Best filter for Tetra Pond DHP 3600?

[rjone1578]

I currently have this filter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NT3KOWE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was ok for awhile but it now has a crack in the top and the UV light fixture trips the circuit every time I plug it in. I think water got in it.

My pump works just fine and I am looking for a new filter but would like to get the best possible match this time. My pond is around 9 feet by 7 feet and about 20 inches deep at the deepest point. My fish load is low. I have some water hyacinth and pads but not more than 60%. I would like a filter that has an UV light already in it.

My pump is https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Pond-Debris-Handling-Energy-Efficient/dp/B001QILRW0 so the pump rate is 3600 gallons per hour

Any suggestions are welcomed

 

[poconojoe]

I have that same pump and it has served me well.

As far as filters go, I can tell you I'm tired of my commercially sold pressure filters both for their inadequate filtration and for the constant maintenance. I currently use two and my water, though healthy, just isn't as clear as I wish.

This year I will be getting rid of those and adding bog filtration. I will use my existing pump to feed the bog. Virtually no maintenance with bog filters and their filtration well surpasses most commercially sold filters.

I always suggest new pond builders and people looking for filters to check out bog filtration. There are a lot of threads in these forums on the subject. It's a little extra work to initially setup, but once it's set up...you're pretty much done.

 

[rjone1578]

You think I can do a bog with this setup?

 

[j.w]

@rjone1578
I think a bog would look great on the back end of your pond where the hose faucet and potted plants are sitting.

 

[poconojoe]

Back where you have those white pots. Then, all those plants in the pots can get planted directly in the bog gravel. The plants feed off the excess nutrients in the water flowing through. Bog should be sized 30% of the pond's water surface. Bog will be slightly higher than pond and have a low point, cutout or waterfall on the pond side so the water flows back to pond.
There are extensive threads on all the details of bog building.
Here's a link:
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/bog-building.6894/

 

[poconojoe]

Your pond is beautiful. I like all the stone work. One thing that's good is it's not enormous, so your bog won't need to be that big.

 

[poconojoe]

Read addys bog building thread and imagine a much smaller project. Then you decide what you want to do. As you do your research, you'll see that everyone with a bog praises how well they work and how little maintenance there is.

Most bogs are built by digging a hole and using an EPDM liner. You only need 12"-14" minimum of gravel, so it doesn't have to be that deep.
There are some members that, on a smaller scale, have used those long flower pots as bogs. Or build wooden boxes with EPDM liners as bogs. The size of the bog depends on how big your pond is. What is the length and width of your pond?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum!

Yes you could build a bog and make it look great. Back among the pots.

 

[rjone1578]

Back where you have those white pots. Then, all those plants in the pots can get planted directly in the bog gravel. The plants feed off the excess nutrients in the water flowing through. Bog should be sized 30% of the pond's water surface. Bog will be slightly higher than pond and have a low point, cutout or waterfall on the pond side so the water flows back to pond.
There are extensive threads on all the details of bog building.
Here's a link:
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/bog-building.6894/

That does seem like an ideal spot. The other spot I was thinking was all the way to the right in the pic. Im thinking this as a spot because the electrical outlet is there for the pump and its on the patio. The patio is much more stable if I were to put an above ground bog. The patio also gets only some afternoon sun so its not getting beat down all day in the heat. Dont know if that matters much regarding the bog but I do live in south Louisiana so summer days are grueling with heat and humidity.

I also would rather not dig anymore so the patio spot might be preferable. Have yall been doing complete DIY bogs or are there some premade liner tubs that I can buy to use as the container for everything?

What is the length and width of your pond?

9 by 7 feet

 

[poconojoe]

9x7 feet. I calculate 63 square feet of pond water surface area. 30% of that is 18.9 square feet. So, approximately 19 square feet of bog. If you round it to an even 20, your bog can be 10x2 feet, 8x2.5, 6x3.5, etc.
Not too big or expensive of a project.
Check my math...

 

[poconojoe]

You could use a rubbermaid stock tank for a bog, but they can be costly. You won't need a liner or have to dig with that, so maybe the cost and ease of setup would be worth it. Plus you don't need a deep one. Just don't use anything that is galvanized.

 

[rjone1578]

You could use a rubbermaid stock tank for a bog, but they can be costly. You won't need a liner or have to dig with that, so maybe the cost and ease of setup would be worth it. Plus you don't need a deep one. Just don't use anything that is galvanized.

Thats what I am kind of browsing online for right now. They have some 'pond' tubs on the home depot site but most look like they need to go straight into the ground.

A rubbermaid stock tank is looking pretty good right now. I am just wondering how to get the water back into the pond if I use one that doesnt have an overflow waterfall feature. I cant imagine a free flowing drain hole being able to keep up with the amount of water being pumped in

 

[poconojoe]

You can drill a hole in the stock tank near the top. Use a bulkhead fitting which comes with a gasket and the two parts screw together making a watertight seal. Look them up. They come in various sizes. You'll want one significantly larger than your pump hose size. You can have a piece of PVC pipe coming out of the bulkhead fitting sending the water back to the pond. You can hide the PVC pipe and even the stock tank with large stones, patio blocks, plants, wood framing, etc.

 

[addy1]

I used a hole saw, drilled two 1 and 1/4 inch holes near the top of the stock tank. I then stuck in two 1 inch pvc pipes. Took my favorite pl roofing sealant put the stuff all around the pvc on the inside and outside, let it dry. It has held for 6ish years now. I did not need more than 2 one inch pipes since the flow into that pond loop is slow. The 1000 gallon tank got 2 two inch pieces of pvc installed the same way, still working great. That pond gets a lot higher flow. Both waterfall back into the main pond.

 

[mrsclem]

Have a 4" hole drilled in mine close to top. Working great.