HELP: Koi pond filtration ideas

I've done some searching around and I've found various biological
filtration systems available and I was hoping for some recommendations
for a 1000 Gallon pond that WILL have a 1200-1800 GPH pump. It needs
to be external and small / and/or buriable. Preferrably one of the all
in one that's not heinously expensive. Probably looking at something
pressurized and either with a backflush mechanism or cleanable media.
(Preferrably backflush, for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a bottom drain, so that's going to screw
with the asthetics as the pond is built up about 20" high around the
edges in a circle. (If anyone has any bright ideas on hiding all the
power / tubing, I'd love to hear that too. ;-)

Also looking for recommendations for on-line vendors, etc. I was
impressed with what PondPetsUSA.com has to offer, I was hoping to get
some more information before I leap off a cliff and buy the wrong
thing.

Any help you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DC

Lots of us have gone for veggie filters. Have you the room to put one
or more in? Ours on the berm have bottom drains. Easy flush...open a
2" port. You could put a submersible on the bottom of your pond and
push the water up a pipe to a berm and falls. You could pretty much
hide the pipe by letting algae grow on it. We have no mechanical
filtration beyond the roots of many plants. If you could lay a veggie
filter alongside your pond, it would look like a grass bed...20" up as well.

People have gone to burried barrels...lots of hassle cleaning.

I wish I had a really good idea for you. Maybe someone else will.

Jim

DC wrote:
I've done some searching around and I've found various biological
filtration systems available and I was hoping for some recommendations
for a 1000 Gallon pond that WILL have a 1200-1800 GPH pump. It needs
to be external and small / and/or buriable. Preferrably one of the all
in one that's not heinously expensive. Probably looking at something
pressurized and either with a backflush mechanism or cleanable media.
(Preferrably backflush, for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a bottom drain, so that's going to screw
with the asthetics as the pond is built up about 20" high around the
edges in a circle. (If anyone has any bright ideas on hiding all the
power / tubing, I'd love to hear that too. ;-)

Also looking for recommendations for on-line vendors, etc. I was
impressed with what PondPetsUSA.com has to offer, I was hoping to get
some more information before I leap off a cliff and buy the wrong
thing.

Any help you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DC

Buyer beware. Pond filters are notoriously over rated. They will usually
take care of a pond that is half as big as they say, and that is if you
don't overstock too much. I would get a filter rated for at least 2000-3000
gallons, if I bought one of the commercial filters. Jim and Phyllis
described the veggie filter, and it needs to be at least 10% of the surface
area of the pond or larger. Larger is better. Gives slower flow rates,
better cleaning, and more room for more plants.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html

"DC" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've done some searching around and I've found various biological
filtration systems available and I was hoping for some recommendations
for a 1000 Gallon pond that WILL have a 1200-1800 GPH pump. It needs
to be external and small / and/or buriable. Preferrably one of the all
in one that's not heinously expensive. Probably looking at something
pressurized and either with a backflush mechanism or cleanable media.
(Preferrably backflush, for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a bottom drain, so that's going to screw
with the asthetics as the pond is built up about 20" high around the
edges in a circle. (If anyone has any bright ideas on hiding all the
power / tubing, I'd love to hear that too. ;-)

Also looking for recommendations for on-line vendors, etc. I was
impressed with what PondPetsUSA.com has to offer, I was hoping to get
some more information before I leap off a cliff and buy the wrong
thing.

Any help you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DC

Lots of us have gone for veggie filters. Have you the room to put one
or more in? Ours on the berm have bottom drains. Easy flush...open a
2" port. You could put a submersible on the bottom of your pond and
push the water up a pipe to a berm and falls. You could pretty much
hide the pipe by letting algae grow on it. We have no mechanical
filtration beyond the roots of many plants. If you could lay a veggie
filter alongside your pond, it would look like a grass bed...20" up as well.

People have gone to burried barrels...lots of hassle cleaning.

First off, I agree the veggie filter is a good way to go, but hey, if you
don't have a barrel system, no put downs please. ;o)

I clean my pre-filter only 3-4 times/season and it only takes 45 minutes,
the bio-chambers I clean once/year (and one of them runs all year around).
When I took it apart just a few days ago, it really didn't appear to need
cleaning, but we did it anyway. *My Filter* www.jjspond.us

Currently the lids for my system should come next week, I'm excited.

Now if money (and space) were no object I'd tell the OP to look into a
Vortex filters, imo. ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

Hint...

Bestnest.com and azponds.com...Also check on the SKIPPY filter.

I just built one and it works great.

Rich

"DC" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've done some searching around and I've found various biological
filtration systems available and I was hoping for some recommendations
for a 1000 Gallon pond that WILL have a 1200-1800 GPH pump. It needs
to be external and small / and/or buriable. Preferrably one of the all
in one that's not heinously expensive. Probably looking at something
pressurized and either with a backflush mechanism or cleanable media.
(Preferrably backflush, for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a bottom drain, so that's going to screw
with the asthetics as the pond is built up about 20" high around the
edges in a circle. (If anyone has any bright ideas on hiding all the
power / tubing, I'd love to hear that too. ;-)

Also looking for recommendations for on-line vendors, etc. I was
impressed with what PondPetsUSA.com has to offer, I was hoping to get
some more information before I leap off a cliff and buy the wrong
thing.

Any help you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DC

Hi Jan,

I don't mean to put down your barrels. As I remember it, they were out
of the ground. DC was talking about in-ground or easily hidden filters.

As I see it, buried barrels at ground level would be a lot of hassle to
clean! That was my reference.

Jim

~ jan JJsPond.us wrote:
Lots of us have gone for veggie filters. Have you the room to put one
or more in? Ours on the berm have bottom drains. Easy flush...open a
2" port. You could put a submersible on the bottom of your pond and
push the water up a pipe to a berm and falls. You could pretty much
hide the pipe by letting algae grow on it. We have no mechanical
filtration beyond the roots of many plants. If you could lay a veggie
filter alongside your pond, it would look like a grass bed...20" up as well.

People have gone to burried barrels...lots of hassle cleaning.


First off, I agree the veggie filter is a good way to go, but hey, if you
don't have a barrel system, no put downs please. ;o)

I clean my pre-filter only 3-4 times/season and it only takes 45 minutes,
the bio-chambers I clean once/year (and one of them runs all year around).
When I took it apart just a few days ago, it really didn't appear to need
cleaning, but we did it anyway. *My Filter* www.jjspond.us

Currently the lids for my system should come next week, I'm excited.

Now if money (and space) were no object I'd tell the OP to look into a
Vortex filters, imo. ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

"DC" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've done some searching around and I've found various biological
filtration systems available and I was hoping for some recommendations
for a 1000 Gallon pond that WILL have a 1200-1800 GPH pump. It needs
to be external and small / and/or buriable. Preferrably one of the all
in one that's not heinously expensive. Probably looking at something
pressurized and either with a backflush mechanism or cleanable media.
(Preferrably backflush, for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a bottom drain, so that's going to screw
with the asthetics as the pond is built up about 20" high around the
edges in a circle. (If anyone has any bright ideas on hiding all the
power / tubing, I'd love to hear that too. ;-)

Also looking for recommendations for on-line vendors, etc. I was
impressed with what PondPetsUSA.com has to offer, I was hoping to get
some more information before I leap off a cliff and buy the wrong
thing.

Any help you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DC

Take a look at my filtration system and see if this is what you are looking
for:

http://home.insightbb.com/~jryates/filter.htm

This particular set up is internal, but could easily be converted to an
external system. In fact, it is based on an external system I built for my
sister a few years back. It is easy to build, and would save you a lot of
money.

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 20:18:52 -0500, Phyllis and Jim Hurley
wrote:

Hi Jan,

I don't mean to put down your barrels. As I remember it, they were out
of the ground. DC was talking about in-ground or easily hidden filters.

Nope, they're buried, only 2" of rim is above ground, takes up 4X4 space,
but OP wouldn't need 4 barrels. I'm putting 2 on my 1,000 gallon lily pond
(when I can get the guys to move in that directions).

As I see it, buried barrels at ground level would be a lot of hassle to
clean! That was my reference.

Hmmmm, haven't read my website regarding this?

No hassle, I pull the screen door stuff out with a garden claw on a long
handle. Toss it on the lawn and spray it down. Drain the water out of the
barrel with an extra pump and suck the muck out of the bottom of the barrel
with a shop vac. The only thing easier would be to have a vortex, where I
could open the bottom drain that would drain the muck out. We poor folk do
what we can. ;o) ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

I've run stream/waterfall and spillway bucket combos with vegitation for
years and they always did a great job of controlling all but the worst
string algae. They are however prone to some maintenance especially if you
don't install bottom drains! Lots of dredging muck etc. Also, water hyacinth
works wonderfully but has to be watched carefully. You can go to work one
day and come home to find an errant bit of it happily diverting water out of
the system lol. Due to back problems I had to do away with my stream and
buckets setup and opted for a self contained pressure filter and UV setup
rated at 2500 gal on what had now been reduced to about a 1450 gal pond. No
dice. Pure pea soup all this season, had to clean the thing at least weekly
(should/could have been daily).

Gave up on prefab, built the skippy using a 100 gal rubbermaid stock tank.
Didn't use the floor scrubbies ( no easy way to purchase the stuff from
them, I don't have the patience to do checks in the mail lol) but did use
tried and true washable 2" thick white matt media from Aquatic ecosystems
(approx 30 sq ft) and hooked it to the same 2000 gal/hr pump I'd been using.
Still have the 18w UV inline for now as well. In one week has gone from
solid green to gin clear. In all honesty I already knew the prefab wouldn't
cut it but I had to prove it to myself. If you add plants on top tho do be
aware that the roots can infiltrate your media. It aint always fun or easy
cleaning them out of there!

All in all if you can make 15 sq ft of space, build a 100 gal skippy and
make a nice falls around it, or a cedar box for that matter, heck you can
hide it many ways and pipe the water back! Mine still looks very utilitarian
but the water's the thing for me anyway lol. Total cost was about $170 for
me which is much less than the crappy overrated prefab it replaced!

One note, I did add a T with a stand pipe on the input to break syphon in
the event of power failure or when you just need to shut off the pump. This
not only prevents the filter contents from returning to the pond, it adds
air to the water column!

joe ( who used to be here alot long long ago.... lol )



"Richard Holub" wrote in message
...
Hint...

Bestnest.com and azponds.com...Also check on the SKIPPY filter.

I just built one and it works great.

Rich

"DC" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've done some searching around and I've found various biological
filtration systems available and I was hoping for some recommendations
for a 1000 Gallon pond that WILL have a 1200-1800 GPH pump. It needs
to be external and small / and/or buriable. Preferrably one of the all
in one that's not heinously expensive. Probably looking at something
pressurized and either with a backflush mechanism or cleanable media.
(Preferrably backflush, for obvious reasons.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a bottom drain, so that's going to screw
with the asthetics as the pond is built up about 20" high around the
edges in a circle. (If anyone has any bright ideas on hiding all the
power / tubing, I'd love to hear that too. ;-)

Also looking for recommendations for on-line vendors, etc. I was
impressed with what PondPetsUSA.com has to offer, I was hoping to get
some more information before I leap off a cliff and buy the wrong
thing.

Any help you can lend would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

DC

I stand corrected. Your barrels are under the ground. The screen makes
good sense. You seem to have streamlined the de-mucking process well,
too.

I guess I still prefer the open-the-drain method of cleaning out the
muck. We just open the drain by turning a handle and watch the junk
exit. In the WH ponds, I have to pull out the dead WH after the water
has left. Once in a while, I have to pull it away from the drain as the
pond empties. I generally flush them with a hose to get the last stuff
out. Phyllis laughs when I do...so little left and soon to be replaced
by new muck.

Jim

~ jan JJsPond.us wrote:
On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 20:18:52 -0500, Phyllis and Jim Hurley
wrote:


Hi Jan,

I don't mean to put down your barrels. As I remember it, they were out
of the ground. DC was talking about in-ground or easily hidden filters.


Nope, they're buried, only 2" of rim is above ground, takes up 4X4 space,
but OP wouldn't need 4 barrels. I'm putting 2 on my 1,000 gallon lily pond
(when I can get the guys to move in that directions).


As I see it, buried barrels at ground level would be a lot of hassle to
clean! That was my reference.


Hmmmm, haven't read my website regarding this?

No hassle, I pull the screen door stuff out with a garden claw on a long
handle. Toss it on the lawn and spray it down. Drain the water out of the
barrel with an extra pump and suck the muck out of the bottom of the barrel
with a shop vac. The only thing easier would be to have a vortex, where I
could open the bottom drain that would drain the muck out. We poor folk do
what we can. ;o) ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~