Pond construction, from dreams to reality!

Thank for all the great tips Eric!

If I was still doing a Koi pond I would probably use a BD & no rocks in the pond but since I am going with goldfish and rocks in the pond a BD wouldn't work as well.

I got the pondmaster hy-drive 4800 @ 270 watts for something like $120 (can't remember exactly), I have not found any other pump that compares to this.

If I had koi I would definitely NOT use only the waterfall/skimmer filters, I'd use 2 DIY 55g drum filters too. Since it is only goldfish with lots of plants & rockwork I think I might be ok with just the waterfall/skimmer combo but I'm still unsure about that.

Thanks for the info on koi stocking, I am sure to use it in the future!!

I am going to try it without the UV for now but I see the advantage of having one for sure, I just can't spend anymore money right now and everything else is already bought.

Thank you VERY much Eric, very helpful!



So my father decided to start working on that stump & 2 days later after axes & power saws & a TRUCK it won't budge at ALL. And he won't let me help. I told him I'd move the pond but he just continues to hack away. :shakehead: Some of the roots are about 8" around!! I think we may extend the fence and put the pond in a totally different spot before he gets that thing out.

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Goldfish or koi, I still wouldn't put any rocks in the bottom. lining the WALLS is OK, but NOT the bottom. Believe it or not, goldfish produce more waste than koi.(for their size) Be sure to have plenty of air in the pond on the summer days.

-Eric
 
Goldfish do not require such high quality water though & they have plants to aid in filtering the water, just points to keep in mind.

I gotta tell ya I have only found 1-2 people here that don't do a complete tear down and wash every couple of years with rock/gravel. Even my local pond guys highly recommend rock/gravel ponds but also highly recommend a yearly spring clean out, which they offer at a nice chunk of change. I have found nearly no records of people with rocked in ponds that don't do full cleanings once a year, 2-3 years at the most but TONS of "Don't turn your pond into a cess pool by adding rocks!"

Only way to know for sure is to do it myself and that's a lot of potentially wasted time, energy & money, just makes me a little nervous. :uhoh:
 
did i mention that after only one season of ponding, app 8 months, I got 8" of poop and leaves off the bottom? Rocks also leave little places for the poop to decay and make toxic gases.

The over all decision is up to you, but i HIGHLY recommend not putting rocks on the bottom.
 
That's a lot of poop and leaves!

I like the idea of no rocks in the pond and a BD for easy of maintenance. I don't like the BD because of the risk of the entire pond draining in the event of a problem with the BD & considering I have never installed one the chance is fairly good. :) I was looking at an after thought type BD but no one had any opinions of it, I'd REALLY appreciate your opinion. THIS is the thread about it. If I hooked it up to the bottom of my skimmer box it would only drain a 1/4 of the way down, & burn out my pump but the fish would still have water.

Would you mind telling me a little about your DIY BD? You could post some pictures of your pond too, I won't mind! :D

Thanks for checking out the thread & replying, I really appreciate it!! It you'd prefer I emailed you I will do that, I just like having the info here for others to learn from too.
 
Just a correction to an earlier post, My hy-drive 4800 actually pushes 5100 gph @ 250 watts and after calculating my possible head loss I will still be pumping about 4500gph, WooHoo!

With that much gph I think I will have to add in the barrel filter and bog garden because that is a lot of flow out of an 18" lip! Plus it leaves me open for koi in the future!! :)
 
First off, its 11:30 PM, so excuse my poor grammar and or spelling. :rolleyes:

A BD is GREAT! to suck up the leaves, poop, and even during maintenance. I still drain my pond down once a year (with the BD for easy draining) to catch, measure, photo, and check them for parasites. The BD takes a lot of work off my hands, and at 8,500 GPH on a 5,000 gallon pond, it takes it down pretty fast. ;)

You can go the way i recommend for PROPER suction, which would be to cut a hole in the liner, seal around it, etc., or do a retro BD.

a retro BD basically sits on top of the liner. no cutting holes of anything. I don't like this way only because you have to have a pipe going up, and over the line to get to the pump, and it looks bad. IMHO. If you do this though, you can dril a 1/4" hole in the actual pipe, 1' above the bottom of the pond. what this does it, if in the case your pump sucks out a bunch of water, then the hole will let air into the tub, breaking the suction and water flow to the pump.

if you decide on using a BD, do not hook it up to your skimmer. plumb it to one of those 55 gallon, blue(usually) barrels.

Attached are some pictures of my pond and koi kids.:grinyes:
I have 12, but I only had good pictures of 2.
First is a 9" hi utsuri.
second, this years waterfall
third, last years pond. before the redo.
fourth, a 20" yamabuki ogon, female.

I'll re-read your question and see if i missed anything.
-Eric

Ky_Koi 49537994.jpg Ky_Koi 49538778.jpg pond 'o8 162.jpg FISH 056.jpg
 
Thanks for the pictures! Nice koi & pond!

I planned to house the pump in the skimmer, that is why the BD would go to the skimmer. My pump can be an external pump but I was told having it above ground level would require me to shut it down during winter & I like to keep my options open.

Here's my rough draft @ 2am! The barrel filter(s) & bog would get less flow than the waterfall, controlled by valves after the "T". The hose going from the BD to the skimmer would be obscured by plants & the main viewing area is from behind the skimmer so you have be on top of the pond the see the hose there. The barrel filters will be covered up somehow too. This plan is still very tentative!

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