Adding filtration to existing pond.

[Alvarero]

Hello everyone.

Background Information:
Recently I made some changes to my koi pond. I live in Naples, FL. Most of the summer days reach 90 degrees and we have regular rain showers every afternoon around 3 pm. I had a large Bougainvillea over my pond for years. Beautiful but messy. I finally took down the plant and used some plastic roofing to keep out some of the light. I use a skippy style filter with a harbor freight pump and two tetra style bio filters. Fish load is heavy and I pump well water into the pond weekly for my water changes. During the hot summer months my water loses some clarity. A little green a little brown.

I added a 30 gallon trash can and a 100 Rubbermaid style water tank to my filtration flow. The water discharged from my skippy filter goes right into the pond. The water from each Tetra style gravity bio filter discharges into one of the two holding tanks. There is no additional filter media in the tanks. The water just flows into the containers and flows back into the pond. My water clarity has improved amazingly. After a few weeks I flushed out the tanks. They were full of sediment, brown gunk. I checked the bottom of the pond and it is nearly sediment free. This is a neat discovery. I just wanted to share with my fellow hobbyists. Video to follow: 7/28/2016 1:08 pm.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Settling chambers are indeed highly effective in removing suspended solids.

 

[budgenator]

Wow your water clarity is amazing for your fish load!

 

[Tula]

I've been interested in one of those Tetra filters, as my more expensive shower filter was crushed by a falling tree this past Spring.

Naples sure gets hot and humid in the summer, so I'm sure your fish are benefiting from some shade

 

[Alvarero]

Wow your water clarity is amazing for your fish load!

Thank you. I must say that the water clarity has been an issue over the years. As you may know it gets very hot in Naples, FL over the summer months. That with the daily rain showers always seem to throw off the water chemistry. Keeping the rain out with the plastic roofing and using a pump that doesn't stimulate the water too much seems to be very helpful. The pump is a Harbor Freights pump. It was under a 100 dollars and is on its third year. I think it is around 3000 gph hour give or take.

 

[Alvarero]

I've been interested in one of those Tetra filters, as my more expensive shower filter was crushed by a falling tree this past Spring.

Naples sure gets hot and humid in the summer, so I'm sure your fish are benefiting from some shade

The Tetra pumps work very well. I've experimented with flushing out the filter media using just pond water every couple of months. Small floating sediment still sneaks by. That's why I added the holding tanks. I don't think I need to add more filter media but I have seen people use rolled up plastic construction fencing as an inexpensive filter media. I really like to tinker with things especially over the summer. Since I am a school teacher I have extra time during the summer to do so.

 

[morewater]

Tetra filters are low-end. Finding replacement parts for them is next to impossible. The design changes almost every year. The bio-media contained within is prone to disintegration and ends up in the pond.

Tetra is low-end, simple.

An Oase, Atlantic or an AquaScape will give you more robust construction, longevity and access to replacement parts.

 

[Tula]

Tetra filters are low-end. Finding replacement parts for them is next to impossible. The design changes almost every year. The bio-media contained within is prone to disintegration and ends up in the pond.

Tetra is low-end, simple.

An Oase, Atlantic or an AquaScape will give you more robust construction, longevity and access to replacement parts.

I remembered @addy1 posting a picture of a Terta trickle filter from a fish hatchery. I had a nice shower filter ( expensive ) but it was damaged this Spring. Have considered a Tetra trickle filter, as a supplemental bio filter. Should probably just make my own shower filter.