Tell me what you think about this 300gal pond w/falls

[FredrikAnderson]

I have a Hot Tub Shell I sunk in the ground about 2/3s of the way and trimmed around with stones. Took the pump from the hot tub which is meant for continuous use to move water through a mini-me skippy jr. filter and then over the falls which is at the top about 30-36 inches above the pond. I think that this design should make a good habitat for a few fish ( I would like to put 3 koi into it). I would love to hear what you think and any concerns you would have. I have a simple diagram which will give you a better idea of my setup. Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

[Robyn]

How many GPM is your pump moving?

I DO like the hottub idea... built in plant shelves from the seats! LOL

I would get some irregular shaped prefab pond liners and connect them to it just because I would be annoyed by the perfect square shape of the tub... but then again, for a more formal looking pond it would be perfect as is.

 

[FredrikAnderson]

Okey, so I have a larger prefilter in the picture then the basket cage that is on right now. I was looking to add this on to try and reduce any larger debris from going into my piping and causing a issue down the road. How necessary is this. I really would rather attack all these potential problems in the creation of this pond rather then retroactively.

 

[FredrikAnderson]

Okey here is an update on how things are going with my pond. I have a updated drawing of the design that now includes the removal of the one way valve (on some feedback I got from here, thanks:icon_smileand the addition of a in pond skimmer (I forgot to sever the piping to the upper hole before I sunk the shell in the ground so by adding it I fixed that issue). The skimmer is DIY and I will know how well it works on Wed. night. When it is perfected (or when I get the chance to draw it out) I will share the design. I think the addition of the skimmer will improve the pond design.
I have finished the water fall and ran if for about a hour or so and it looks as good as I imagined. I drained the pond to allow me to attach my DIY prefilter at the bottom (mainly to keep out real big things and some real small fish, and I will be filling it back up on Wed. so I will take pictures of all of it then and post them soon after.
Picked up some industrial square buffing pads at my local hardware store and will be getting them into the filter tomorrow. I am really hoping that when I fill it up on Wed. I can start the process to get everything in balance so I can get some fish in it some time next month.
Questions I still have are: What kind of plant life do I want to put in it? How many Koi can I really expect to keep in it responsibly? How much benifical bactieria should I get to add into my Skippy Jr. and where should I add it?
As always, would love any help that you can offer, thanks.

 

[koiguy1969]

microbelifts 'pl gel filter innoculant' is the best new filter start up bacteria. any brand is probably o.k. for maintainence. you could keep a few koi for a few years but they get 30+ inches so not forever. goldies would be a better bet. comets.. shubunkins.. wakins etc.. you can get some beautiful varieties of goldies,and most are maxed out under 12".. it will be hard trying to keep this pond looking good if it white, blue, or the standard colors for hot tubs when the alge starts etc..

 

[DrDave]

I would keep it to small fish and remember that the skimmer will likely claim them one at a time till gone. If you must have one, fabricate a screen out of 1/2" plastic fencing material and place it around the input so they cannot get caught and trapped in the flow.

 

[FredrikAnderson]

Here is the first picture of my Pond project. It is of the Waterfalls and obviously I still have to surround it with some plant life.

 

[FredrikAnderson]

Lets try this again. Here is the Waterfall Picture.

 

[DrDave]

Very nice, next time resize just a little larger. Some people are going so small it is hard to see the detail.

 

[aviator79]

I do like that. How did you get it to have the water coming out at the two different heights.

 

[FredrikAnderson]

I have a 1.5" pipe feeding my pump. On the other side of my pump I split that to a 1" pipe going to the left which, goes to my Skippy Jr. Filter (16gal Skippy) and then dumps out via a 2" drain and 3" long 2" pipe sending it through the rocks. The second pipe is 1.25" and is piped up and Through ( I drilled a hole through it). I put a rock at the top to slow the water running off the rock. I also put ball valves on both the 1" and 1.25" so I could regulate the flow to get the best balance.

 

[DrDave]

Nice job, I like it.

 

[Stouty109]

DrDave what is the max size of a pic we can upload mine always turn out small and half to click to c it bigger?

 

[DrDave]

Filetype Max Filesize Max Width Max Height
bmp 146.5 KB - -
doc 3.81 MB - -
gif 146.5 KB - -
jpeg 146.5 KB - -
jpg 146.5 KB - -
pdf 3.81 MB - -
psd 3.81 MB - -
txt 3.81 MB - -
zip 3.81 MB

 

[FredrikAnderson]

I assume you are referring to the prefilter. Well adding it isn't going to hurt and could save you down the road. Just make sure of 2 things. That the prefilter has sufficient perforations to accommodate the amount of water your pump needs, I would say by at least 2x (maybe more or you will have to clean it a lot) because of the clogging that will occur as debris builds up on it. I also made mine easy to remove/get to for the process of cleaning when it gets too clogged up. Hope that helps.