In search of good circulation

[Shdwdrgn]

I'm planning on rebuilding my pond next Spring, and currently working on what shape I want the main pond to be. I am leaning towards sort of a dogbone shape -- two circular areas with a short narrower section in between. O=O

The circular areas would be my deep pools, but I'm concerned about dead zones in the water. If I have the waterfalls dropping into the deep areas on the left, and my outgoing stream flowing from the circle on the right, would this be enough flow to stir up waste from the bottom of the deep area on the right? If not, what options do I have to easily keep both pools stirred up so that any garbage (waste/food/leaves) can be swept downstream where it can be captured by my mechanical filter?

 

[lauraleellbp]

Are you incorporating bottom drains on both ends of your pond?

If you install bottom drains and tangental pond returns (TPRs) this can dramatically improve circulation.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

A drain in a pond? Huh, who'd a thunk it? Nope, I had no plans for drains, and I'll have to look up TPRs to see what that's about. The plan is to have one large pond (800-1000 gallons) drained by about 10 feet of a small stream, which dumps into a final collection pond (around 100 gallons). The pumps (2 x 2900gph) would be in the collection pond, run the water through the mechanical filters, and back to a pair of 55gal skippy filters, which drain out as a waterfall back into the large pond.

I am *hoping* that the amount of water being pumped will help stir things up quite a bit. Maybe I'm just over-thinking this too much, and I don't really need to worry about this... I'm just trying to plan for everything before I start to build next Spring.

[Edit] Looked up TPRs - they don't really apply to my pond plumbing, and I'm not sure how I would apply a bottom drain (plus the idea of purposely cutting a whole in the rubber liner makes me cringe). One idea I've been considering would be putting an air pump or a small water pump down in the bottom of the deep holes. I dunno?

 

[philfreenode]

I drilled some holes in my underwater pvc tubing that goes between my pump on one end of my pond, and my gravity return filter on the other end, so that some of the water headed for the filter blows out the sides of the tubing, like a series of powerheads. I don't know how strong it is coming out those holes or if the fish like it or not, but there are decent currents throughout the whole pond because of that. I did it to reduce the flow through the filter since my pump is oversized but now i have another problem.. heat

 

[addy1]

It sounds like your stream between the two ponds will be shallower than the two ponds. The junk will settle in the bottom of the one pond and not really flow to the collection pond.

You may want to add a drain, the retro fit ones that you don't have to cut the liner for. I don't have built in drains, cutting the liner scares me! lol

A small water pump would work, plumbed to pump the junk from large pond to the smaller one.

 

[DrCase]

I would dig the middle of the dog bone the same depth
The best thing would be to slope the whole pond bottom down to the opposite end of the waterfall

 

[DrDave]

I have a similar situation, to avoid the junk accumulating in my upper pond, I use a 3200 GPH pump to create a circular rotation and it keeps most of the solids in solution long enough to make it into the stream.

 

[carolinaguy]

you really need a bottom drain on the larger pool and another on the smaller one. with a total water volume of about 1500 gallons, a 1500 gallon external pump will drive the whole thing well. the radius planning standard for a bottom drain is about 5 to 6 feet. i'd also valve the bottom drain assembly and include a valved skimmer for top water circulation. that way you can shift to top water circulation only and keep the bottom water warmer in the winter. that might require a winter dome to keep the stream from freezing. or you can set up the valves so the stream is cut off in the winter because of ice buildup and the upper pool is the only active feature. a bottom drain and those swishy fish tails will keep the bottom clean.