Pond dug, liner in...now pump/waterfall concerns

[sissy]

I have the harbor freight 2150 and it actually pumps 2400gph and runs by watt tester 135 watts .I have had mine for several years no problem and have 3 pumps from harbor freight that still work that are over 9 years old the 2150 I got onsale and then had a birthday coupon and paid 50 with the warranty .I bought a laguna but after 2 pumps over heating i gave up on them .I did find some nice pumps at pond filter .com .May get a new one from there .I had one rio pump from pet mountain .com and it only lasted a year ,not sure why or what kept going wrong with it,just no it kept stopping on me .I bought it for a stock tank i have..The pump I am looking at .I buy the cheap stuff from pet mountain acurel and it keep it in all my filters along with crushed oyster shells .I buy the dollar store laundry bags
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[sharedmedia=core:attachments:37975]this one runs 135 watts
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[sharedmedia=core:attachments:37418]and this one was a 1250 one and ran 45 watts

 

[Nepen]

Hi, Beautiful family you have I have a 3 year old son myself.

Anyway, I have to tell you that A LOT of my advices came from follwoing Sissy's advices especially the mesh bags from the dollar store. I put lava rock in it too so it's easy to move around (I didnt at first and when I went in to adjust something, I changed my mind and put them in the bag and now it's all easy to mess around with). I also used the activated carbon, it's not a bad idea to have them. Also the crushed oyster shells helps with stabilizing Ph level of your pond (if you have low Ph level in your tap water) - I killed lots of goldfish coz I didnt know my Ph level was too low... you should buy water testing kit like this one http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwate...=1374676771&sr=8-6&keywords=water+testing+kit

Have you test your pump and water flow? I'm not sure if the 1290 mpg will make too much water movement for your pond or not, my 620 mpg pump is pretty good in making the water move from one side to the other without blowing everything on its way apart (through waterfall) and I'm wondering how the 2 gallon spillway can handle the 1290 mpg.. the water that I got from the pump to the spilway (waterfall tub) is pretty strong already, I'm afraid that with 1290 mpg, the water might just shoot up... I'd suggest you to test it and if the water are too strong, you might want to get a bigger spillway or smaller pump... but hopw everything work out without having to change anything.

my answer to the questions:
1. I just used the clamps, like this one http://www.amazon.co...clamp connector that's it. I didnt seal it any other way. But with 1290 mpg, you might have to. Sorry, dont have any suggestion.

2. if you use the de-clorine when you put the water in, you can put in the fish right away. May be 2-5 goldfish first? You should buy a water testing kit and also learn about the ammonia cycle (in our wonderful 'Water Chemical' part of this forum). I'm sure you can add plants right way. I do have guppies and mollies (same group as the as the Tetras and Neons) and you may even add them first since they are small fish. But when the water gets lower than 70 you will have to move them inside or they will die. I added the bottom feeders the same time since they eat leftover food too. may be wait for a week for the snails?

3. there is a 'winterizing pond' section in this forum too. I think you can leave everything in the pond exept the tropical fish (like Tetras, Neons, guppies and mollies) and the floating pond plants (like water lettuce) which can only survive in warm water above 70 F) - I killed many guppies in the process coz I didnt know this at first, thought in May it should be fine but it wasnt). It's also depend on your location and if the pond freeze over or not. I live in NC, so I dont really have to worry about it being frozen over during winter. Goldfish can handle the cold though, but you have to stop feeding them, there are some guidelines I read somewhere about this in the 'winterizing pond' section.

When you are done with your pond, with all these added knowledge, it feels good! I built my own pond (had my husband take my pictures along the way to prove that I did it myself!!!) and learn everything on my own (with lots and lots of help from here) and now I'm still a newbie but I can give my opinion on some subjects that I went through myself (only similar situation, though), and it feels good too

A few updates, a quesiton or two, and some responses to Nepen and cr8tivguy:

Updates:

I've turned in the Harbor Freight pumps in favor of a Rio 20HF HyperFlow (1290 GPH) pump I got for $50 brand new from a co-worker. Being that I have just two outlets, I didn't want to take up both with pumps -- plus I was concerned about energy efficiency. The Rio is energy effiecient, strong, has good reviews online, and will use just one of my two available outlets. It seemed a plus allaround -- especially since my plan for a bog and stream fell apart due to space issues.

Last night I drained the rain water in the pond, removed all excess dirt, and checked my patchwork from last week on a hole I discovered. All looked well, so I filled the pond about 1/2 way -- roughly 6 inches above the patch job. Pond is (mostly) level and water remained in the pond as of 6:00 this morning when I left for work. That's a solid start, I would presume. I figure I'll fill the balance of the pond this evening, as I figure any leackage would have occured within the first 24 hours. Tomorrow evening a buddy of mine is coming over to help me build a rock wall that extends into the waterfall area. I hope to have things looking on the up by the end of the weekend. If I remember, I'll take some photos and post tonight, Tim.

Questions:

1. Regarding the tubing that connects the pump to the waterfall spillway: I assume this tube should enter my 2-gallon spillway via a hole cut into the bottom/side of the spillway to allow the water to flow up through the biological media, correct? If so, how do I connect it to the spillway so it does not retract and spray water everywhere? Also, how do I seal this so it is watertight, prventing the water fream leaking out of the spillway? Nepen, this is the question I posed above that may not have been worded the best

2. How soon, how many, and what kind of fish should I add? My initial thought is five or so cheap goldfish. If I'm thinking correctly, it doesn't make sense to add a pleco or snails at this point, as they'll not have anything to munch on. Is my line of thinking on par with where I stand at this point? Can I add fish like Tetras, Neons, etc eventually? I feel like it might be neat to have schooling fish, but feel like that isn't an option.

3. How do I over-winter the pond -- both in terms of fish and pump? Should the fish remain? Do I feed them? Should I shut off and pull out the pump? I know I'm ahead of myself, but it never hurts to gain the knowledge early.

Responses:

@Nepen -- thanks for the tips. Did you put your lavarock in the mesh bag with everything else? To me, it would seem like the lava rock would be fine outside of the bag since it's heavy and large enough to adjust on its own. Everything else makes sense in a bag to keep it all together and prevent it from flowing out the spillway.

@Sissy -- thanks, as well! Should I include activated carbon? When can I add some plants, and what might be the best types to add early in the process?

@Tim -- a couple questions. Will I need an electric filter in addition to this bio-filter? Does the bio-filter ever need cleaned/replaced, or should I just let it build up indefinitely? I won't be having a bog any longer, but the 2-gallon spillway will continue to serve as a filter. Thanks for the compliments -- and more importantly, thanks for the advice! As I said above, I'll try to remember to take some photos tonight to post here. Nothing to look at just yet, but it's getting there, and my sense of accomlishment is growing!

Thanks again to everyone -- so many helpful people around these parts. I never would have expected this pond to be as involved as it is. I have had fish tanks before and they were work, but nothing in comparison to this. I guess I should have figured it was more difficult than just liner, water, pump -- but I'm glad it's not.

 

[sissy]

Don't do what I did to test mine (what a dumb move ) put a 2150 gph pump in the bathtub geeze .Ammonia can be controlled with pdz horse stall refresher but you will need to double bag it as it is fine
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.Waiting to find out when and if the rock quarry has haydite ,I really want to try it out

 

[Mucky_Waters]

A few updates, a quesiton or two, and some responses to Nepen and cr8tivguy:

Updates:

I've turned in the Harbor Freight pumps in favor of a Rio 20HF HyperFlow (1290 GPH) pump I got for $50 brand new from a co-worker. Being that I have just two outlets, I didn't want to take up both with pumps -- plus I was concerned about energy efficiency. The Rio is energy effiecient, strong, has good reviews online, and will use just one of my two available outlets. It seemed a plus allaround -- especially since my plan for a bog and stream fell apart due to space issues.

Glad to see you mentioning pump efficiency, I read your first post about budget and cost of the pump, then noticed everybody talking about GPH, but nobody saying anything about wattage or pump efficiency, which is what often sets the higher priced pumps apart from the cheaper one of similar GPH. A more expensive pump can pay for itself over a cheap pump in less than a year of constant use, and a cheap pump can cost you double or triple what you pay for it in a year of constant use.
There are three spec you want to consider when buying a pump, GPH, Wattage, and Head, and unless have a lot of back pressure in you filter setup, or you are pumping the water very high (> 3ft) for something like a waterfall or stream, the third one isn't generally that important, but the second one is of prime important if you are at all concerned about ongoing costs.

 

[Nepen]

:banghead3: shoot, I used mph instead of gph duh!!!

 

[sissy]

I bought a laguna because of low watts but thing used more watts than it said and after 2 overheated I gave up on them and that was just 2 months ago .I know Haro had warned me the new ones are made in China and not as good .pond filter.com has a cal pump magnetically coupled 3325 gph and it uses from 126 watts up to 164 watts .My hoses are 1 1/4 inch sump pump hoses so thinking of trying it but hate that it only comes with a 20 ft power cord it was 140 dollars .There smaller pumps are cheaper but I did find in using the watt tester really showed me what amount of watts they really use .Like my harbor freight one says 150 watts but test says it uses from 135 watts up to 145 watts .Not sure why it goes up and down but suspect it is because of the prefilter, it gets a little clogged it goes up .I clean it and it goes back down .

 

[DMB21]

I've created a photo album and have added three photos from my newly-full pond. Pump was inserted and works well. Tomorrow begins the waterfall construction and electric updating (to include a weather-proof outlet).

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/album/400-dmb21-1st-pond-project/

 

[Nepen]

I'm glad the 1290 gph pump works for you will wait for more updates!

 

[gardengirl]

I've created a photo album and have added three photos from my newly-full pond. Pump was inserted and works well. Tomorrow begins the waterfall construction and electric updating (to include a weather-proof outlet).

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/album/400-dmb21-1st-pond-project/

If you could find a rainwater barrel and hook to your gutter, you would have free extra water to use.

 

[DMB21]

I'm glad the 1290 gph pump works for you will wait for more updates!

I haven't put it to a waterfall, yet That will be the test! Although, sorting through the old pond equipment I found a restricter valve that I am going to use to adjust the force of the water coming through the hose and into the 2 gallon bio-filter pond.

 

[DMB21]

If you could find a rainwater barrel and hook to your gutter, you would have free extra water to use.

That's on the to-do list, for sure!

 

[DMB21]

Started the waterfall last night. Electric is upgraded/waterproofed, the tube is connected to the spillway and waterproofed, and the rock wall is 75% finished. I've got to fill the spillway with biological media and then hide the spillway with rocks. I'm anticipating a quick/easy finish to this since the hard work of hiding the hose and wires is complete. By the end of the weekend I should have plants and fish in place and plenty of photos to share!

A couple more questions:

1. If my waterfall truly is a waterfall and doesn't actually trickle over any rocks, do I still need to spray waterfall foam in the cracks between rocks?

2. Is there any reason I should not put 5 or so goldfish in the pond this early?

3. Any recommendations for good plants to help the pond cycle quickly?

4. Is there such a thing as too many plants in a pond? How many should I look to put in my pond, which is roughly 8 feet across at its widest and 6 feet across at its narrowest?

 

[sissy]

I did not use spray foam and actually even the Home Depot or Lowes regular house spray foam works and gets hidden by muck after awhile .If you want to tweak your build the foam is a pain to loosen up .Filter needs to cycle and you will need a test kit to see if that happens and when .I( use sedges and grasses they make great water filter plants .Colleen had told me and they do work great and fish can't get at them .Herbs work great and benefit is you can eat them .
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[Nepen]

Make your the rocks on the wall are a little tilted out so the water doesnt run backward. I had mine in the pond so I didnt use any foam but I had the problem of the water running to the back of waterfall instead of to the front until I tilted those rocks... water still goes back but a lot less.

Did you put the liner under all the rocks? I read some advise that if you put the liner under them, the water will just run back to the pond... this might be too late if you hasnt done so... may be using the foam might be easiest for you .

 

[DMB21]

Make your the rocks on the wall are a little tilted out so the water doesnt run backward. I had mine in the pond so I didnt use any foam but I had the problem of the water running to the back of waterfall instead of to the front until I tilted those rocks... water still goes back but a lot less.

Did you put the liner under all the rocks? I read some advise that if you put the liner under them, the water will just run back to the pond... this might be too late if you hasnt done so... may be using the foam might be easiest for you .

I didn't put a liner under the rocks, but I think I've figured this out. My problem at this point is that the connection between the tube and the waterfall basin is leaking. It's not a huge leak, but enough that I'm concerned. I've tried using waterfall foam and eventually added flex seal. I just can't seem to stop this leak. I guess I'll have to get the waterfall foam out again and really coat it and smooth it out with my finger to fill any gaps that may not be visible to the eye. Until I get this fixed, the pump won't be circulating the water.