New to the forum, getting read to build a pond

[keith7481]

Hi folks,
I"m new to the forum and wondered if this is a good place to ask a few questions about pond construction and filtration. I am working on building a pond that is roughly 8x10 in surface area, with a maximum depth of 2.5 ft. Am planning on a few fish at some point and will winter them over, but will probably get smaller fish. I went to a guy who specializes in garden/koi ponds and he is recommending a filtration system that seems to be a bit overkill to me. He is recommending a Savio Compact Skimmerfiler and the Oase Filtoclear 1600. From what I've read, the Savio is enough filter for a pond of this size and I don't know why he is recommending the other filter as well. Am I underestimating what I need, or is he selling me what he wants to sell. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Keith

 

[Mrshkoiluver]

A skimmer is not a filter so to speak. It will take the debris off the top of the water. It wll give some filtration but not enough. He is smart to recommend the filtoclear even if you may do a few fish. This hobby is so addicting you will be happy you did it for a few fish. If later you want more than a few fish you can always add more bio filtration. Good luck keeping your dreams at bay. You will need it...LOL

 

[koikeepr]

Keith, the filtration this fellow mentions is not overkill by any means--in fact, the more filtration the better! You will never regret MORE filtration, but you will always regret and be plagued by less.

A skimmer acts as mechanical filtration that gets rid of the surface leaves and floating junk. If you put some other bacterial media inside, like strapping or something, it can also do some bio filtration, but Mrshkoiluver is correct in that a skimmer alone is not sufficient filtration for a pond.

Filtoclear's are pressure filters. Personally, if you are handy, I would go to the DIY section of our site here and make one of our 55g filters. It would certainly be cheaper. However, take note that these are large and you will need to find a way to hide it behind shrubs or a waterfall, etc. These are excellent filters!

 

[PS3]

I was going to buy a pressure filter but after reading about them they all leak
and break no matter what the sales man at the store tells you.
i built a mechanical & bio filtration system out of a 55 gallon drum
that i found on here and i saved over 400 dollars and they work better
then any pressure filter

 

[koikeepr]

They don't all leak, PS3. My old Laguna Pressure filter never leaked. But you are right that the DIY filters are better if you have the space for 'em!