what size filter?

[chilligirl]

I'm going to build a skippy-style filter for my pond. Lower pond is roughly 1500g, upper pond, when completed, will be about 200g. Pump is a pondmaster pump that runs 2100gph. The water will need to travel from the pump, to the filter, to the second pond, through a short bog garden, and down a waterfall. Distance from pump to filter is about 6 feet height and the hose length will be about 10-12 feet I'm guessing.

I'm thinking a half-barrel should do for the filter? Enough room for adequate bio-media, and big enough to allow enough time in contact with it? Or is that over-kill? Would something smaller suffice? Do I even need the filter, since there's going to be a heavily planted upper pond and bog garden (bog garden will be about 3'x 3') for the water to pass through?

 

[Lugnut]

Can you set it up to add a bio-filter later when you have had a chance to see what happens?

 

[chilligirl]

Yup. I'd just put it between the main pond and the small pond (emptying into the small pond).

I've already got the main pond full, and no filter running, as I haven't built the second part yet. I'm sticking a few fish that I bought for the pond months ago, but it will still be so understocked that no filter shouldn't be an issue, especially with the large surface area. I also have some oxygenating plants (valisneria, hornwort, parrot feather).

I'm just sticking in 6 fancy goldfish (4 telescopes, 1 telescope/wakin cross, and a small oranda).

Ultimately, the large pond will house fancies, and the small pond will house shubunkins (it's more raccoon accessible, so the cheaper fish go there!).

 

[Austrian Fish]

Hi Chilligirl,

I'm in the process of planning this for my garden as well....

I have a 1100g pond, and i want to add a biofilter and a wetland area.

I've been using this guys website for the calculations - he based his on a skippy filter...

http://leisure.prior-it.co.uk/pond.shtml

and he's also got a pdf that you can download detailing the whole project.

The two key calculations seem to be :

1. Retention time - how long the water remains in contact with the medium. If you want 1 minute for example, and the pump is 2100g/h, then you need 2100/60 = 35 gallon drum. The real question is how long is correct. He recommends 10 minutes, but that seems overkill to me, but then all this is new to me as well, so maybe he's right?

2. Medium Surface area - he's based his calculations on the amount of food you feed the fish each day, and he's also got a table listing the surface area to volume for different mediums.

One of the other forum members, Robyn, gave me this link to a filter bed bog system

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=2153

I like the look of this, and for my pond it might be a better solution. I'm also hoping that if i can build this bog system that i won't need the barrel biofilter solution.

You didn't mention if there is a mechancial prefilter between the pump and the skippy biofilter?

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Andy.

 

[koiguy1969]

my pond is 1100 gal also..i use a 70gal stock tank, you can see it in the diy forum, under the title 'my 70 gallon skippy filter' but the 55 gal bio is skippy style too. either will serve you well just the lower profile of the tank makes it easy for waterfall construction..you can see this in the photography forum 'pond and waterfall redo progress' ihave a waterfall weir on mine,but an outlet pipe is the norm... prefilters go before the pump to keeps larger solids out of your pump,and clogging it or locking the impeller up.

 

[kelli]

I've been using this guys website for the calculations - he based his on a skippy filter...

http://leisure.prior-it.co.uk/pond.shtml

and he's also got a pdf that you can download detailing the whole project.

THANK YOU for posting that.

Not only is it informative, but it's amazing how things work out & how small this world is.

It took you, from Austria
posting about a site in the U.K.
that lead to SkippysStuff.com in the U.S....
whose physical location is a FORTY minute drive from my own house.

Awesome!
:icon_mrgreen:

 

[koiguy1969]

where in michigan are you kelli i'm in macomb county near utica

 

[kelli]

where in michigan are you kelli i'm in macomb county near utica

Hi there!
I'm in Oakland Co., in Ferndale. I could probably get to Skippy's in a half hour if traffic cooperates. rofile:

Have you ever been there? (probably a dumb question)
If so, how is it? The web site is hilarious.

 

[koiguy1969]

yeah i have.. they are super nice people who will help you out any way they can.. on the corner of ecorse and i think its montclaire, cant remember." beautiful ponds and gardens"

 

[kelli]

Great! Thanks for the tip!
Help is definitely one of the things I'll be shopping for...
:icon_mrgreen: