Main pump how many hrs does it have to run

[Mike McKenna]

I have a 3 tiered pond with 2 waterfalls approximately 900 gallons. the main pump pumps about 2500 gallons/hr. The largest of the ponds approx 450 gallons I have a canister filter with uv with a 600gl/hr pump which I would like to put koi in. Can I run the main pump for one hr then off for 2 to 3 hrs. The upper ponds will only have plants.

 

[Angel]

24/7

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @Mike McKenna ! It sounds like you run two pumps in your ponds for a total water volume of about 900 gallons - is that correct? When you say "main pump" is that the one that feeds your filter or does it just circulate through the waterfall? You don't want to shut off the water that flows through your filter at any time, as the bacteria that's living in the biofilter will begin to die off - so that's consideration #1. Also you should aim to turn over your water 1.5 to 2 times per hour - would the single pump you plan to keep running accomplish that goal? A third thing to consider is whether turning a pump off will cause the water level to drop in your upper pond. If you have plants, you don't want the water level dropping below the level where the will begin to dry out - even two or three hours at a time in the hot sun can be stressful for a water loving plant.

And I know you didn't ask, but at 900 gallons, your pond is really too small for koi. And especially if you plan to isolate them to the 450 gallon portion - they grow extremely fast and can get quite large in a fast second. Do you currently have fish in your pond? How long has it been running?

 

[sissy]

agree way way to mall .My koi are over 2 feet long and my pond is 5000+ gallons and they do have babies

 

[callingcolleen1]

most people never shut off the pumps and mine run 24/7, even all winter...

 

[Mike McKenna]

Welcome @Mike McKenna ! It sounds like you run two pumps in your ponds for a total water volume of about 900 gallons - is that correct? When you say "main pump" is that the one that feeds your filter or does it just circulate through the waterfall? You don't want to shut off the water that flows through your filter at any time, as the bacteria that's living in the biofilter will begin to die off - so that's consideration #1. Also you should aim to turn over your water 1.5 to 2 times per hour - would the single pump you plan to keep running accomplish that goal? A third thing to consider is whether turning a pump off will cause the water level to drop in your upper pond. If you have plants, you don't want the water level dropping below the level where the will begin to dry out - even two or three hours at a time in the hot sun can be stressful for a water loving plant.

And I know you didn't ask, but at 900 gallons, your pond is really too small for koi. And especially if you plan to isolate them to the 450 gallon portion - they grow extremely fast and can get quite large in a fast second. Do you currently have fish in your pond? How long has it been running?

The ponds have been running for a year now . I don't have any fish just a papyrus plant . The filter runs 24/7 That will be in the 450 pond . The main pump feeds the two waterfalls . The 1st pond approximately 100 gallons, the 2nd pond is 350 .

Welcome @Mike McKenna ! It sounds like you run two pumps in your ponds for a total water volume of about 900 gallons - is that correct? When you say "main pump" is that the one that feeds your filter or does it just circulate through the waterfall? You don't want to shut off the water that flows through your filter at any time, as the bacteria that's living in the biofilter will begin to die off - so that's consideration #1. Also you should aim to turn over your water 1.5 to 2 times per hour - would the single pump you plan to keep running accomplish that goal? A third thing to consider is whether turning a pump off will cause the water level to drop in your upper pond. If you have plants, you don't want the water level dropping below the level where the will begin to dry out - even two or three hours at a time in the hot sun can be stressful for a water loving plant.

And I know you didn't ask, but at 900 gallons, your pond is really too small for koi. And especially if you plan to isolate them to the 450 gallon portion - they grow extremely fast and can get quite large in a fast second. Do you currently have fish in your pond? How long has it been running?

1st thank you for the info . The pond is about a year old I don't have any fish just a papyrus plant in the middle pond. I had saltwater aquarium for about 20 years . So I like to get as much information about running a pond before I would introduce any fish. The largest pond has it's on pump with the filter. The water level in the middle pond only drops about a inch when the pump is off. I'm in New England so I brought the plant inside for the winter. Here is a question for you is there any rules on plants in the ponds?

 

[Lisak1]

What kind of rules? My rule is anything that grows stays! Explain your question a bit better and I'll see what I can share - I'm not much on pumps and equipment, but I do know a bit about plants!

One thing you might want to consider is the relationship between fish and plants in a pond - the fish create waste which feeds the plants and the plants consume the waste which keeps the pond healthy for the fish. It's a great relationship of give and take. If you have one without the other, you can't achieve balance (without some outside assistance). So your plants will struggle to grow without added fertilizer. Or your fish will not thrive without added filtration. Put the two together and you have magic! Your pond is the perfect size for some goldfish - and the bonus is they are very easy to care for. You don't even have to feed them if you don't want!

If you have a pump that only feeds a waterfall but doesn't flow through your filter, there's no reason you can't shut it down when you want. But you do want to make sure your total pond volume moves through your filter 1.5 to 2 times per hour. Are you achieving that with your current pump that feeds your filter?

 

[Mike McKenna]

The pump would be sufficient for the pond . I was looking at lotus plants. I also have iris plants and daylillys that I would like to put in. From mid spring to mid October the pond gets full sun for 8 to 9 hrs a day . The middle pond is about 18 inches at its deepest the edges are 6 to 8. The largest pond is 2 1/2 ft.

 

[Lisak1]

Lotuses are probably the most challenging of all the aquatic plants to grow. They are cold sensitive and can't freeze, so you either have to overwinter indoors or have a place to store them in the pond where they can stay below the ice.

Irises and lilies (aquatic lilies are not the same as daylilies however) are both great marginal pond plants. You have to be careful and watch them as they do grow quickly and would happily take over your pond. They need to be divided frequently to keep them in check.

Basically pond plants are divided into three categories - deep water plants (basically water lilies), floating plants (the two most common being water lettuce and water hyacinth) and marginals, which, as the name implies grow in the margins, or shallow areas of the pond. Those would be your rushes, sedges, irises, grasses, cattails, etc. You can also grow common garden plants in the shallow areas of your pond - things like impatiens and creeping jenny do great in and around rocks and waterfalls as do many of the other common ground covers. There are lots of pond pictures posted on the forum - check them out and if you see something you like, just ask. Everyone loves to share what works for them!

 

[Mike McKenna]

Thanks for the info I'll take a look at it . Thanks for the help

 

[sissy]

Remember if you get fish and add plants after that you should clean the plants and the roots as you never know what lurks in the plant or pot .

 

[saugeye tom]

most people never shut off the pumps and mine run 24/7, even all winter...

you run it all winter in canada,,,,? i run recirc pumps in the winter here in Ohio and will start the big waterfall pump and uv filter this weekend....hoprfully

 

[barryian]

I have a 3 tiered pond with 2 waterfalls approximately 900 gallons. the main pump pumps about 2500 gallons/hr. The largest of the ponds approx 450 gallons I have a canister filter with uv with a 600gl/hr pump which I would like to put koi in. Can I run the main pump for one hr then off for 2 to 3 hrs. The upper ponds will only have plants.

Hi Mike - I know a Mike McKenna - That NorthEast isn't on Long Island by chance, is it?

 

[Mike McKenna]

Hi Mike - I know a Mike McKenna - That NorthEast isn't on Long Island by chance, is it?

No South of Boston.

 

[barryian]

No South of Boston.

Too bad! Good have shown you a lot. Have a pond about 25 years. Best of luck!

 

[Mike McKenna]

Thanks anyway I would have enjoyed it . Trying to get as much information about running it as I can .

 

[RobAmy]

Thanks anyway I would have enjoyed it . Trying to get as much information about running it as I can .

I am not to far from you in RI. I do leave my pumps running 24/7 but do shut them down in the winter, this year I left them off for a couple months, I am up in running now. It has been running for about a month now. Last year It was on all year I believe ( it was a mild winter). I do keep aeration going 24/7 in the winter for gas exchange. I have 3 pumps running in the nice weather and only my main pump running my stream in the winter when I keep it on. For the size of your pond I may skip the koi and go for some nice looking goldfish. I have never had a fish loss due to winter, a great blue heron did great a few.

 

[Lisak1]

@RobAmy - I guess I never knew you ran three pumps. Do all three pump to the stream?

 

[RobAmy]

@RobAmy - I guess I never knew you ran three pumps. Do all three pump to the stream?

@Lisak1 No, I have one going to a side water feature that flows into the pond for 2 inline filters I added later. If you look on the left of the stream on the photo you can see it running. The other is going into the stream but more for additional bio filtration. Both of those are 1800 gph pumps placed in the pond. I figured if my main pump goes down I will still have a little flow in the stream and then it adds over volume to stream. I actually have a 4th pump that runs a small bubbler feature I made with a 140 gph pump but I do not count that. If I redo anything I would run another skimmer and have the pumps in there vs the pond. It would provide more pull and easier cleaning vs pulling out of the pond. Click on the link and the picture goes larger so you can see it easier.

Pond panorama by A & R Photography, on Flickr

Here is the bubbler

Here is a diagram I made of the filter outlets early on, air pump is different now and the bubbler is not there.

 

[Lisak1]

Ah! Gotcha! I do love your little bubbling rock!