Pond ideas

[Ronfire]

Looking for some help and ideas for a pair of ponds. The first pic is what I have now in front of the house and the second Is what I have in mind.
I plan to have Koi and goldfish as well as a few plants along the edge in the top pond 9'x10' 4-6' deep aprox 3300 gallons with a bottom drain. The upper pond will overflow with waterfall and stream into the lower pond

6' lower will be another pond maybe 8'x8' 3' deep aprox 1400 gallons. mainly for plants and might have a fish or 2 that get from the top pond into the lower

Top pond
I was thinking of having a 4" bottom drain - 55 gallon prefilter with 300 micron screen - sequence 750,4200 pump to a tpr and possibly a skippy filter in a 70 gallon stock tank with a low ( 12"??) water fall return or 2-55 gallon s&g filters.
Bottom pond
A skimmer and bottom drain to 55 gallon prefilter some sort of 55 gallon drum with possibly strapping or matala mats sequence 750,4200 pump up to the top pond with a low waterfall return. A valved return to the lower pond for cold weather to bypass the stream return from the upper pond to the lower.
I would prefer to run 1 sequence 4000, 5600gpm pump instead but I think the 2 pump system will be safer and not allow any chance of the top pond back flowing down the pump and pipes into the lower pond if a check valve leaks or fails and power outage.
Wondering if I should have an undergravel filter in the lower pond instead of a bottom drain and strapping filter?

Any ideas or advise on this setup would be great, like the diy filter ideas and have room below the deck for barrels and pumps.

 

[qclabrat]

Looking for some help and ideas for a pair of ponds. The first pic is what I have now in front of the house and the second Is what I have in mind.
I plan to have Koi and goldfish as well as a few plants along the edge in the top pond 9'x10' 4-6' deep aprox 3300 gallons with a bottom drain. The upper pond will overflow with waterfall and stream into the lower pond

6' lower will be another pond maybe 8'x8' 3' deep aprox 1400 gallons. mainly for plants and might have a fish or 2 that get from the top pond into the lower

Top pond
I was thinking of having a 4" bottom drain - 55 gallon prefilter with 300 micron screen - sequence 750,4200 pump to a tpr and possibly a skippy filter in a 70 gallon stock tank with a low ( 12"??) water fall return or 2-55 gallon s&g filters.
Bottom pond
A skimmer and bottom drain to 55 gallon prefilter some sort of 55 gallon drum with possibly strapping or matala mats sequence 750,4200 pump up to the top pond with a low waterfall return. A valved return to the lower pond for cold weather to bypass the stream return from the upper pond to the lower.
I would prefer to run 1 sequence 4000, 5600gpm pump instead but I think the 2 pump system will be safer and not allow any chance of the top pond back flowing down the pump and pipes into the lower pond if a check valve leaks or fails and power outage.
Wondering if I should have an undergravel filter in the lower pond instead of a bottom drain and strapping filter?

Any ideas or advise on this setup would be great, like the diy filter ideas and have room below the deck for barrels and pumps.

View attachment 105872 View attachment 105873

that looks like a beautiful location
have you considered a bog on top with plants? Functionally it will clean your lower ponds while tying in the driveway to the landscape. It also provides another step to more easily grade the ponds due to the natural slope.

looking forward to see how it turns out

 

[sissy]

you posted this before and it would be easy with a pond but to hide that kind of filter may be hard plus the run off from the roof may be a problem also .Plus snow load falling off the roof could be another problem /Plus run off from the carport area .

 

[Ronfire]

Not worried about water run off as there is little run off here and none in the carport area. The sides will be higher than the surround area. I plan to remove the deck rail on the left side and have a row of large rocks to be able to stand by the pond at the deck and view the fish.
The snow off the roof into the pond might be an issue but I could build a winter roof for the pond and would be better on the top one as the snow has less distance to fall. Can also add a snow catch to the roof.
There would be less soil to remove for the top pond being deeper with the grade but will have to build a 6' retaining wall in the lower corner at the deck. I would have to build a hatch section in the deck to access any filter that gravity feeds back to the top pond.
The top pond would have more of a focal point than the lower one as the basement area is not used much.
Is there a reason why the plants in a lower pond would not work as well as in the top for filtration? All the water from the lower pond would be pumped to the top anyway and then shut down in the late fall.

Still wondering about an under gravel filter system in the lower pond if it would work, I did not like them in aquariums but hear they work ok in ponds. I could back flush the gravel each fall or spring to help clean it when there are no fish in it as I only plan to winter the top pond and shut down the lower.

I do appreciate all the comments as it makes me think of problems I have not seen, thanks and keep them coming.

 

[sissy]

Do you have any idea how big each pond will be .Reason I ask because of winter freeze and will there be fish that you will have to keep an opening in the ice .Also what about insurance issues with the deck railing being removed .I know here if there is a 2 foot drop there has to be railings by code .My insurance company did an inspection because of insurance fraud being so bad here .People insuring shacks for 200 hundred thousand dollars that are not worth 200 dollars and then burning them .Sad to say we all pay for others fraud .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

The upper pond should be smaller than the lower pond to prevent major water loss during power outages.
Undergravel filtration is better suited to a dedicated Koi pond (no plants). It will quickly clog if used in a garden pond.

 

[sissy]

I have koi and all they get is 2 filters .They are not show koi just mutts .They do need lots of oxygen and they do get huge not big but huge