Humbirdlover's Green Va. Pond

[addy1]

I set up a pool skimmer, cut into the liner. It has been running since last year, no fish sucked in yet. A few tadpoles have swam in. The fish hang out near it all of the time, but have never gone into it. The weir works well.

I have the piping going into the pond, the end (3 inch) is wide open, but over that end I have a utensil holder, (basket with holes) covering the end. Around the holder I also have wrapped that plastic gutter leaf netting. Tiny fry could swim in but so far none have, well I have not even seen fry in the big pond.

 

[sissy]

I have a friend that just took there above ground pool down and have to see if they have theres yet .

 

[humbirdlover]

I set up a pool skimmer, cut into the liner. It has been running since last year, no fish sucked in yet. A few tadpoles have swam in. The fish hang out near it all of the time, but have never gone into it. The weir works well.

I have the piping going into the pond, the end (3 inch) is wide open, but over that end I have a utensil holder, (basket with holes) covering the end. Around the holder I also have wrapped that plastic gutter leaf netting. Tiny fry could swim in but so far none have, well I have not even seen fry in the big pond.

so a skimmer isn't needed, but attach some kind of strainer over the end of the pipe/tubing. This whole thing reminds me of the gas powered pump that hubby uses to pump water from the creek, for in our barrels for the garden. It has a yellow basket type thing over the end of the pipe and he has window screen wrapped over that. Same principle, just electric and a lot less power! LOL Right?

 

[addy1]

so a skimmer isn't needed, but attach some kind of strainer over the end of the pipe/tubing. This whole thing reminds me of the gas powered pump that hubby uses to pump water from the creek, for in our barrels for the garden. It has a yellow basket type thing over the end of the pipe and he has window screen wrapped over that. Same principle, just electric and a lot less power! LOL Right?

Yep you got it!

 

[humbirdlover]

LOL, light bulb time? I never researched anything when I built this pond. I went to the pond place that sells all the liner, pumps, the whole works. Told them what size, they set me up with a 500 gph submersible pump/with prefilter, I get the replacement filter pads for the prefilter, and they said with my size pond, that was all that was needed. They were probably right, and haven't had a real issues until the green water problem. Just googled external pumps, didn't go as far as pricing them, but one site said they weren't needed for anything smaller than 1000 gal ponds.so I may have a problem even finding the right one. So who knows maybe another submersible and put it in a filter box with courser filter media. Then build the mechanical/bio filter like planned. I think the kind with the water coming in from the top and going down thru the media, with the sediment chamber in the bottom, sounds the best to me. I did find the half whiskey barrels today at out local Southern States but pricey, plus the liner insert from Lowes, would just be too expensive for now. But I can still do the same thing with another kind of contaier for now, and save up for that.

 

[sissy]

A sealed flower pot would work ,1 of the fiberglass ones .I used a round plantainer lowes had near the preforms it was 20 dollars and thats the one at the top round filter .Some pumps are external and submersible also .All you need is the hose attachment for them after you take the prefilter housing off you will see the inside inlet has screw ridges on it and all you need is the connector and hose .I know my harbor freight ones are like that

 

[sissy]

You could also use a 5 gallon bucket for now or if you have a tractor supply near you get one of there feed buckets or a feed barrel .Most are around 20 dollars .Just go in and look at things with a different eye .A bucket inside a pretty flower pot would look nice

 

[sissy]

fortiflex over the fence feeder bucket is half round with one flat side 14.99 and is item # 2223345 .20 quart .

 

[humbirdlover]

I think that round plantainer you are talking about is the same thing that will go inside the whiskey barrels. It was at our Lowes. I did find a Tuff Stuff contaier at our Tracter Supply, and is suppose to hold up under extreme conditions like the Rubbermaid. without the price. One was oval, and one was round with rope handles. Both were about 40-45 gallon. Might just go with one of those, and may have to order the tank adapter and parts. They didn't have anything larger than 1 1/4 for the outlet.

 

[humbirdlover]

You could also use a 5 gallon bucket for now or if you have a tractor supply near you get one of there feed buckets or a feed barrel .Most are around 20 dollars .Just go in and look at things with a different eye .A bucket inside a pretty flower pot would look nice

I think our brains are thinking alike, our messages crossed

 

[sissy]

they do sell bigger in the store but are not cheap I got a 2 inch one there and it was over 20 dollars .but did not sit flat on the plantainer so got the 1 1/4 inch one and it works fine .That is the ones I showed you I have and bought the others at pet mountain .





I bought these at pet mountain and the one on the plantainer at tractor supply .

 

[humbirdlover]

that looks like it, but when I ask for the 2", they said that the 1 1/4 was the biggest they had. I already had the 1 1/4 threaded on one end, and hose barbs on the other, so really if I went with that size, all I need to find is the tubing to fit. What I had won't go on the 1 1/4 hose thingy and the 1" was way too small, go figure. I got the ribbed flexible hose last year from Lowe's garden center, so I don't know what the size is. the inside dimension is weird, LOL I just didn't want the filter to overflow

 

[sissy]

You can get adapters to make the connection .Just take a piece of the hose and they wqill find an adapter to make it bigger or smaller .Mine goes from 1 1/4 to 2 inch hose .You can see the connector in the pic one screwed to the back made it 2 inch and the one on the front made it 1 5/8 inch size .

 

[sissy]

I just have 2 hoses on my pump with a ball valve a divert some of the water to that the pond to help areate it and that has a ball valve on it also .I used a T fitting off my pump to 2 hoses one goes to the filter and the other just sends water back into the pond .The more aeration your pond has the less algae you will get

 

[humbirdlover]

I have a thing that I can screw on to the pump to hook two hose to, just didn't know what it was called, but don't have the the ball valves. I can run one hose to the folter and one to my old handpump water feature. So that would split the gph, and the 1 1/4 tamk adapter would probably be fine then. But I did take a piece of my hose with me today, and they didn't have an adapter to fit. 1" is too small and 1 1/4" is just a hair too big. With that flexible, ribbed type hose, there no room to stretch either. I'm going to go thru hubby's stuff tomorrow, there has to be something that will work. Thanks for your patience and help. I'll get this thing built yet! Probably won't get a lot of use out of it til cold weather, but at least it will be a start.