Filter help suggestions please!

[Prometheus Xex]

I have a two ponds connected by a small stream. I would like to use the
small pond as my filtering. You can see it at www.xex.ca ... just click on
the pond link (nothing else to click on). Any suggestion would be greatly
appreciated!

- Francis

[2Rowdy]

Message >,
by author Prometheus Xex aka > inspired me,
> I have a two ponds connected by a small stream. I would like to
> use the small pond as my filtering. You can see it at www.xex.ca
> ... just click on the pond link (nothing else to click on). Any
> suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

Great pictures, great looking pond!

It appears you don't have that many plants. You could setup the small
pond as a swamp area, lots of plants. If the small pond is to deep for
a swamp area you could setup a mesh hand deep and place the plants on
top of it.
The filter box you have is quite small compared with the size on the
pond. You could do with a bigger one.
You clean the filter often, to often I think.
You filter out debris but you don't give bacteria any chance and time
to convert the mess into usable plant food.
There is a little trick I have. If the contents of the filter smells
like fish I clean to early. If it smells like sewer waste I am to
late. Somewhere in the middle is the optimum.
--
d:Johan; Certifiable me
Seasons Wishes at http://www.aacit.net/aac.gif
Sig is being randomised, pls wait . . . .

[~ janj JJsPond.us]

>On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 15:19:38 -0400, "Prometheus Xex" > wrote:

>I have a two ponds connected by a small stream. I would like to use the
>small pond as my filtering. You can see it at www.xex.ca ... just click on
>the pond link (nothing else to click on). Any suggestion would be greatly
>appreciated!
>- Francis

Really nice set up! I would have liked a picture showing the entire area.
Small pond and large. :-) How much water are you currently pumping? The
small pond would work great as a veggie filter. Load it up with iris
planted in mesh baskets with large rocks to hold them down in the basket.
For variety you could put in a cattail (these need to be in a pot they
can't escape) blooming cannas, swamp hibiscus and other marginally, but you
really want a lot of iris, they are great marginal veggie plants. Or you
could load it with water hyacinths, but that is only a summer filter and
you've got to keep them from blocking the stream. ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

[Prometheus Xex]

I've included a panorama or the entire pond area.


"~ janj JJsPond.us" > wrote in message
...
> >On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 15:19:38 -0400, "Prometheus Xex" > wrote:
>
>>I have a two ponds connected by a small stream. I would like to use the
>>small pond as my filtering. You can see it at www.xex.ca ... just click
>>on
>>the pond link (nothing else to click on). Any suggestion would be greatly
>>appreciated!
>>- Francis
>
> Really nice set up! I would have liked a picture showing the entire area.
> Small pond and large. :-) How much water are you currently pumping? The
> small pond would work great as a veggie filter. Load it up with iris
> planted in mesh baskets with large rocks to hold them down in the basket.
> For variety you could put in a cattail (these need to be in a pot they
> can't escape) blooming cannas, swamp hibiscus and other marginally, but
> you
> really want a lot of iris, they are great marginal veggie plants. Or you
> could load it with water hyacinths, but that is only a summer filter and
> you've got to keep them from blocking the stream. ~ jan
>
> See my ponds and filter design:
> www.jjspond.us
>
> ~Keep 'em Wet!~
> Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
> To e-mail see website

[Ron Lawrence KC4YOY]

You've already got all you need except for adding LOTS of
plants, floating plants with lots of roots are the best.
Slow the flow rate of your pump dowm so the water
spends more time in the veggie filter section and you're
all set.

Ron

[Ron Lawrence KC4YOY]

Oh I forgot, get rid of the filter box, you won't need it
anymore.

Ron

Ron Lawrence KC4YOY > wrote in message
. com...
> You've already got all you need except for adding LOTS of
> plants, floating plants with lots of roots are the best.
> Slow the flow rate of your pump dowm so the water
> spends more time in the veggie filter section and you're
> all set.
>
> Ron
>
>

[Prometheus Xex]

I'll start doing my research into converting the small pond into a veggie
filter. I want to ensure that I don't have to purchase the plants again
next year from potential damage from freezing. unlike the big pond, the
small one completely freezes. My in-laws have a 30 acre cottage in Perry
Sound where there's a huge abundance of peat material with growing honey
dews and picture plants. These probably a few acres of this. Wondering if
I could utilize a few square feet of it on my filter. The lake freezes over
every year, but the plants come back after the spring thaw. Could this be
done?

- Francis

" Ron Lawrence KC4YOY" > wrote in message
. com...
> You've already got all you need except for adding LOTS of
> plants, floating plants with lots of roots are the best.
> Slow the flow rate of your pump dowm so the water
> spends more time in the veggie filter section and you're
> all set.
>
> Ron
>
>

[Ron Lawrence KC4YOY]

Prometheus Xex > wrote in message
> > I want to ensure that I don't have to purchase the plants again
> next year from potential damage from freezing

Can't help you there, I have to buy plants every year
to replace the ones that die from the cold.
The pond nor filter don't freeze, but the plants die
when the air temp drops in the winter.
I wouldn't think a frozen bog would allow much water flow.

Ron

[~ janj JJsPond.us]

Really nice, great pic (under filtration for those who couldn't find it).

>I'll start doing my research into converting the small pond into a veggie
>filter. I want to ensure that I don't have to purchase the plants again
>next year from potential damage from freezing. unlike the big pond, the
>small one completely freezes. My in-laws have a 30 acre cottage in Perry
>Sound where there's a huge abundance of peat material with growing honey
>dews and picture plants. These probably a few acres of this. Wondering if
>I could utilize a few square feet of it on my filter. The lake freezes over
>every year, but the plants come back after the spring thaw. Could this be
>done? - Francis

Unfortunately bog plants or a "bog" won't do. What most articles call a
"bog" filter are really veggie filters. Bog plants prefer low pH. Iris can
take some freezing, especially the yellow flag. You want free flow thru
that veggie filter, not slow drip. Someone mentioned your pump was going
too fast, but I never saw (or missed it) how much water you were pumping?
Keep the box filter on until the veggie filter is up and running well. If
you don't have test kits to test your water, get some. ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

[Reel Mckoi]

" Ron Lawrence KC4YOY" > wrote in message
news:KBPoe.22931>
Can't help you there, I have to buy plants every year
> to replace the ones that die from the cold.
> The pond nor filter don't freeze, but the plants die
> when the air temp drops in the winter.
> I wouldn't think a frozen bog would allow much water flow.
=======================================
My plants don't die over the winter. I'm in zone 6 which can get some
really cold cold-snaps. One winter I lost my parrots feather for some
reason, perhaps a rot of some kind. Maybe you're buying the more tropical
type....
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Courageous]

>Oh I forgot, get rid of the filter box, you won't need it
>anymore.

Veggie filters are so much better than standard biofilters, because
they strip nitrates out of the system, where the standard biofilters
strip organics, but produces nitrates.

In sal****er aquaria, particularly reef systems, the only biofilters
that are really "approved" any more are protein skimmers (not useful
in freshwater application). Much of the high flow nitrate-producing
stuff is now black listed.

Planted refugiums and deep sand beds are the main thing, now.

The deep sand bed is anaerobic. It eats organics and produces nitrogen
gas, which bubbles out of the system (no dissolved nitrates).

IIRC, this is more of a concern in reef systems, where corals are very
nitrate sensitive.

C//