I think I need a bigger pump !

[oneman1pond]

Today after a 12 hour shift at work, I came straight home and started moving rocks and.....well Earth around my first pond project. Keep in mind I only had about 2 hours or so of good daylight to work with.
After I got things situated I brought out my first ever homemade built biofilter. Its a 20 gallon plastic tote. I made a grate that sits about 2 inches off the bottom of the container. I found round scotch type pads that would be resembling my bio balls ( I couldn't find bio balls anywhere). On top of those I placed those little green squares of scotch pads, I'm not sure how many but there is quite a bit of them. and on top of that I found thin air cleaner pads that I thought would work for my last layer.....not to sure. on top of that a put a laundry bag as a final precaution layer. I snapped the lid shut and put it in place.
I sat it next to the pond and disguised it around some rocks and small boulders so you wouldn't be able to see it. By now its starting to get dark and I'm starting to rush a little. neighbors are power walking up the street and telling me how they really like my pond and that its starting to look really really good. I also had to chase my next door neighbors cats away twice.
I took the mechanical filter out of the pond and disconnected the fountain nozzle. I hooked up the half inch house to the pump and plugged it back into the outlet.
I could hear the water going into the container and I'm waiting and waiting and waiting. Finally after about 3 minutes or so I seen a little trickle of water start to flow over the flagstone rock and into the pond. What I meant by flow,I mean to say trickle. At this point I'm standing there staring at my creation and I'm clearly not happy with it. I might have seen a handful of air bubbles on the waters surface....like 1 or 2. I like the whole small waterfall idea but I pretty sure I need to tweak it a little.
I'm also under the assumption that I need a bigger pump to push the water through the biofilter and out through the rocks (waterfall) to make a more dramatic affect. Would this be because I need a bigger, more heavier duty pump?
Also I forgot to mention that I didn't put a drain valve on the biofilter. I have found that I had, had many hiccups along this journey thus far, and I'm pretty sure there will be many more.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all again. if it wasn't for you all I would be lost.

 

[oneman1pond]

 

[Waterbug]

A pump can't push water thru an open filter like yours. The pump only has to lift the water to whatever height and from there gravity "pushes" the water thru the filter.

A pressurized filter is sealed and there a pump does push water thru the filter.

Bottom line...if you want more water flow you would need a different pump, unless there's a problem with the pump or installation. Most pumps will say something like 300 GPH on the box. Normally that means 300 GPH at zero head, meaning the amount of water moved if the pump has to lift the water 0 feet. Better (imo) manufacturers also list other flows for different heads. So when comparing pumps you want to have an idea of how high you want the water to be lifted. Generally there will be pumps designed to lift water to a high head, like 20-25' but these don't move water as well at lower heads 1-3'. Other pumps are designed to move water at low heads and can't even lift to higher heads.

Heavy Duty refers normally to how well a pump is made and increased cost. That wouldn't have anything to do with the amount of water it moves so you don't need a heavy duty pump.

 

[Dave 54]

Sorry to further upset your plans but that type of plastic container has a U/V life of around two years and will become very brittle thus breaking .
I would suggest a propper sealed unit as waterbug is suggesting , otherwise he has everything else right and as such I dont need to add to this unless your going to use an inline pump like our own.
We have an Oase 3,500 which is more than man enough for our pond it's an inline dry model however we have a wet one in our QT unit which is a Blagdon 2,000 and sits in its filter which is purpose made for the unit and is attahed to one end of it, it also has its own U/V-C which is an important peace of pond keeping kit.

rgrds

Dave

 

[oneman1pond]

Ok so i guess I'm in the market for a pressurized bio filter. So when I purchase one does that take the place of the mechanical filter, or would i still have to run both in order for the biofilter to work properly?

 

[Dave 54]

Thats totally up to you, renember the more filtration the better .
How many gallons have you total on the pond again , you know how to do the math to get the total pond volume dont you ?
We have a system on our own pond that is totally over kill but being a former koi dealerships QT pond that was expected.
Our koi do very well with this fltration we measured 1,000 gallon UK imperial through a meter into the pond.
We got our bio balls via Aqua one but also use k1 filter rmedia as well as a different make of bio ball in our bio filter .with Jap matting for the othe filters as well as Lythaqua and zeolite (two large bags that are rechaged in salt when not in the pond ready to go back in again on the next 6 mothly turn around.
Plus quilt batting and sponges with loads of airstones 12 to be exact 3 each with the Jap Matting etc and 6 gong into the bio filter

rgrds

Dave.

 

[sissy]

pressurized filters never clean very good and cost lots of money and add a pipe inside to your pipe in the tote going down it will pick up the water from the bottom up .What size pump do you have .I have to useless pressurized in my basement .They smell after awhile and you have to back flush them alot .Google pumps but i did notice pet mountain.com had pumps on sale .I always buy bigger than I need as I can always split it off .I have a 4 way splitter on mine .Try to find one that is energy saving
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[sissy]

if you are looking northern tool does have pressurized for 59 dollars for 1000 gallons and has bigger pumps .I used one of my pressurized on my small pond i had it when i opened it up after several back flushes it smelled like a sewer .pond water was dirty also

 

[oneman1pond]

I took the biofilter out today. I have to be honest, I'm a little lost right now. The pond is looking good but I just have the small BS pump and a mechanical filter right now. Its hooked up to a fountain. ...looks pretty good I just don't hsve the cleaning part down. Its a little confusing. I don't want to hire a pond guy or girl for that matter to come hook some stuff up I can probably do myself. I'll look up some filters on the mentioned sites above.
Does anyone have a good combo that they know of I can buy without bresking the bank?

 

[oneman1pond]

In a nutshell, I'm looking for a way to run a biofilter to help clean the pond and a decent little waterfall hookup. I must be retarded because i can't understand how to do it for the life of me.

 

[Waterbug]

The term pressurized filter only defines how the tank is structured. It has a lid that is clamped down so it can hold pressure. What is inside the tank determines whether it's a bio, mechanical or both.

Does anyone have a good combo that they know of I can buy without bresking the bank?

IMO there is no "good" combo filter at any price. But that's only because to me a filter is merely a tool. A bio filter that converts more ammonia for less $$$ is pretty much all I care about. Other people, surprise, surprise, care about other things. Some people like an impressive looking filter system. Some people only want their fears calmed by manufacturer claims or somebody else telling them they made a good choice.

There's no single way "good" should be defined imo. People use the term thinking everyone else has the definition and flame wars quickly follow. It's silly.

It can be a useful word. When my wife says "dinner was good" I take it as a compliment that I'm a good cook, but to her it could, and probably does in many cases, mean "good, I didn't have to cook". I don't ask for clarification.

Point is there is no such thing as a "good" filter. Consumer Reports doesn't test pond filters (I don't think). There's no SEER rating stamped on the box. It isn't like buying a car where you can compare MPG, crash test results, maintenance costs or resale value. None of that exists for mass market filters. It is purely a "I like that" buy it thing.

No one test mass market filters, because no one cares. Buyers only care that it's "good" and sellers are more than happy to tell them their filters are indeed "good". Even "the best".

People in the hobby don't test these filters because they already know they're pretty worthless as far as having any positive effect on the pond. The basic way all of these filters work was tested in the hobby years ago. Just because a seller paints a filter a different color and slaps on a new "Algai Reducer Technology" patent pending label doesn't mean there is actually anything new inside that needs to be tested. That stuff is only for people looking to have fears calmed, which is an important and huge segment of the market. So win-win. Sellers make money and buyers feel better. It works because most ponds don't need any filter at all, so to many buyers feel these filters do indeed "work". At least for 2,3,5 or whatever years it takes for a buyer to notice a problem. $100 for maybe 5 years of peace of mind and pond enjoyment is cheap imo, for people looking for that.

Looking for a "good" filter is by definition going to be a frustrating experience because you're asking for opinion. Do you just pick the most popular opinion hoping your definition of "good" aligns with the majority? In that case you don't have to take a poll at all. You only have to go into any big store, or pick any long established manufacturer and pick whatever filter you see that has graphics on the box that appeal to you and claims that satisfy whatever concerns you have. These products are there because a many people have bought them in the past, so the poll has been done for you. Manufacturers and sellers have spent a tremendous amount of time and money making sure the graphics on the box are appealing, the box fits in your car and isn't too heavy for 99% of people to lift and that the claims on the box are exactly what you're hoping to hear. You only have to pick one.

I don't want to hire a pond guy or girl for that matter to come hook some stuff up I can probably do myself. I'll look up some filters on the mentioned sites above.

Like pretty much everything in the world you get 3 choices.
- Pay someone to do it for you.
- Learn to do it yourself.
- Don't do it.

Underestimating the effort required to DIY is something most people do, myself included. My motto is "when jumping off of a cliff it's best not to look first". I'm working on a project right now that I estimated would take 3 months and 3 years later I'm still 3 months away.

Expecting the process it to be easy or that there won't be lots of failures is what produces frustration.

 

[Carolyn22]

The pond is looking good but I just have the small BS pump and a mechanical filter right now. Its hooked up to a fountain. ...looks pretty good I just don't hsve the cleaning part down. Its a little confusing. I don't want to hire a pond guy or girl for that matter to come hook some stuff up I can probably do myself.

The more you can do yourself, the better - not only will it save you money if you do it yourself, but you will become more familiar with your pond. The more familiar you are with your pond, the sooner you will be able to identify a problem if one occurs.

 

[sissy]

the pipe you have going in the center of your bio filter needs a pipe going down into filter media and then put your pump pumping water into the top .It will come up the inside pipe and then out .It will be what they call a down filter .My filter are down filters .The pipe on top puts water in and the pipe in the front pulls water from the bottom of the tank
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[sharedmedia=core:attachments:52696]this part connects to my tank adapter and pulls the water from the bottom .How bigs is your pump gph .