Skimmer Versus Bottom Drain

[daddio42]

I've had a Skimmer and Waterfall Filter System in my 5000 gallon pond for about 8 years. The skimmer needs to be cleaned weekly. I was wondering a bottom drain would eliminate the weekly maintenance? Suggestions?

 

[koiguy1969]

a skimmer isnt reaally enough for a pond anyways...most of the debris sink.. a skimmer cant get poop and other debris off the bottom

 

[koikeepr]

Cleaning a skimmer of its leaves once per week is really, truly normal. When you have a BD and that waste goes to your filter, you really want to get that out every week in summer or at worst every other week.

I've got a 5k pond and i spend about 20 minutes per week emptying the various things. I empty the sieve plate every day or two and that just takes 15 seconds. I collect a fist size of poop on my sieve, which would otherwise be in my filter. I simply take out the sieve plate and just dump it out on the grass and then pop it back in.

 

[daddio42]

Thanks folks. This is good input. It sound like a should keep my skimmer and add a bottom drain, pump and filter system. Any thoughts?

 

[koiguy1969]

your thinking is correct use a retro fit B.D or a submersable pump for the bottom.

 

[koikeepr]

If your pond is already existing, you need to add a retro bottom drain. I had one of these on my old pond and it worked totally great. I would highly recommend the AquaArt one (you'll need the large size one) because it plumbs from the side and not from the top. That way your pipe stays on the pond floor and not up in the water where a fish can swim into it. Once it develops algae on it, you can't even see it. It does a really great job.

If you plumb it on soft pipe, you can move it around the pond floor so it acts almost like a vacuum. A pond of that size really does need a bottom drain or two. And since you didn't put one in, you can get a similar effect with a retro drain now.

 

[daddio42]

Thanks, I like that idea. Would you recommend a 2nd pump for the bottom drain or should I create a "Y" from the skimmer input? Also would you recommend a separate filter for the bottom drain or should it go directly to the waterfall filter?

 

[DrCase]

What kind of filter do you have on your pond ?

 

[koikeepr]

Please advise what kind of skimmer you have. A BD should not go into a skimmer, it would be way too much flow. You could make it go into a 55g barrel filter, which is how I had mine set up.

 

[daddio42]

I currently have a skimmer with a waterfall filter. I did a little research on the Aqua Art Retro BD and it looks good. I'm going to buy it and run 4" PVC through the liner to three 55 gallon barrel filters. The 1st one a vortex filter, the 2nd mechanical and the 3rd biological, and finally to a 2nd pump back to the pond. I have an old Sequence 1000 6100 GPH pump.

I'll post some pics aas I go. Thanks for the advice.

 

[koikeepr]

Daddio, if you are going to run multiple barrels, it is best to run them in parallel and not one after the other.

Also, the Aqua Art does not accept a 4" pipe plumbed into it from what I remember when I owned it.