Building a fish pond with loop stream

[jawisa]

My son and i are planning to build a fish pond that also includes a loop stream where the fish can swim out one leg and around the loop and return via the other leg into the pond. I created a basic plan for what we are thinking of and attached for thoughts. I know that I will need to create a current around the loop so I was thinking of having a couple outlets from the pump placed around the loop but am not sure what is needed from a GPM pump to achieve the best results for the fish. Can anyone tell me if this idea is feasible? Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

 

[poconojoe]

Sounds like a cool idea. I don't know much about what pump(s) you would need. Hopefully, others will chime in on that.
I would think a few pumps strategically placed along the way would be good to imitate a flowing river.
Keep us posted on your project and throw up some photos of your progress.

 

[Jhn]

Aquascape also makes a low voltage powerhead/circulation 2000gph pump for ponds, that you could hide a few of them in the stream loop.

Interesting idea, not really sure how many gph you would need to push around there, would depend on volume of stream and what you wanted it to look like ie a fast moving stream or slow moving one.

One benefit of plumbing in outlets is you could put valves in the individual lines to adjust the flow to get the look you want.

 

[jawisa]

Thanks for your replies. I did some calculations and it looks like the approximate total volume will be about 1700 gallons so I am thinking a complete turnover of the water every hour would allow for a pump of about 2000 GPH which includes some loss as well as a small waterfall. I am seeing a lot of different pumps on line with these numbers which vary greatly in cost.

 

[j.w]

@jawisa
I like Laguna pumps myself for the lower power usage.

 

[jawisa]

Well , after several months of work the pond structure is complete. We have 18 Goldfish and a single Koi so we will see if they can survive the winter. I am not sure if I should keep the pump and waterfall going but I think I might as the water flow is quite high from the 8000GHP pump that is sitting in 30" of water so Freezing should not be an issue. I am posting a few pictures as we built it.

 

[mrsclem]

Wow! Looks amazing. Love the seating area in the middle.

 

[TheFishGuy]

very interesting pond design! the seating area must be very nice.

 

[Mmathis]

Nice!

 

[addy1]

Love it! Great job

 

[Relic]

Man, I like that. Great concept...

 

[poconojoe]

Wow! , just Wow!
You guys thought of a cool idea and did a fabulous job making it come true.

 

[Stephen Noble]

That's great. Your fish have a 'lazy river!' Very nice.

 

[GBBUDD]

Congrats on completing a complex build. Did you seem your liner or cut out the sitting area?

 

[jawisa]

Congrats on completing a complex build. Did you seem your liner or cut out the sitting area?

Due to the varying depths and bends we decided to seam which seems to be holding well.