Will I need a separate filter for my upper pond?

[Big Jim]

Hi all,

I need your advice about pump and filter arrangements.

I have a new pond project on the go, and I would like to have two ponds connected via a waterfall.

The upper pond is only small, and will have some plants, but no fish.

The lower pond will have golden orfe and goldfish.

As per my child-like diagram below, would that arrangement with a pump and single filter work OK? I'm wondering if the upper pond should have its own filter, or whether that would be surplus to requirements?

 

[BittenSCW]

One filter/pump will work just fine as long as the water is recirculated adequately. It is one body of water.

 

[sissy]

The plants are your filter and the best filter of all I keep plants in my little upper pond .They will do more work than you think sucking up all the bad stuff

 

[Usman]

Hi , one will do if they have same water as you have said .... but filter size is linked to fish per inch count and there age with the surface area of filter material , compact more filter media can be on small place too . also other factor is how many times water goes through it , keep in mind the pressure may become half if your pumping it around 5 feet vice versa , usually once in hour is ok for Gold fishes .

 

[Big Jim]

Thanks for your responses. I should be OK with the one filter then.

"The plants are your filter and the best filter of all I keep plants in my little upper pond .They will do more work than you think sucking up all the bad stuff"

Good to hear, because I planned on putting some plants in my upper pond.

 

[Waterbug]

The upper pond can likely be the filter unless you want 2 waterfalls. In generally filters aren't needed at all in water gardens. Algae is the most common plant and the "largest" plant in any water garden but gets little credit.

 

[addy1]

My deck pond, (full of bog bean, iris, floating hearts) stream ponds (parrots feather, arachnis) and the three slow flow ponds (lotus, lilies, arachnis) are all full of plants, they help keep the large ponds with fish in beautiful shape.

My only filtration for the all of the ponds is my pea gravel, bog filter which is big and full of plants.

Plants do a great job.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

My deck pond, (full of bog bean, iris, floating hearts) stream ponds (parrots feather, arachnis) and the three slow flow ponds (lotus, lilies, arachnis) are all full of plants, they help keep the large ponds with fish in beautiful shape.

My only filtration for the all of the ponds is my pea gravel, bog filter which is big and full of plants.

Plants do a great job.

How many square feet of water surface do you figure you have? Including the "bog", streams and step pools.

 

[addy1]

oh my no clue, I will need to take out a tape and measure, or do some pure guessing.

This is guessing
stream 85 feet long, 6-12 inches wide, varies.
Stream ponds, two around 3x3 ft, one around 2x1 ft
one pond 9x9 ft
one 26ft x 15 or so
bog 26 ft x 4.5 ft or so
deck ponds about 5x2ft, other around 8x1 foot
small loop pond around 6x6 ft
other one around 5x2ft
other one around 4x2.5 ft