First outdoor pond started...
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
Muske;3360570; said:
Pretty much the whole thing is down to about 2' deep. There's a spot in the center that is down to about 3', but its surrounded by roots, so its slow going.
I'll probably have to pump out the water to be able to work on it this weekend. I had hoped it would drain faster, but its only dropped 4" in the last 48 hours. I guess having fairly dense clay makes for a good pond liner all by itself
.
Very true. I dropped a powerhead attached to a hose in the pond around 6:30pm. Its only 106gph, so its gonna take a while to empty the pond.
Hoping to dig it out to the depth I want tomorrow. Also hoping I can order the pond liner tomorrow, for delivery next weekend.
I'm planning on making a diy filter out of a 29g plastic tote for initial filtration. After everything is up and running, I'm going to build a bog filter to be the main filtration, and the tote will be used mostly for water polishing and extra bio media.
The pond sites I've seen say that for an ~2,000g pond, I'll need around 1,300-1,500gph pump. I'm planning on a 1,500-2,000gph pump for the tote, and then another with the same turnover for the bog filter. Will that be enough water turnover for this size pond, considering it will have a turtle(s), shortnose gar, bluegill, and other natives?
Hoping to dig it out to the depth I want tomorrow. Also hoping I can order the pond liner tomorrow, for delivery next weekend.
I'm planning on making a diy filter out of a 29g plastic tote for initial filtration. After everything is up and running, I'm going to build a bog filter to be the main filtration, and the tote will be used mostly for water polishing and extra bio media.
The pond sites I've seen say that for an ~2,000g pond, I'll need around 1,300-1,500gph pump. I'm planning on a 1,500-2,000gph pump for the tote, and then another with the same turnover for the bog filter. Will that be enough water turnover for this size pond, considering it will have a turtle(s), shortnose gar, bluegill, and other natives?
Conner;3368583; said:
Without a bottom drain, I would advise a very high turnover. I've had much better success this way as far as keeping water parameters stable and water crystal clear. I'm currently running a 2,000gph pump on my 150 gallon pond, a 2,600gph pump on my 300 gallon pond, and a 4,000gph pump on my 1,000 gallon pond.
This creates a stronger current which prevents too much poop and debris from settling at the bottom. It also allows for some better water features (eg fairly large waterfalls). Running 3,000-4,000gph on your pond should be fine (though it all depends on the filter).
First off, there is only one pond site.
Second, 2X turnover is a good start. I've got a 1200 gal. pond w/a 4500 gph pump. It is probally more around 4000 gph since it has a little head height and about a 20' run til it gets to the falls. All ponds I have seen or installed w/at least 2X trnover were crystal clear and super healthy.
It is only beneficial to get the most oxygen in the water for many reasons. The fish love it. You can get a little higher stocking density. Any organic matter that does get skimmed/filtered out will break down naturally much more faster with increased O2 levels in the water.
Second, 2X turnover is a good start. I've got a 1200 gal. pond w/a 4500 gph pump. It is probally more around 4000 gph since it has a little head height and about a 20' run til it gets to the falls. All ponds I have seen or installed w/at least 2X trnover were crystal clear and super healthy.
It is only beneficial to get the most oxygen in the water for many reasons. The fish love it. You can get a little higher stocking density. Any organic matter that does get skimmed/filtered out will break down naturally much more faster with increased O2 levels in the water.
Ok, well i might go with 2x 4,000gph pumps instead, just to keep good circulation. One for the diy filter and one for the bog filter. Maybe a couple of smaller pumps just to help further with circulation (keeping things from settling to the bottom too much).
Ugh, I'm wore the f out! Another 5 hours of digging today (in 90+ temps), and the whole pond (except for 1 small shelf, and the ramp for the turtles to get out to bask) is dug down to 3 feet deep 
. A small (12-15 sq. ft) area of the floor, I'm digging down to at least 4 feet. Once the liner is in, I will fill most of this section with sand, for the turtle to burrow in if she wants, and for winter.
I've decided to line the pond with old carpet instead of using underlayment. This will be thicker, providing more protection, and its cheap (i.e. free- lots of ugly carpet out for junk pickup day this weekend
).
Another update: I was measuring the pond, just to double check dimensions, and somehow when I wasn't paying attention, the length jumped from 12/13 feet to 15 feet
. Not sure how I managed that... But oh well, just means a bigger pond . Dimensions are now coming out to around 2,400g...
Pics: (by the way, I'm the fool with the beard and hat)
. A small (12-15 sq. ft) area of the floor, I'm digging down to at least 4 feet. Once the liner is in, I will fill most of this section with sand, for the turtle to burrow in if she wants, and for winter.I've decided to line the pond with old carpet instead of using underlayment. This will be thicker, providing more protection, and its cheap (i.e. free- lots of ugly carpet out for junk pickup day this weekend
).Another update: I was measuring the pond, just to double check dimensions, and somehow when I wasn't paying attention, the length jumped from 12/13 feet to 15 feet
. Not sure how I managed that... But oh well, just means a bigger pond . Dimensions are now coming out to around 2,400g...Pics: (by the way, I'm the fool with the beard and hat)
Conner;3370204; said:
The 29 gallon DIY filter will not be large enough with 4,000gph running through it, except for filtration of fairly large debris. You could have a Y valve from one of the pumps, and then a ball valve between one leg of the Y and the filter so that you can adjust the flow if needed, and shut off flow completely during cleaning. The other leg of the Y just goes back into the pond however you want.
The small pumps are also a good idea. You can set them up to blow water directly at areas where debris accumulates. I
Conner;3370215; said:
You might want to consider external pumps. They are more expensive up front, but they are much more energy efficient and will pay for themselves in the long run. It is also less of an eye-sore in the pond. However, without a bottom drain you will have to deal with priming an external pump, or purchasing a self-priming external pump, and the plumbing with be a but more complicated. Artisian, Sequence, and Evolution are all good external pumps.
For submersible pumps, I would recommend the pondmaster hydrive 4,000. It is very powerful yet still energy efficient. It will not clog (I've ran mine for 3 years without any reduction in flow ever).
For lower gph pumps (2,000gph ish), I found a nice seller on ebay with very good prices. The seller is "allpondpumps". I bought a couple of these from them a couple years ago searching on ebay for a new pump. I wasn't sure about the quality of the pumps at first because I had never heard of the company, but they have ran great and I would recommend them, especially for the price.
Both the pondmaster hydrive and the allpondpumps pumps handle large solids, and I would not purchase a pump that didn't handle large solids if I were you.
Conner;3371038; said:I've decided to line the pond with old carpet instead of using underlayment. This will be thicker, providing more protection, and its cheap (i.e. free- lots of ugly carpet out for junk pickup day this weekend
Another update: I was measuring the pond, just to double check dimensions, and somehow when I wasn't paying attention, the length jumped from 12/13 feet to 15 feet
Pics: (by the way, I'm the fool with the beard and hat)
Looking good. The bigger the better. Just another tip: dig the pond so there is a fairly significant slope toward where your pumps will be placed. This will help significantly with keeping the pond floor clean, which will be your biggest issue.
As far as the underlayment, the stuff they sell for this is a huge ripoff. Just about anything that won't break down quickly will work. Carpet it perfect.
