Question on pond build

[Nanner]

So looks like I'm going with a liner... most likely going to be around 500 to 600 gallons. 8ft by 5ft with a max depth of 30 inches with some shallower shelves and a little slope. Plan to keep my current bog filter and waterfall set up to fall into new pond build.
Here comes my question...was thinking a 500 gallon bio filter box attached to a 750 pump in the pond then having the pump push the water to my bog filter. Bog filter has several layers of bio medium and lava rock in the bottom. Now with filtering that water before it gets to the bog filter will I be setting my bog plants up with no nutrients? Is there a better filter set up to get the best use out of current bog set up. Maybe a smaller filter box in the pond? Maybe I'm overthinking it...lol

Pond will have my 4 (3 inch goldfish) and about 10 fathead rosey red minnows so not a lot of fish waste. Plan to have plenty of plants. 2 or 3 types in bog planter and then 4 or 5 in pond.

Many Thanks,

 

[addy1]

I would have a T off the pump line, send some to the bio filter, send some un-filtered water to your bog filter. You might want a ball valve on the lines to control how much water goes to each.

I have a very large bog / up flow pea gravel plant filter...........lol whatever you want to call it. It is the only filter I use. The plants suck up all the ponds nutrients.
I had trouble getting the plants going well before I had a fish load. The first two summers.

 

[sissy]

I think a 750 gph pump is to small for all that

 

[Lisak1]

I agree with @addy1 - add control valves so you can adjust water flow to pond, bog, and filter. We have one main line that leads to our upflow bog. We have a ball valve right before the bog that we can turn up or down to adjust how fast the water flows to the bog. That splits off to two additional lines - one feeds a small "stream" and the other feeds a line that adds additional water flow to the waterfall where it was lacking. The auxiliary waterfall line splits off to feed an additional line that flows to a fountain that we installed in the bog which also has a valve to turn the flow up or down.

We switch up the amount of flow to different lines based on a number of factors - weather, desired flow, and plant density in the bog being three of them. When we were building, I thought it was a bit of overkill but am happy every day that my over-planning husband insisted on all those ball valves!

Also - spring for the expensive valves! The original ones we installed lasted about a year before they became impossible to turn. Then the handles got brittle from the sun and all cracked from the extreme pressure we had to apply to turn them. My boys helped me replace them all last year and these are so far superior.

 

[sissy]

I sprayed cooking oil on mine to keep them moving with ease .It does not take much and no harm to the fish .The ball valves are now over 6 years old and got them at lowes .The ones with the black or red handles

 

[Lisak1]

The ones with the black or red handles

Our original ones were the ones with blue handles. Bought them from a pond supplier and never questioned the quality. When we installed the new ones we gooped them up with vaseline... also a tip the pond supplier could have given us!

 

[addy1]

We buy these from lowes they are still working great.
I have used the smaller ones like Sissy, sprayed with silicone, they just fail. I also want the ability to remove the ball valve to release the lines, for the winter. My pump is external
I put nets over the end of the pipe to keep critters from crawling into the lines.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/AMERICAN-VALVE-2-in-PVC-Sch-40-Socket-In-Line-Ball-Valve/3351052

 

[sissy]

My neighbor had a blue handle one she got from a plumbing supply store and guessing it was different .Hers so far has held up 4 years .I tried vaselin but it does not work as well because it does not get into the tight areas .Mine are clamped on addy .I just put a piece of pvc pipe in them and then clamped the hose to the pvc pipe

 

[addy1]

We use them and the rubber connectors to release all of the pipes.

 

[Lisak1]

Those are the ones! So much better than the original. And I like the fact they can come off easily - to remove the originals (which were glued) we had to cut pipe, which is always a bit dicey. These just screw off and can be easily replaced if needed. Ours have the screw connectors on both ends.

 

[Nanner]

I think a 750 gph pump is to small for all that

You think 1000gph???...bog filter is a slow fill with minimal overflow into a small preformed waterfall. So was thinking half pressure or a little under to flow to bog (about a 3ft to 3.5ft rise to top) and the rest for pond circuliation.

Thanks for the input

 

[Nanner]

I guess maybe I'm missing how to split the water if I plan to use a submersible in the pond bio filter box. The fitler box will be part of the intake before the pump and the water coming out of the pump will be split one to feed the bog planter/waterfall and the other circuliating the pond. I currently have a valve to shut off bog/waterfall but not sure where you are suggesting the other valve to be placed to properly be efective in this set up . Thanks for the input.

 

[sissy]

You could use 2 pumps and save yurself the hassle of a splitter .Plus one pump goes out you always have a back up .I learned the hard why to use 2 pumps .Mine went out and no place to get another one around here and been using 2 since

 

[Nanner]

Another question.... while doing some winter clean up in the basement I found two large totes of queen size micro fiber, polyester, wool fuzzy warm blankets. Had these since college and forgot about them. Question do you think I could use these for my underlaymemt in my pond build or am I just asking for trouble. Liner I'm going to purchase is a 20 X 15 pond liner epdm 45 mil. Pond itself going to be 8x5 about 3ft deep.

Many thanks. ...

 

[sissy]

I used roofing felt that was left behind by builder this last time .Hopefully moles can't chew it .I used 15 lb and 30 lb roofing felt .I took out a pond a couple of yeas ago for a realtor and they used it under the pond and it had not even rotted the least and she said by pics the pond had been there for at least 10 years .She looked at the tax pics they take here of properties when they sell or do the taxes over for them .So since moles chewed my liner before I figured I had it so try it .