kansas pond started

[nigil]

I ended up ordering it, its a replacement part for a atlantic/aquascape bio falls. It was by far the most expensive piece of the filter ($80). But I have seen many people use drains and other forms of plumbing for their falls.

here is a pic from mine

 

[jason081180]

well i was planning to go from the 2 in drains to a Savio 16" Water Weir and that is $90 if i could just buy a replacement part that might work.

 

[jason081180]

I'm thinking of adding this Tetra 2" Bottom Drain to the bottom of my pond. has anyone else used this? how does it stay in place? it must weigh a lot to stay upright like that in the pond? i am thinking of going from this to my submersible pump then the my stock tank filter.

 

[koikeepr]

jason, if you're going to go with a retro bottom drain, do the AquaArt one and not the Tetra. The tetra drain is plumbed from the top, so you will have a pipe running up in the pond that will be unsightly and give your fish something to bump into. The Aqua Art drain is plumbed from the side, so your pipe lays on the pond floor. Once a little algae covers it, it virtually disappears into the pond floor.

The Aqua Art is very light. As per the directions, you drill a small hole on top to avoid air trapping under it. It has 4 little feet that project out, and you simply put a rock on two or three of the legs to keep it weighted down and that's it.

When I close down my old pond in a few weeks, I'll be selling my current equipment. If you're interested, you can have my large Aqua Art Drain for half the price + whatever the shipping cost is. You can PM me if you're interested.

 

[DrCase]

The weir would be the best way to go ..2 - 2" out lets wont be enough
If you could find a sheet of 1/8" plastic you could cut and heat it into shape and make your own..

 

[koiguy1969]

I built a few waterfall weirs and posted them in the classifieds ...i can build one to custom specs if needed ...see ad!! they are constructed with 1/2" polyethylene structural foam as the stocktanks are..

 

[jason081180]

well we got some rain.
I used an old pump I had but had to go to Lowes to get the hose.

 

[Airic]

I hate bringing this up but, want you to consider somthing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but, if in a colder climate like Kansas, shouldn't you go at least a minimum of 3' down in the earth to maintain temps durring winter?

 

[jason081180]

I hate bringing this up but, want you to consider somthing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but, if in a colder climate like Kansas, shouldn't you go at least a minimum of 3' down in the earth to maintain temps durring winter?

lol Kansas is not that cold. sure it gets cold but we're in zone 6. the pond will be a total of 3 ft deep but yes as planned now only 1.5ft is underground.

 

[koikeepr]

are you just laying that block directly on the dirt like that? Aren't you putting in a concrete collar first?

I would say you had a bit more than "some rain." lol!

 

[jason081180]

No I'm not going to be laying the blocks on the dirt like that. lol but I'm not creating a concrete collar either. my plan is to dig a trench 12 in wide and 8 in deep. put 4 in of paver mix under it like you would for a retaining wall. then the blocks on that so the first layer is half under ground. then cover with the wall with a stucco mix. what does everyone think for this kind of foundation. i know the concrete collar would be better but more expensive and time consuming. also don't know if the next owner will want a pond.

 

[jason081180]

yea there was about 8-10in of water in the pond after the last bit of rain.

 

[jason081180]

Here is a list of the parts I’m thinking of buying for my new pond. I already have the liner. It is 20x30ft I would like to hear about other options for the underlayment , the waterfall foam, underwater lights, and anything else where I can get something else for less or DIY something. I have heard something about old carpet instead of the underlayment but not sure about that maybe an explanation on that. I am constructing a 150GL stock tank filter with 2in PVC and a 16in weir.

Microbe-Lift PL Gel Bacteria 16 oz. $12.95
Laguna Max-Flo 2400 Electronic Waterfall & Filter Pump - 4 Year Warranty $178.95
2 pieces of Firestone Liner Underlay 20 x 15' $120.00
3 cans of Atlantic Black Spray Foam 12 oz. $26.85
Little Giant Pump cut off switch - 115 volt $49.95
2 sets of Alpine Power Beam set of (3) 20 watt lights w/transformer $129.90
Kink-Free Tubing - Black - 2" x 25' $69.95
Total $588.55

sorry I don't know if posting prices is appropriate or not, someone can change it if needed.

thanks everyone.

 

[koikeepr]

I think that pump is too small for your set up. It pushes 2400 gph, and you are likely not accounting for friction, going through the stock tank, and other stuff that will happen as your piping takes twists and turns and goes a distance.

I would go with a bigger pump. Any reason why you're not considering an external pump with a pond that size? Good bang for your buck and low energy consumption--plus no wet hands.

 

[jason081180]

i was planning the submersible pump just for simplicity of plumbing. this being the first pond Ive built. if i could have a external pump with out a settling chamber or anything else that might work. bottom drain(that doesn't go thru the liner) => pump => 150 GL stock tank filter.

the pump I am planning does 2400GPH at 100W the 2900GPH uses 130W. if i could find and external one that does more GPH for less wattage then ill have to figure out the plumbing but I'm sure that is possible. i guess if i was to go with an external pump it would be better to go with a normal BD. but still unsure of the settling chamber. any ideas would be helpful and recommendations for an external pump would be good as well.