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Hi to you all! My name is Tom and I've
had two ponds in Oak Creek , Wi (South end of Milwaukee County
about 10 blocks off of I-94 and Ryan Rd, boardering Mitchell
Airport on the north end of our city). I've had the front
yard pond for 8 years and the backyard for about 4. I too
have built, rebuilt expanded (from one to two) tried, tested,
failed and have had neighbors laugh at my ever expanding "hobby!
They think I'm an idiot for spending so much time with it
but they sure like the results next door to them! By the way,
my wife althought she loves the landscaping is starting to
be concerned about what seems to be ever expanding idieas
and continued investment of my time and money. I don't blame
her!
I have just read Koi World and water
gardens (2004-05) and saw your website. I have read everything
on the site and I sure wish I found you guys sooner!! Oh
well, just another error on my part. I've talked to area
folks but sure haven't gotten the great guidance in these
past years that reading your website has given me in a day.
I've got more than a few questions.
I read with great interest the Q and A's and the articles
by Mike White. I'm going to redo my front yard waterfall
pond (no fish 4,000 gals) and my back yard pond now about
1,500 gals expanding to about 3,000 (10 Koi, 3 1ft and
the rest 8in).
Back yard (Koi pond) I have a homemade
upflow in the back that is fed from a skimmer. the pump
I have is in the bottom of the skimmer and I think because
I have an inefficient upflow (yes with lava rock!) the pump
clogged to regularly for my tastes. The pond at this time
is also just two feet deep. I intent to redig and get down
to four feet this spring. I'm tired of being concerned that
the Heron are going to find my back yard pond too. That
is actually why I built the backyard pond. I have it very
quiet with just the water from the upflow dumping right
back into the pond--no water fall noise! I have a great
waterfall in the front and in very plain view for all
flying overhead and they sure did eat well!
#1 — Very good articles by Mike
White! Bottom line what type of filtration should I good with.
Mike says nothing is perfect, I'm leaning to the verticle
pads with brushes? Seems to be the most efficient (although
I know not perfect). What would you do? If this seems like
the best, what brand? Where is the best place to purchase?
#2 — I was thinking of looking into
becoming a contractor (Company name) to get better pricing.
Is this even worthwhile? Are there better prices out there
for contractors?
#3 — Another reason I was going
to go to four feet deep was the oppurtunity to place a center
drain. I hadn't done that and it sure seems to be worthwhile
for overall circulation and filtration. Is it? Is punching
a hole in the liner a risk in the Wisconsin climate at 4 ft?
Something that is 15 ft by 5 ft should I go with two bottom
drains at that length? Do the drains come with a plug or cork
type seal for winter to keep the water out of the piping to
prevent potenially bursting?
#4 — If I go with a center drain,
what about a leaf basket in-line but outside of the pond to
catch debris and make it easy to cleanout from the center
drain run? If I go with a center drain, do I really need a
skimmer? Wouldn't that center drain and leaf catcher really
attract everything from the surface? or is that just not enough
suction to retrieve everything?
#5 — Where best (prices) to get
a liner? I'm going to have to get two! 45 mil?
Now for the front pond! Sorry for the
long questions but I'm really trying to plan my spring repairs
now and be comfortable with a good plan!
#1 — I need to place a new liner
in the front as well. The front of the pond is only 15 feet
away from the edge of the road. I don't want the front yard
pond to be more than two feet deep. Parents and their Kids
have a way of walking up and I don't want drowning to be an
issue. I've certainly seen many times that just the younger
kids walk up by themselves as well. Mike White recommends
oval for the best circulation and I can reform it a bit to
get that shape. The form will be about 15ft oval or rounded.
#2 — the front pond pump is 7,000
gal an hour. It's a great waterfall!! That is a great amount
of suction from a center drain! Again I was thinking that
will that amound of suction into a center drain would I really
need skimmers?
#3 — I certainly don't want to run
a second pump for filtration. How would I do the filtration.
Tap from the center drain with an in-line filter at about
2,000 gallons and then have that reroute back into the waterfall
as well. I sure don't want to run the 7,000 24hours. Or, should
I just plan on running a second pump that 24/7 and continue
to timer the 7,000?
#4 — Do you think two center drains
or would one be enough in a 15 ft round? I would go from about
12ins at the edge to about 24 to 30 inchs max sloped to the
center. I was thinking of lily pads to keep it as shaded as
possible. It's pretty much full sun in the front.
Dr. Bob--Thanks in advance for any and
all advice you can provide. A new member to be! Tom
Hi Tom! That's what the website is all about. Thanks
for the good words. I'm copying your letter and my
responses on to Mike White, since he'll be able to
answer the contractor-based questions better than I
could. I'll tackle the other stuff, though not
necessarily in order.
First, in general, I'm envious as all getout of your
space. There is also no doubt at all that this hobby
will eat all your other hobbies (I used to be a HO
scale model railroader), but you'll agree that the
satisfaction involved far outweighs the challenges
(which are also fun).
1) Filtration is one of the things us ponders can
argue about for hours. Mike says that there is no
perfect system, and he's right. Any decision about
what to use has to be guided by a number of
conditions. How much space do you have? How easy will
it be to hide the filter (they are ugly, unless what
you decide on is an attached bogland!)? How often do
you want to do maintainance? How much are you willing
to spend?
The ultimate goal of filtration is twofold. First (and
most important to your livestock) is bioconversion.
You are looking to present every molecule of water in
your system to a generous amount of filter at least
once an hour. To do this, you need a set of pumps that
are rated to maintain that flow not only against
gravity (pressure head) but also against the
resistance inherent in your pipe runs and elbows. You
need an efficient bargain in filter media, providing
the maximum square footage of surface area per cubic
foot the media occupies. You also want to be able to
clear out the collection of dead material generated by
a biofilter without hurting yourself in the process,
and without disabling your bioconversion. You can pay
out as much as $5000 on a Nexus, or build yourself a
prefilter out of a horse trough and brushes and run it
to a bioreactor full of Kaldenes media and a whole lot
of airflow for a lot less. I'm a big fan of Biofil,
too. It is simply PVC tape, bundled up and shoved in
wherever you've got lava rock. Light, nonfouling, and
125 sq ft of area per cu ft of volume.
Filter design also determines maintenance schedules.
Bioconverters are essentially maintenance-free, since
the high volume of air through the free-floating
polyethelyne media keeps the system from fouling. Bead
filters require pre-filtration, and need to be
backflushed daily. Box filters require maintenance
less frequently, but are a mess when you do clean
them, and lose bioefficiency in the process. If you
are planning home-built box or barrel filters, build
two and run them in parallel. That way you can take
one down for cleaning and not interrupt your system.
The second goal is mechanical filtration. Removing
visible crud. Box filters are great at this, bead ad
filters are OK, but foul quickly. Any outdoor pond
needs a skimmer to deal with floating debris, any pond
deeper than two feet needs a bottom drain for the crud
on the bottom. A box-type settling chamber with
baffles first and brushes last (and an easily drained
sump) works great as a mechanical pre-filter and
reduces maintenance on any system you've got.
2) I'll leave that for Mike.
3) I'm a big fan of bottom drains. There are designs
that do not require you to pierce the liner, but these
are compromises, and at some point must have the pipe
run come over the edge of your pond, creating a
problem with loss of prime. The designs available for
"through-the-liner" drains provide a reliable seal if
installed properly, and they all come with great
instructions. At 4 to 5 feet down, you are well below
the frost line, and if you cover your pond with a poly
house in the winter as we do, your water will not
freeze. Your risk of pipe rupture is much higher in
your above-ground piping. My solution was to bury as
much of my piping as deep as I could, and keep the
runs as short as I could. My pump house is a corner of
my brick garage, and I've got a $30 electric radiator
in there keeping everything warm.
If your goal for the back yard is koi, I'd advise you
to go as deep and steep as you can. Five feet minimum
and noplace for the herons to wade. Herons hunt on the
basis of sound and sight, and they are smart. They do
not swim at all well, however, and can't fly with
soggy belly feathers. A deep koi pond with a bottom
drain system should be bare liner on the bottom with a
bowl-shaped contour, encouraging fine sinking debris
to sweep down toward the drain. Rocks on the bottom
collect sludge, a huge maintenance problem come
cleanout time in the fall.
4) The skimmer is totally necessary. A bottom drain
can't handle dead leaves, and all the other tree spit
in the form of seeds, spinners and stuff will clog
your pumps. The newer Pond Supplies of America (and
other!) designs protect the submersible pumps from
fouling very nicely.
5) Mike again.
Front pond:
1) 18 inches to 2 feet deep shouldn't need a bottom
drain, especially not with the flows you describe.
Since you are not stocking this pond with koi or
goldfish, only minimal filtration will be necessary.
Biofil and a mat or two at the top of your falls
should be fine. Given your flows, any shape that has
no dead spots as far as flow is concerned should be
fine. Oval is boring, kidney shapes work well, with
the falls at one end and the skimmer at the other.
Native fish could be fun here. Minnows, bluegill, or
even a crappie or two. The herons and kingfishers will
love it.
2) To reiterate, skimmers are essential. They are easy
to service. Bottom drains are not. One compromise
would be to run an above-the liner drain into the
skimmer box. Pond Supplies of America has such a
design. I'm not sure how they hook up the pump,
though.
Overall, if you are going to keep the front pond that
shallow, with the flow rates you plan, you do not need
a bottom drain.
Hope this helps.
Bob Passovoy
President
MPKS
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