Newbie questions?

[pondntn]

Are there any pinned topics for newbies? I don't want to just repost, and I maybe overlooking them.
I just want to make a simple lil pond 3' deep, 4' wide x 6' long or something like that.
Live in Tennessee, doesn't get that freezing, 3' should be fine.
But, I have questions like:
SO many pumps/filters/etc. GPH is gallon per hour, but really...how many GPH do I NEED to look for?
No waterfalls/fancy stuff yet..Just a nice lil pond.
Liners? filters?
Are there stickies about this?

This looks like a great forum and I want to thank you ahead of time for help.

Mark

 

[sissy]

with a pond like that you don't need a really big pump ,but that would also depend on fish you may want (if you get fish that is) I have 2 pumps 2 filters and 2 waterfalls one pump is 940 gph and and the other is 1268 gph ,but I have koi and if I could do it over would get goldfish instead .That's a good depth as long as the water does not get to hot and you have a little shade also .Just be carefull planting near large trees ,leaves make a mess in the pond ,Make sure you build it close to where you can enjoy it all the time and that you have access to electric .Make sure you have no problems with critters or herons or that you can protect your pond if you do .No rocks on the bottom of the pond as they make it harder to keep the pond clean .Staight sides on your pond so critters don't have easy access .

 

[taherrmann4]

Mark,

Pumps/filter - Some of us use external pumps others use submerged, it is really a matter of preference. My pond is 3,000 gph and I have a pump that is about 7,200 gph before you calculate any head pressure, once you do calculate this I am probably somewhere around 6,000 gph. so I am turning my pond over about twice an hour. Your pond is probably going to be around 500 gph based on your size and depth. I purchased both of my filters but if I were to a mulligan and redo it, I would choose to install a skippy or doc filter and a bog filter, these can be a diy filter which will save you lots of money.

Liners - I used a firestone epdm 45 mil. I went with the thicker mil to be sure it didn't tear easily. I get in and out of my pond on occasion walking on the bottom, installing large rocks on the liner so it was more of an insurance policy for me, worth the extra cost.

I started out with an idea of how I wanted my pond to look and ended up changing things around with my waterfall and creeks. Don't cut your liner too short leave yourself a little extra on the sides so when you do want to add a waterfall or creek you can do so without any major redos. Be sure you have your basic size and shape down, can always tear out and redo but that is a PITA. Go as big as you can b/c you will want it bigger once you think you are finished, so go big.....

There is a ton of info on this forum, if you can't find something ask in your construction thread and we will steer you in the right direction (well a direction lol).

 

[sissy]

FINISHED ? yeh when LOL

 

[pondntn]

with a pond like that you don't need a really big pump ,but that would also depend on fish you may want (if you get fish that is) I have 2 pumps 2 filters and 2 waterfalls one pump is 940 gph and and the other is 1268 gph ,but I have koi and if I could do it over would get goldfish instead

Why would you go with goldfish instead? It's an open spot. I'll take a picture of the proposed area and describe what I see in my head

Pumps/filter - Some of us use external pumps others use submerged, it is really a matter of preference. My pond is 3,000 gph and I have a pump that is about 7,200 gph before you calculate any head pressure, once you do calculate this I am probably somewhere around 6,000 gph. so I am turning my pond over about twice an hour. Your pond is probably going to be around 500 gph based on your size and depth. I purchased both of my filters but if I were to a mulligan and redo it, I would choose to install a skippy or doc filter and a bog filter, these can be a diy filter which will save you lots of money.

Liners - I used a firestone epdm 45 mil. I went with the thicker mil to be sure it didn't tear easily. I get in and out of my pond on occasion walking on the bottom, installing large rocks on the liner so it was more of an insurance policy for me, worth the extra cost.

See this is where I get confused, I don't understand wording here. Your saying your pond is 3,000 gph. Do you mean 3,000 gallons? And your pump is 7,200 gph? I don't get how a body of water can be 'gph' as it sits still.
Is there a standard 'gph' recommended? If that pond is 500gph *as you say*, then what recommended gph should I get for one that size? And I don't understand a skippy or doc filter, bog stuff. I'm a good diyer and If I can save me $$, I'm all for that too.

Thanks for everyones help.

 

[koiguy1969]

yes your right...he meant gallons not gph on pond volumes.... pump size should be atleast able to turn over and filter your ponds volume once an hour. anything past that is a matter of preference.fishload,filter size,and features you wish to power. fountains, waterfalls, spitters etc... a 3000 gal pond should be circulated by a bare minimum of a 3000gph pump. more is better.

 

[sissy]

Koi produce more waste and are more fussy about there water conditions and water needs tested more .Goldfish are less fussy and produce a lot less waste .I have had my koi for 8 years but if I knew what I know now I would do goldfish .I have to net the gunk from the bottom of the pond 2 or 3 times a week .Koi destroy pond plants and seem to need more oxygen in the water and koi get big really big .Two of my koi are over 2 feet long and they were only a couple of inches long .I have goldfish also and they are just as pretty and friendly and eat out of my hands .

 

[pondntn]

yes your right...he meant gallons not gph on pond volumes.... pump size should be atleast able to turn over and filter your ponds volume once an hour. anything past that is a matter of preference.fishload,filter size,and features you wish to power. fountains, waterfalls, spitters etc... a 3000 gal pond should be circulated by a bare minimum of a 3000gph pump. more is better.

Awesome..just what I needed!

Koi produce more waste and are more fussy about there water conditions and water needs tested more .Goldfish are less fussy and produce a lot less waste .I have had my koi for 8 years but if I knew what I know now I would do goldfish .I have to net the gunk from the bottom of the pond 2 or 3 times a week .Koi destroy pond plants and seem to need more oxygen in the water and koi get big really big .Two of my koi are over 2 feet long and they were only a couple of inches long .I have goldfish also and they are just as pretty and friendly and eat out of my hands .

Excellent. I will have to work towards that. I have always had aquariums. I love goldfish and they are more friendly. I will need to research climate tolerance for them. I live in west Tn. There are so many diff kinds of goldfish, some might do better than others. Also, depth of pond? 3 feet still ok?

 

[sissy]

do you have some shade on your pond or is it in sun all day and building it where you can enjoy it the most is really important as near a deck or patio where you may sit all the time is better and close to electric and water source makes it easier .My pond here is from 3 to 4 ft deep .My pond is in full sun but I built a shade sail for over top of it this summer .Easy to build and cheap .I used electrical conduit buried 3 ft deep at an outward angle and sewed the shade sail myself and eye bolts and done.You could get shubunkins too but found out the hard way this past spring they are jumpers and lost one to that .I also so like fantail gold fish .I have 2 of them and I call them butt wigglers .

 

[pondntn]

do you have some shade on your pond or is it in sun all day and building it where you can enjoy it the most is really important as near a deck or patio where you may sit all the time is better and close to electric and water source makes it easier .My pond here is from 3 to 4 ft deep .My pond is in full sun but I built a shade sail for over top of it this summer .Easy to build and cheap .I used electrical conduit buried 3 ft deep at an outward angle and sewed the shade sail myself and eye bolts and done.You could get shubunkins too but found out the hard way this past spring they are jumpers and lost one to that .I also so like fantail gold fish .I have 2 of them and I call them butt wigglers .

Hey Sissy, see HERE

 

[koiguy1969]

i have had koi and goldies...no goldies anymore. if your filtration is adequate for koi, theres no more work for keeping koi than goldies. but its true they do destroy plants. and they produce more fecal matter. but if your filtration is good...its not a problem.i dont do anything different now, or more often than when i had goldies and/or small koi. koi are actually far more social and freindly with humans in my experience..but that will have alot to do with where you buy them. pet stores and the like with people tapping on the glass etc will make a leary fish....my fry eat out of my hands at 3 weeks old. theyre used to human contact, seeing me, seeing my hands in their enviroment etc...every one has different experiences, i've used the same routine in maintaining my pond(s) since day one...test my water 2 times a month...and its always ideal. most problems occur from inadequate equipment and a lack of routine maintainence.. an ounce of prevention is worth a "ton" of cure. going by your measuements your looking at a 540 gal max, pond. so koi really isnt an advisable option for you anyways.

 

[sissy]

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koi are friendlier as koiguy says and they love being petted like a dog if you have the time to train them and yes my filters work hard to keep my pond clean .But also noticed on your other page pondntn you mention snakes and copperheads at that and not sure how fish are with them and if copperheads would eat some of your fish or not .The crushed oyster shells have helped alot in maintaining the water quality and I have found that now that I have added 2 filters instead of one and 2 waterfalls and the larger air pump my pond has gotten easier to maintain .I would not give up my aggie and bert (my koi ) for anything

 

[addy1]

my goldies suck on my fingers when I let them..............but now I am trying to keep them leery so they will be safer from the heron. They have gotten good about diving deep when they see anything tall by the pond, the heron has visited so often.

 

[Waterbug]

Mark,

Since you said "NEED" in caps it sounds like you might be open to options. Ask the question in any pond forum or pet store you will be told you absolutely need a pump and filter, and probably a lot of other stuff. However there are a few radicals out there who don't use pumps or filters in some ponds. I've done it and it can work fine.

The bottom line is how many pounds of fish in a given body of water. For a 4x6x3 pond I'd say 10 goldfish fed once a week wouldn't need any pump or filter. Measuring ammonia level tells you if you need filters or if you have the right size.

Some of the myths are: ponds become stagnant without a pump, or that water movement is needed to get O2 into the water, or worst, water movement will prevent mosquitoes. A pond can be very clear and clean without a filter. My small pond didn't have a pump or filter and it ran fine.

However, I do like moving water and I think a stream is the single best way to have clear water short of a UV filter. But you asked "NEED".

 

[j.w]

Waterbug, when I clicked your link for small pond above it wouldn't work.........said timed out, try again and again and again.