Upgrading pond..need help

[cmotaval]

I currently have a 3500 gal pond which may need some upgrades. I think I spend more time then I should be keeping it clear. For many years I was using 2 laguna presure flo 3200 filters and 2 jebao stu-55 watt uv sterilizers. With that setup I was running the water through a plastic tote with poly fill one a month to keep the water mostly clear and backwashing the filter weekly. Last year I added an atlantic skimmer, 1 OASE BioSmart 10000 Filter and 1 TMC/AAP High Output 110 Watt UV light. This helped quite a bit but the water still was not super clear. I have an underwater camera and you could see more debris than fish. I just setup everything for the year and I leaks and cracks on the filters. I am debating if I should replace some components rather than fixing them. The pond is around 3000 gallons roughly 25'x20'x3', is under a large tree which drops alot of stuff into the pond, and currently the pond has 50 fish mostly goldfish. I am thinking of cutrting down the tree which would then have the pond in full sun all day.. Also I changed the liner last summer so I took a count as I moved them. What would I I need to change or add to my setup to keep the water clean and clear. The pieces leaking are fixable and I can do it myself if those filters should be sufficient. I would like to keep the bill at <$3000. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[GBBUDD]

B O G

 

[GBBUDD]

B O G https://www.gardenpondforum.com/showcase/gbbudds-12-000-gallon-koi-pond-full-build-and-layout.141/

 

[GBBUDD]

AND MORE BOG

 

[combatwombat]

Someone should mention a bog.

If you really like gear, though, a sieve or rdf would mostly fix the debris problem.

 

[addy1]

BOG...........it is all I use for my pond. Full sun, never fight excess algae, green water, water stays clear.

 

[TheFishGuy]

I hate to be boring but B O G. ( or upflow wetland filter if you want to be fancy with the name )

Let me break it down real quick:

Water flows up from the bottom of a reservoir filled with pea gravel, this makes the water pass through tons and tons of gravel which houses beneficial bacteria, and makes your water clear. Then at the top of this contraption you add plants, so that the water is forced through their roots and the plants uptake excess nutrients. Its pretty simple, and far less than $3000.

Tons of members on here switched over to a bog after using all of the commercially available options and have found that it is cheaper, works better, and after the initial construction much less work.

Addy1 ( poster above me ) has a great article all about this, let me see if I can find it and link it here.

link:

Bog building, also called upflow filter, eco filter, wetland filter

I was asked to start a thread on how to build a bog. This is my rendition on bog building 101............. Building a bog: Before you decide to build a bog, you need to know what you want its primary purpose to be. Total pond filtration bog filtration combined with another filter. If you...

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