|
Hi Bob,
First of all I have read and have learned a lot from
this Q and A session, one of which I learned from reading
on here is I think my Bio Bead filter screen inside is plugged
with the beads because my water color has deteriorated quite
a bit, going to take it down next month when fish are not
eating so much. My questions are as follows, I want to thank
you in advance for such an informative site.
#1 I live in Las Vegas ,NV so not bad
winters but 115 degree days in summer, I have right now an
Aquadyne 60B Bio Bead filter a 40 watt UV and an external
pump that is rated for 2900 GPH,my pond is an Oval shape 12'
x 9" x 2.5 feet deep, I have 5 large Koi and one Goldfish,
I am going to expand my pond to 12' x21' x 4' deep, should
I use two 3" drains or would one 4" be enough?
#2 I know my pump will not be big enough
and was wondering if I made my own settlement tank out of
a 55 gallon plastic drum and a bio filter out of another,
would that be enough filtration and what would be the best
way to make them, my pond also has a water fall, where in
the system would I install my pump, can I use my existing
pump and get another pump as well or just go with one bigger
pump that will handle my pond.
#3 UV...I have a 40 watt UV plastic type
is it big enough, does all my water have to go through the
UV? Thanks for your help.
Hi Jody!
In order of asking.
1) If your flow rates through your filter
are still good and you are not having problems backflushing,
your beads are not the problem, nor is the screen. Water
discoloration is usually dissolved organics, which bead
filters can't do anything about. You need either massive
water changes or an efficient protein extractor. If you've
been using algaecides or barley straw, stop. That's the
root of your problem. Decaying plant material contains phytocyanins;
yellow-brown proteinaceous pigments which will stain your
water and cause it to foam. Once in your water, it will
stay there unless bubbled off or replaced with clean water.
2)You'll be going from about 2000 gallons
to 7500. How many bottom drains you'll need will depend
on the shape and design of the pond. If it is going to be
longer than it is wide, two drains seems to be a good idea.
Look hard at the design, figure out where the water flows
are likely to be going and how much water you need to move
through the pipes, and decide based on that. Your contractor
should (if he's any good at all at this and not just some
doofus with a backhoe) be able to advise you. Don't forget
to add a skimmer to the array.
3) I can guarantee you that 55 gallon
drums will not be adequate. You will need to move between
6000 and 7500 gallons of water through your filters every
hour to maintain your water quality. Your pumps will need
to deliver this with resistance from pipe runs and bends
taken into account, and your prefilters and filters will
need to be big enough to handle the flow without either
overflowing or allowing the water too little time in the
filter to get the ammonia and nitrite broken down. You can
run a pond that size with home-built 55 gallon drum filters,
but you'll need several of them set up in parallel array.
There are a number of good
articles on this subject on the website.
4) Your 40-watt plastic job will fail.
Look at Aqua-UV's products and opt for a high-intensity
UV unit with inlet and outlet ports the same size as your
filter piping. Any UV system should be set up with a diverter
pipe to allow some of the flow to bypass the unit, since
most UV systems have a series of right angles built into
the flow to slow flow through the unit and maximize exposure
time to the UV radiation. This can severely limit your flows
through your system if you insist that all your water needs
to see the UV every time it goes through the filters. It's
actually not necessary. Remember that UV is only effective
for prevention of microscopic "green water" algae.
Hair algae is a whole other issue and your UV will be no
help at all, at all.
Have fun with the new pond. You and your
fish will love it!
Bob Passovoy
| 