My new equipment shopping list: how am I doing??

[RadarContact1]

I’m renovating my pond and going from internal pump with bead filter and bog/waterfall to an external pump with gravity filter to short stream (rocks on plastic chute) to bog/waterfall.

Data for renovation (see accompanying sketch):
3600 gal goldfish pond with ~80” of goldfish
Draw from pond from 3” then to 2” pipe to
Pump then to
short “stream” then to
Empty (no plants) “bog” then to
1’ drop “waterfall” into main pond

Pump will sit approx 35-40’ from intake screen above water line by ~6” (?)
Filter will sit approx 3’ higher than pump
Stream will be about 6-7’ long
Bog will be empty

EQUIPMENT SHORT LIST:
- Evolution ESS pump / self-priming, either 5200 or 6400 gallon per min. Afraid 6400 will be too much for filter?
- OASE BioFilter 10000
- OASE Vitronic 36w UV-C
- (If I need it) AirMax KoiAir1
- pvc bulkheads, pvc flexible tubing, black pond foam sealant, 3” swing check valve at intake right after pickup “cage”, etc.
- MicrobeLift XTreme water conditioner
- MicrobeLift PL bacteria in gal jug, plus maybe the gel for filter jump-starting??

How I came to these choices (briefly):
Pump because it seemed good value, low running costs, self priming with built-in leafcatcher/priming pot. Hope it’s quiet.
Filter because it’s documentation makes it sound much easier to clean than others, good brand.
UV-C because it goes as a set with filter and seems easy to maintain compared to some others.
Aerator because it seems like a good design. Was torn between this one and the Aquascape ProAir 20.

Any intervention needed? Suggestions for or against anything?

Thank you!

Pic is of pond now. It has been “rigged” with a pvc pipe due to a leak I had in the fall.
Sketch is what I hope to accomplish.

 

[Lisak1]

I know NOTHING about most of what you are talking about, but I will suggest this - if I'm understanding your drawing - putting something three feet high in the location you are indicating is going to look out of place in your completely flat yard.

Just a thought... and really there's no need for it to be three feet high, unless you know something that I don't know.

And I just re-read what you wrote. A bog with no plants isn't a bog. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish with that part of the design - can you explain that part a bit more?

 

[RadarContact1]

Well first the bog. It was a bog, now it’s an empty bog, that’s why I phrased it like I did. I’m not going to remove it, it’ll just be part of the new ponds attributes.
(The pond had a functioning bog for about the first five years, but then there were some issues so it is more of a pre-waterfall holding tank now! Lol)

I don’t feel 3’ is very high, up to my hip maybe. The elevation is to allow the water to run from the filter to the “bog” with some force — I don’t want to make the “stream” very deep so by using elevation I can accomplish this.

 

[Lisak1]

Gotcha on the bog.

It's not that three feet is all that high - it's just that there's no context for a stream to suddenly spring up out of the ground. If you can create a berm that gently rises from the back, it would be less jarring. And I've seen lots of ponds with waterfalls that are no more than 10 or 12 inches high. You can create force without height - restricting or choking water flow works just as well to create the "gush" you're looking for.

 

[poconojoe]

I like that two tiered fountain in the middle of your existing pond. Cool idea.

 

[RadarContact1]

Gotcha on the bog.

It's not that three feet is all that high - it's just that there's no context for a stream to suddenly spring up out of the ground. If you can create a berm that gently rises from the back, it would be less jarring. And I've seen lots of ponds with waterfalls that are no more than 10 or 12 inches high. You can create force without height - restricting or choking water flow works just as well to create the "gush" you're looking for.

The back of the “bog” (for lack of a more accurate term) is almost 2-1/2 feet high already.

 

[mgmine]

I'm with Lisak1 it won't look natural for a waterfall to suddenly appear in the yard. You need something for it to come out of. You could plant bushes and try to make it look natural. As for the pump it's better to push water than to pull it plus if you are pushing the water you wouldn't need to have the 3' high area for the water to flow.. Are you sure that your pond is 3600 gallons? Unless it's very deep it doesn't look that big in the picture. I would put the pump in a skimmer and run 2" hose all the way. Also, don't forget to get some valves to put in the lines and some unions.

 

[RadarContact1]

Nothing personal, and I know you both mean well, but this is why I don’t usually turn to forums. You ask a forum which is a better watch, Tag Hauer or Rolex, and you get responses asking why you want to buy a watch when your phone already tells you the time, lol.
(As of yet, I haven’t gotten a response to my original question about equipment. See my point? )

You guys have been trying to help, so maybe if I take the time to explain you’ll understand my personal situation and maybe come to respect my personal choices.
I have a bog that is empty. I’m going to keep it that way because I don’t want to reconstruct my entire pond and I no longer want to put plants in it (personal choice). I’ll further refer to it as a “holding area”. I currently have a pressure filter and I don’t like it so now I’ve chosen to go with a gravity filter. The exit of the gravity filter must be above the bog, which puts it around 3’ high. I don’t want to see the gravity filter, so it’s going to be turned to the side behind the red bush and then further camouflaged with foliage. A small run of plastic “runway” with some stones and foliage on the sides will deliver the water from the filter to the backside of the bog, as well as providing additional time and exposure for aeration. Water will then flow into the holding area as it does now and then into the pond via the small waterfall. That clean water will have to travel 15’ across the pond to then be picked up at the opposite end of the pond by my grated intake sitting near the bottom (3’ deep).

My pond is about 15 years old. It’s gone through a few different variations. It’s never looked natural… I mean where on this planet do you find a round water feature with a two tiered concrete statue in the middle and a concrete & flag stone border around the outside? LOL.
I’m not trying to fool anyone. I live in Florida... our streams are underground, hehehe.

I’m a very capable guy, when it’s done it won’t look foolish, I promise.

My goals...
I want my grandson (and soon to arrive GRANDDAUGHTER!) to be able to see the fish swimming around. I want to continue to hear the waterfall and fountain from my back porch. I want to have a system that is relatively easy to maintain. Looking for quality components that will be both relatively energy efficient and hopefully long lasting.

Thanks.

 

[addy1]

I have never used any of that equipment. So can't discuss how well it works.

My only filter is the bog, my only main pond pump is a Dragon Lim, efficient and has been running since around 2004. No UV no need for one, never have green water. I have used sequence pumps, have two for back up, they are good pumps. My pumps are external, except the small Laguna I have in my hot tub pond.

Don't use any bacteria or water conditioners. So no help there.

I do like the looks of your pond. Mine is on a slope, no natural pond ends up on a slope with a built up berm of dirt to make it flat, but it looks just fine.

 

[j.w]

@RadarContact1
Mine is just a simple pond, no bog, no stream w/a Laguna submersible pump to waterfall and attached to a pre-filter. Have an aerator I use in the Summer to keep pond full of bubbling water movement. Sorry I can't be of much help to ya but looks like you have a nice pond set up.

 

[RadarContact1]

I have never used any of that equipment. So can't discuss how well it works.

My only filter is the bog, my only main pond pump is a Dragon Lim, efficient and has been running since around 2004. No UV no need for one, never have green water. I have used sequence pumps, have two for back up, they are good pumps. My pumps are external, except the small Laguna I have in my hot tub pond.

Don't use any bacteria or water conditioners. So no help there.

I do like the looks of your pond. Mine is on a slope, no natural pond ends up on a slope with a built up berm of dirt to make it flat, but it looks just fine.

Thank you!

 

[RadarContact1]

View attachment 119400@RadarContact1
Mine is just a simple pond, no bog, no stream w/a Laguna submersible pump to waterfall and attached to a pre-filter. Have an aerator I use in the Summer to keep pond full of bubbling water movement. Sorry I can't be of much help to ya but looks like you have a nice pond set up.

Thanks. It looks really sad right now. It’s definitely seen prettier days. I’ll see if f I can find a pic of it when all was well.

 

[RadarContact1]

At least here’s one of a few of the fish. Some of these guys have been with me since 2003-2004! Crazy...

(This was going into winter)

 

[j.w]

I like how you have that fountain incorporated in there and the fish look nice. Love the white one!

 

[RadarContact1]

I like how you have that fountain incorporated in there and the fish look nice. Love the white one!

Thanks. That fountain came out of the front yard when I first bought the house back in 2000. It sat next to some chairs out there and had some plants in it, but I thought it would be cool in the pond. When I get the reno done, the water spout will be driven up to about 7” and then it will fall back unto itself; it makes a sort of mushroom out of itself. I had it that way once before but this pump won’t do it. It looks really cool like that. Maybe put some hanging plants on the bottom shelf... haven’t got that far in my new design planning yet. Lol