Help choosing a new filter.

[Willo]

Hi everyone
I have decided to buy a new filter ready for next spring. The filter I have now is not the best and is too small for my needs ( it was given to me so I can’t complain). I have lots of issues this year with it blocking up and cleaning it.
I have a 9000 litre / 2000 gallon pond with 7 koi about 10-12 inches & 20 goldfish various sizes ( I am hopefully re homing some goldfish next year) the pond is in direct sunlight during the summer.
I have been recommended by my local koi shop Lotus clear pond 50 filter which has a 7 stage filtration and a hose connecter for back flushing also has a in built uv . See link
http://www.pondsuperstores.com/prod...-System.html?gclid=CNmIrdCO5sECFcPHtAodOVUAtQ
I have also been looking at filters with a vortex as it will get rid of all the heavy rubbish and shouldn’t block filter so much. The one I’ve been looking at is Oasis Vor-Tex 16000 Filter System, there’s a vortex then 3 filter bays it also has a back flush to clean filters out, theres no uv but i already have 2 uv`s set up anyway. See link
http://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk...ity-fed.html?gclid=CK3M4uaL5sECFUMUwwodFJQAXA
Has anyone got any advice about what I’m looking for?? Am I looking in the right direction?? I have set aside some pennies I don’t want to be spending more than £400 hopefully Got a wedding to pay for next year so im keeping this quiet

Any advice will be much appreciated

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Hi everyone
I have decided to buy a new filter ready for next spring. The filter I have now is not the best and is too small for my needs ( it was given to me so I can’t complain). I have lots of issues this year with it blocking up and cleaning it.
I have a 9000 litre / 2000 gallon pond with 7 koi about 10-12 inches & 20 goldfish various sizes ( I am hopefully re homing some goldfish next year) the pond is in direct sunlight during the summer.
I have been recommended by my local koi shop Lotus clear pond 50 filter which has a 7 stage filtration and a hose connecter for back flushing also has a in built uv . See link
http://www.pondsuperstores.com/prod...-System.html?gclid=CNmIrdCO5sECFcPHtAodOVUAtQ
I have also been looking at filters with a vortex as it will get rid of all the heavy rubbish and shouldn’t block filter so much. The one I’ve been looking at is Oasis Vor-Tex 16000 Filter System, there’s a vortex then 3 filter bays it also has a back flush to clean filters out, theres no uv but i already have 2 uv`s set up anyway. See link
http://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk...ity-fed.html?gclid=CK3M4uaL5sECFUMUwwodFJQAXA
Has anyone got any advice about what I’m looking for?? Am I looking in the right direction?? I have set aside some pennies I don’t want to be spending more than £400 hopefully Got a wedding to pay for next year so im keeping this quiet

Any advice will be much appreciated

Do you already have a skimmer? If not, you should acquire one. As to biological requirements, considering your present fish load, get the largest bio-filter that you can afford, In addition, you need to be moving at least 4000 gph. You may already be doing this, but you did not indicate your present pump size.

 

[Willo]

The pump I have will do 10,000 ltr/ hour but the filters will only take about 1-1500 ltr/hour this is one of the reasons I need to change them. I'm still learning a lot about ponds only had my pond running just over a year now. I haven't got a skimmer I dont know a lot about them. Most of the equipment I have got was given to me its a bit of a mish-mash of things !!!

 

[dieselplower]

Do you already have a skimmer? If not, you should acquire one. As to biological requirements, considering your present fish load, get the largest bio-filter that you can afford, In addition, you need to be moving at least 4000 gph. You may already be doing this, but you did not indicate your present pump size.

Meyer I was wondering how you came up with the 4000 gph number. I notice that the pond has a pretty high fish load. I would think the pond is nearly maxed out with just the 7 Koi...

 

[Dave 54]

Willo before you acctually go for this filter which I personally think wont do the job why not look on a koi website or two and have a look at some decent filters :-

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/pond/filters-1/koi-pond-filter-systems.html

Personally I'd look to the bottom off he list systems starting £300+, you would find most benificial

Dave

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Looks like the filters on Dave's site are a little cheaper, allowing you to get a little better filter for the type of money you want to spend. However, I agree with Meyer instinct in that you should also be looking at incorporating a skimmer into your system. Skimmers are pretty simple in their function in that they capture floating debris like leaves before it has a chance to sink, and they also help keep the surface water clearer by removing micro particles that cause a film on the surface like pollen and dust. Sometimes you can plumb skimmers directly into your main pump, but more often then not they work better on their own separate pump.
>
On a side note, perhaps you could break the silence and convince the bride and groom to postpone the wedding for a couple years so you can increase you budget on the pond and really get some deluxe equipment.

 

[steve/gridnot]

I have been experimenting with minimalizing filter medias using my jumbo size vortex filter.

All you need are bags of pool filter sand, zeolite sand, Diotomacious earth, pebbles, activated charcoal, blue swamp cooler filter, and some plastic screen to space the column.

Make a column the size you need from a 10" diameter or smaller white PVC pipe and insert it into the third stage of your filter. In mine it works on the down feed of the forth bay. (I put a pic in so you can follow the piping). I just seal it on with double stick foam molding.

I use the blue course swamp cooler media on each of the overflows to filter the course particles. With the column in place the blue media placed in the fifth stage stage stays clean and serves as an indicator if the filter needs changing, as the overflow will spill over and stop using the column.

Use a slow pump. I'm doing this on a 5000 gallon pond and find it to be working fine. The $150 worth of media will last about 5 years.

The media to charge that filter of mine would cost over $2000 if I did it the way the "EXPERTS" recommend.

You only need the activated charcoal if you want to drink the filtrate,LOL

 

[Willo]

Thanks for all the info, as im undecided what filters I should be buying ??? it good to get everyone's ideas on what they think is best.
Dave.
Do you mean these filters ?
http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/p...qua-eazypod-koi-ponds-up-to-10000-litres.html
I realise we have to many fish, I was given the goldfish as a friend had a very big leak in his pond but he passed away so ive got them now. Some are getting re homed next year .

 

[steve/gridnot]

There are a lot of vortex filter boxes used and for sale. What I was showing you is that the money is being made in filter media. My little method used what is available for very little $$$$. Filtering water is not rocket science; I like the vortex systems because they settle the solids very quickly through multi stages. They can be used with bio filtration or direct with my adaptor. If I didn't have other projects I would market this system.

 

[morewater]

For your application, and keeping in mind the design of your recessed deck tank, I'd think that a UV equipped pressure filter might be your best option. JMHO. They can be hidden nicely.

Given your heavy fish load, I'd bump up the pressure filter size to approximately twice that of the total volume and hook it up to a portable bottom drain. The larger capacity will minimize the frequency of clean-outs. Rather than using bead-type filler, I prefer using Bio-Balls for the increased surface area. AquaScape makes a nice pressure filter, although I'm sure that others (ie. Oase, Tetra) are all more or less the same. As an AquaScape user, I'm biased I suppose.

A 4000gph UV equipped pressure filter that has incorporated backwash capability will run you approximately Can.$700 (about 400 Pounds). They're sturdy, practically idiot-proof and are easily hidden. They're also easy to clean and to shut down for the winter. For your application it could be placed in a decorative wooden box that you could stain to match your tank-surround.

There isn't really a wrong way to do this, it's just that some solutions are more practical than others. Some people have tanks that they raise fish in, some people have a landscape feature that double-duties as a fish habitat.

It doesn't look to me like a skimmer is an option for you given your design. Skimmers can be added, but it's easier on free-form ponds rather than on what I see pictured in your avatar.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

 

[steve/gridnot]

For UV I buy 3 watt bulbs of three mv ranges for about fifty cents a peace. I string them like Christmas tree lites and suspend them in the fifth bay at varying depths, where the water is moving the slowest.
Why pay $1000 for something worth $50???

 

[Willo]

Willo before you acctually go for this filter which I personally think wont do the job why not look on a koi website or two and have a look at some decent filters :-

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/pond/filters-1/koi-pond-filter-systems.html

Personally I'd look to the bottom off he list systems starting £300+, you would find most benificial

Dave

Hi Dave
Did you mean these filters ??
http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/p...qua-eazypod-koi-ponds-up-to-10000-litres.html
I am trying to get everyones advice before I buy any filters as there are so many types on the market and I dont know what type would be best for my pond.

 

[Dave 54]

Something along those lines yes Willo but do your homework first on them talk to others that have one etc

Dave

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Meyer I was wondering how you came up with the 4000 gph number. I notice that the pond has a pretty high fish load. I would think the pond is nearly maxed out with just the 7 Koi...

In any pond, you would want a flow rate that will efficiently move the total volume of water through adequate bioconversion in the shortest period of time while insuring that the flow is not so great as to stress the fish by causing them to swim to exhaustion. The 1 1/2 to 2 times the total volume turnover rate is a practice borrowed from Aquaculture. This is what is recommended in intensive RAS aquaculture sites.
If only the Koi are taken into consideration, at one fish per 285 gallons this pond is hardly overcrowded.

 

[dieselplower]

In any pond, you would want a flow rate that will efficiently move the total volume of water through adequate bioconversion in the shortest period of time while insuring that the flow is not so great as to stress the fish by causing them to swim to exhaustion. The 1 1/2 to 2 times the total volume turnover rate is a practice borrowed from Aquaculture. This is what is recommended in intensive RAS aquaculture sites.
If only the Koi are taken into consideration, at one fish per 285 gallons this pond is hardly overcrowded.

Thanks for the info.
I frequently see 1 adult koi per 300 gallons cited.