How much flow for a pond? Is there a formula?

[Arkangel77]

I have looked at the Skippy! I also like the Idea of growing stuff on top of the Skippy. Thanks for the advice!

Arkangel77

 

[hankn]

pond volume every hour is a good rule of thumb to follow. Easily achieved with smaller ponds, not so when you get to bigger ponds.

I too would have said that 4 years ago but that rule only holds true the 1st 2 months of your pond. After that the water flow slows due to muck, leaves and whatever junk is in your pond. Yes, cleaning your filters helps but flow is always reduced. I would therefore always go with 1.5x or even 2x pond volume per hour if I ever had to redo my pump.

 

[Muske]

2 pumps in the 5-7K gph range would be nice. A little more would be nice if the price is right, but beware of wattage on pumps above 7K.

Bottom drain could go to a settling chamber then to falls. Could also do a wet well...

Skimmer to bog. 12" should be min. I would use various sized boulders and gravel, no soil, in a up fill design. A clean out in the bottom for sediment removal would be nice

Without a huge bio-load, there is no reason you should anything less than crystal clear water in your set-up. The bog will remove both sediment and nutrients making you very happy, and the falls can be filled with Hyacinth.

 

[Arkangel77]

2 pumps in the 5-7K gph range would be nice. A little more would be nice if the price is right, but beware of wattage on pumps above 7K.

Bottom drain could go to a settling chamber then to falls. Could also do a wet well...

Skimmer to bog. 12" should be min. I would use various sized boulders and gravel, no soil, in a up fill design. A clean out in the bottom for sediment removal would be nice

Without a huge bio-load, there is no reason you should anything less than crystal clear water in your set-up. The bog will remove both sediment and nutrients making you very happy, and the falls can be filled with Hyacinth.

Muske - what do you meen by a "wet well"? Also the clean out for sediment - are you talking about the bottom of the BOG area? Thanks for the tips.

Arkangel77

 

[Muske]

Clean out would just be a bulkhead installed at the bottom of the bog. I would use the same size bulkhead as pipe used on the pumps. That way, with a two to three foot+ section of left over pipe, you could run it away from the bog. A ball valve on the end will allow the bog to be flushed free of sediment when open. Use that water to just drain out to the lawn or water your plants (terrestrial).

Wet well is a snokel and vault system that is placed on the bottom of the pond then hiden with rocks and boulders. It houses the pump in the vault area of the kit. The centipede, which it is usually called, is a pipe that extends away from the vault and has slots in it to draw water into it. It works just lke a bottom drain, (a little more bulky to work with, but can be hiden real easily) by drawing water into it and then pumped out to a filter, usually a bog. They are used a lot on Golf course, Industrial/commercial, and retention ponds. It is a great way to get cirrlation in those settings and not have to worry about fluctuating water levels. I am planning on using one on my next pond in conjunction w/a skimmer and bio-falls set up.

 

[tuggerd]

I have a 2.950 gal per hr laguna skimmer pump running my 3,500 gallon pond. Its super efficient. The more fish you have the more the water needs to be turned over. I think that most pond pump calculations are over rated. I would say once every 3 hours a complete circulation. That is if you have a good natural filter. Also, keep the bottom free of rocks and other stuff that will prevent you from giving the bottom a good quick sweep with a net to get leaves.

 

[Arkangel77]

Clean out would just be a bulkhead installed at the bottom of the bog. I would use the same size bulkhead as pipe used on the pumps. That way, with a two to three foot+ section of left over pipe, you could run it away from the bog. A ball valve on the end will allow the bog to be flushed free of sediment when open. Use that water to just drain out to the lawn or water your plants (terrestrial).

Wet well is a snokel and vault system that is placed on the bottom of the pond then hiden with rocks and boulders. It houses the pump in the vault area of the kit. The centipede, which it is usually called, is a pipe that extends away from the vault and has slots in it to draw water into it. It works just lke a bottom drain, (a little more bulky to work with, but can be hiden real easily) by drawing water into it and then pumped out to a filter, usually a bog. They are used a lot on Golf course, Industrial/commercial, and retention ponds. It is a great way to get cirrlation in those settings and not have to worry about fluctuating water levels. I am planning on using one on my next pond in conjunction w/a skimmer and bio-falls set up.

I think I am up to speed! I understand now that you spelled it out for me - LOL. The Bog Clean out is a great Idea. As for the wet well - I plan to use a bottom drain (and a skimmer) so I guess it would be the same thing. Thanks, Arkangel77

 

[Arkangel77]

I thought of a new question. Giving the pond is going to be a 24 X 18 X 5ish foot oval. I was considering installing a bottom drain on one end (the deep end). My question is this, How much of a slope would you recommend to encourage debree to flow to the drain? Would going from 4.5 foot shallow end to 5.5 foot deep end be enough? OR would it need to be more like 4 foot to 6 foot?

Thanks , Arkangel77