and lazier

 

[j.w]

@keep'nshallow

 

[Spartamets]

Koi ate my lobelia, but haven't touched (ruined) anything else. All season, I've had 2 lilies, a big bunch of irises, corkscrew rush, hornwort, parrot feather, sweet flag, and until this weekend, creeping jenny in the pond. All untouched. I just moved the creeping jenny to my stream and replaced it with nine new plants of all shapes and sizes (1/2 off sale at the pond store!). That gives me 16 different plants now that the koi aren't destroying, though they haven't had much of a chance yet with a lot of it. Koi and plants seem capable of coexisting.