Maintenance Trick For Bottm Drain Ponds

[Squidhead]

Squidhead, why can't you do what we did? a long nylon cord with a rag tied securely in the middle. The cord is tied on one end to the dock and on the other end tied to a milk crate outside the filters. When you pull one end the rag goes into the pipe, and then when you pull the other end the rag comes out along with sand and stones, and leaves and plants etc...
Is that clear?

Yup! Crystal clear! Like I said, just want to be able to utilize the purpose of the dome. If I experience the same trouble as you, I'll do it as you did. I was just thinking out loud of a way to do it without loosing the dome, that's all - Chris

 

[CliffandJoann]

Squidhead, You're right about the dome. It is constructed in a way that enables
the water to swirl around and suck the solids, leaves etc...into the BD, and that is a good thing...a very good thing...
however, after a few years, it became more and more difficult (for us) to keep sand
and small stones from clogging the drain. It all started when the koi got big, they're like having teenagers...And as many
of us are aware, having teenagers -- is punishment for having sex!

Our koi spit the rocks out aiming for the drain, really...
Then we would have to drag out the shop vac...

I take it you're building your pond now? Are you slightly slanting the pond floor
so that the solids will be able to gravitate to the BD easily? Like the way a shower floor
is installed, all slightly tilted towards the drain....

Oh, your domed drain should work well for years, until the koi become teenagers!

 

[Squidhead]

Squidhead, You're right about the dome. It is constructed in a way that enables
the water to swirl around and suck the solids, leaves etc...into the BD, and that is a good thing...a very good thing...
however, after a few years, it became more and more difficult (for us) to keep sand
and small stones from clogging the drain. It all started when the koi got big, they're like having teenagers...And as many
of us are aware, having teenagers -- is punishment for having sex!

Our koi spit the rocks out aiming for the drain, really...
Then we would have to drag out the shop vac...

I take it you're building your pond now? Are you slightly slanting the pond floor
so that the solids will be able to gravitate to the BD easily? Like the way a shower floor
is installed, all slightly tilted towards the drain....

Oh, your domed drain should work well for years, until the koi become teenagers!

I do have my floor pitched towards the BD. When I read up on them and installation suggestions by the manufacturer(s) there was a consistancy among most articles to pitch the ponds floor towards the drain at least 1" every foot, 2" or more would be better. My pond is rectangle shaped and ended up being about 1 1/2 " pitch per foot longways, and 3" per foot on the width.

I think I also have or will have a smaller pond then you. My pond wont be big enough to house Koi once they get to those teenage years. The plan is to get a pair of young ones and when they grow out, sell them to those that need larger fish. So I got that going for me. I also wont have gravel or any stones in the pond. There has got to be a way to "Koi Proof" any plantings that my fish will have access to.

I do have a little background in plumbing. I made sure the pitch of the plumbing is 1/4" per foot so there will be minimal air pocket restriction. If I need to install the system you have in the future it can be done. I wont have my wife hold me down with a rake! She would never let me up. She would most likely toss the rake and use a pitchfork anyway.

I have a thought about pond keepres with bottom drain problems. I'm not saying this is your situation by any means, but I would guess that most troubles are a result of the plumbing not being adequate or flow being a little too slowed by a pump being too small for the head loss and turnover rate. It could also be a result of not doing weekly maintenance. Like I said, I am not saying that is your case, just thinking "out loud " again. I think there is a misconception that if you have all the bells and whistles you can skip maintenance practices. I found that quite a bit with aquarium fish keepers. These things are just supposed to make maintenance easier, not eliminate it. Again, not claiming this is you, just thinking aloud again...........Squidhead has just stepped down from the soapbox!

 

[stroppy]

pitchfork LOL

 

[CliffandJoann]

OMG, LMAO @ the pitchfork crack...

Squidhead, sounds like a plan to me...just one problem I foresee...

Did you ever have koi? They are little water puppies, you get very attached to them,
and It's very hard to give them away. We lost our favorite koi this winter,
'little red nose' (he was 12 years old and our first koi that died) we miss him
as much as we would miss any other pet, such as a cat or dog. No matter where you were in our yard,
if you looked in the pond, you would see
him swimming around with his little red nose out of the water.
We really miss our little buddy.

Little Red Nose 1998 - 2010

 

[DrDave]

At 12, he was still a young Koi. The oldest living koi was over 200.
Do you know what killed him?

 

[CliffandJoann]

Dr Dave, yes, I know the longevity of koi, and we were shocked when Cliff
found him in the March thaw. He was found dead in the dog leg, which is only
2 foot deep. Cliff wonders if he got stuck in the dog leg over the winter and froze.
But, that is just a guess, we really don't know.

He was just such a special little guy...and so photographic.

 

[DrDave]

He certainly was photographic! Sorry for your loss.

 

[Squidhead]

Yes, I know you can become attached to fish. Some of them just have personalities. I had to give up an angelfish and betta that I had for about 5-6 years when I went to boot camp. More recently a tank full of African cichlids. All those fish would follow me from side to side if I was in the same room the tank was, they would recognize me from other family members, feed from my hand, etc. I guess the fact that pond is too small for the bigger ones to be "happy" will give me the piece of mind that I am doing the right thing in finding them bigger homes. I think it would pain me more to watch a fishes growth be stunted because the pond is too small, then to part with it. And if I am that attached, I guess here comes the back hoe cause I ain't never digging again unless at gunpoint.

 

[koikeepr]

You could do more than a pair in that pond Squid, particularly with the ultra filtration you are doing (and the fact that I know you'll be a maintenance nut). Depending on what size you plan on getting them and watching 'em grow, you could easily do 3-4 (if bigger) or 6 (if smaller fingerlings) in there. After their 3rd year, you'd have to start thinking of selling a few.

You could do easily 8+ goldfish in there, as they will not stunt like koi and typically limit themselves to the size of their surroundings. Not as easy to sell goldfish unless you've got something more interesting like a wakin, ryunkin, etc., as sarassa and other more common goldies are easier to come by in local petshops.

 

[Squidhead]

You could do more than a pair in that pond Squid, particularly with the ultra filtration you are doing (and the fact that I know you'll be a maintenance nut). Depending on what size you plan on getting them and watching 'em grow, you could easily do 3-4 (if bigger) or 6 (if smaller fingerlings) in there. After their 3rd year, you'd have to start thinking of selling a few.

You could do easily 8+ goldfish in there, as they will not stunt like koi and typically limit themselves to the size of their surroundings. Not as easy to sell goldfish unless you've got something more interesting like a wakin, ryunkin, etc., as sarassa and other more common goldies are easier to come by in local petshops.

Do you think that there is enough room for a pair as adults? I know I have the volume, but I was concerned with the space. The surface is 8 X 5, but the bottom is 2" at the narrow side and maybe 2' 6" or 2' 9" under the falls from the stream. The bottom length I think is
6'. Then the BD is there. I am not sure on goldies yet. i really am not sure what's going in there? There is alot of places that say 1000 to 1500G minimum, but 10 X 5 as far as surface. I know I'm close, I guess I can make that call as needed.....or go bigger if I need to.

 

[koikeepr]

I think you could potentally keep an adult pair, yes, due to your filtering. Question is, will they be happy with not a lot of length to swim in? Not being a koi, I can't answer this question. LOL! They might be perfectly fine given your depth.

You'll be able to gauge that as they grow and age. I can pretty much tell if my fish are content or not by the way they are swimming, eating, behaving, etc. Once you hit year 3 and 4, you'll be able to gauge this too. And at that point you'll need to make a decision perhaps.

But you can put a few more in there now, and then whittle them down and sell the others when you've found your true pair of that group. You'll be able to figure out which is a male and female, for example. So, you can have a breeding pair and then raise the babies big enough just to the selling point.

That's the thing about koi, you can have them as wonderful pets, but there are ways to make some income as well.