New to pond - HELP

[stromung]

Hi
I am attaching a plan, can you guys help me here? I don't have any experience. Currently I have 3600gph external pond pump and a 55 gallon barrel ready filter (mechanical & biological) . I am planning to add another 55 gal for settlement.

Should i install skimmer? I do not have any mature trees in my yard or neighboors. We will have mature trees maybe in 5 years. Should I install uv light as well? I dop not have experinces with plumbing also. But I want to do it myself.

 

[sissy]

welcome and a skimmer is mostly for stuff that blows on top of the water and I have heard of many fish that meet there death in them .I;m afraid I cannot open your pdf file as my puter will not allow it .I had no knowledge either but video's on you tube help .My filter is 69 gallon stock tank that is set on the liner so leaks will be directed back into the pond .I am afraid I know very little about uv's since I have never had one

 

[addy1]

I have a skimmer, have never had a fish die in it, frogs now and then need to be tossed back out. I keep mine on low suction unless the maple is dropping its seeds. I have the piping with a ball valve before the pump to be able to control the suction. I would suggest putting in a skimmer even if not needed now, easier to put in during the build then after. I used a pool skimmer, exterior install.

I would have your bottom drain and skimmer on two different lines with a t before the pump, you might want put a ball valve on both lines to change the flow as needed.

Don't use a uv, use plants and a bog to keep the water clear of green water. The stream will work as a filter too if you put plants in it.

Your pond will look nice, like the wrap around the house.

 

[pecan]

I don't use a skimmer or UV. When I put the pond in there was nothing near by to drop things in the water so no need for a skimmer. I might consider it when I re-do my pond in a couple years though. I planted a bunch of trees and plants so netting it in the fall and spring is a regular job. I would not use a UV simply because in my opinion they are too expensive, complicated and overrated. I use plants and biological filtration and only have green water for a few weeks in the springs when everything starts running. But some folks swear by them.

Welcome! BTW

 

[CountryEscape]

Welcome! I also like the wrap around effect of your pond. Addy has great comments, agree with them all. As Pecan says, you may not need a skimmer now, but if you know in 5 years you will have mature trees, then put one in, it will be worth it. I live in the wide open, farmed fields all around, but I get stuff blowing from the fields into my ponds. Last week, I was netting out corn shucks from the fields! They are 150 yards away! Winds is a vicious thing. Since I have ice, they were staying on the top.
I think we all agree on the UV lights being over rated, not necessary. Besides, once you have green water, it's too late, and the green water just is telling you that the water is warm enough for the algae to grow, and plants will soon follow. Putting plants in will take care of the green water. Expect green water the first year, don't fret over it, when it clears it will be crystal clear. We all have gone through it, and all survived, and have wonderful ponds to show for it. Good luck! Will watch for pics as you continue with your build. I learned EVERYTHING I know from this forum, and can say you will lots of help here, you only need ask.

 

[stromung]

Thank you all for the support!!!
Will a 3600gph external pump do the job? I already own this.

 

[sissy]

I always recommend 2 pumps so if one goes out you have back up ,the you never know but at least if you have fish they will survive the ordeal until you can get the pump fixed or buy a new pump .I went with a laguna submerged 2900 gph and 960 gph ones .The energy costs was what I was looking at .The 2900 gph uses 106 watts .I have been really researching pond pumps lately

 

[j.w]

Hi and
I didn't see where you said how big your pond was so can't really say if your pump is the right size or not. My pond is about 2400 gals or so and I am using a Pondmaster mag drive 2400gph. It's been going strong for around 12 yrs now.

 

[CountryEscape]

Looks like your pond only would be approx. 1238 gallons. Obviously, the stream will add quite a few more gallons to the equation. Keep in mind that the water in the stream should pretty much stay in the stream if the power goes off. What I'm saying is don't fill your pond with the stream running, and then if you have a power outage, all the water from the stream drains back into the pond, overflowing it. It takes very little drop for a stream to flow, and it's fun to have deeper and shallower parts of the stream, especially if you plan to put any plants in the stream.
With the size of your pond, your pump will probably be enough to run your filtration system. Check with the manufacturer and go by their lift and distance calculators to be sure. If you add a skimmer (I highly suggest it), put a separate smaller pump in the skimmer or for the power to the skimmer. If you have a fountain or anything else, you can use one larger pump for skimmer and other items, too.

 

[sissy]

he could use a check valve to make sure water does not flow back if he has a filter but no filter means it would be useless .Check valve only allows water to flow one way ,the flapper inside stops it from water from going back into the pond from the filter

 

[addy1]

I built my 85 foot long stream with collection pools. Mine does switch backs coming down the slope at each turn is a small pond. The straight ways also have some deep areas, deep = 10-12 inches, they collect water also keeps plants alive to help in filtering. Each of those small collection pools, small ponds supports a bunch of critters, frogs etc.
When you stream turns off it will drain down into the pond. Mine is run on a separate pump on a timer, I have 100 feet of head pressure to push the water up the hill to the deck ponds. for the start of the flow down the stream to the big ponds. The level changes by about 1/2 inch when the stream runs and fills.

 

[CountryEscape]

What size pump do you use, Addy? I think you have an outside of the pond type of pump. Good explanation of how having small "pools" in the stream keep water in those areas when the stream is shut down.

 

[addy1]

My big pond pump that feeds the bog, shubbie tank, lotus tank and two small preforms is around 6500 gph, it is a lim dragon pump, very efficient and quiet.
The stream pond pump is a harbor freight clear water pump, around 620 gph, it feeds the deck ponds which waterfall into the stream and down the hill. Run on a timer It can handle the 100+ feet of head pressure we have.

All of my pumps are external, I never liked fussing with submersibles. I have them so in about 10 minutes I can pull and store away for the winter, the lines drain. Some retain some water, but they are open ended, so far no cracked pipes, this winter is a real test. Will see what happens when we get home.

 

[Catfishnut]

Hi
I am attaching a plan, can you guys help me here? I don't have any experience. Currently I have 3600gph external pond pump and a 55 gallon barrel ready filter (mechanical & biological) . I am planning to add another 55 gal for settlement.

Should i install skimmer? I do not have any mature trees in my yard or neighboors. We will have mature trees maybe in 5 years. Should I install uv light as well? I dop not have experinces with plumbing also. But I want to do it myself.

Stromung,

If you have the time to watch all 21 segments of this pond build, I would like to urge you to do so as it will give you some really great ideas and helpful tips. Start here at episode #1:

Of course, you do not have to build a pond like this one, but the tips the "PondDigger" (Eric Triplett) gives throughout the whole series are really good. It is also a great deal of fun to watch.

Gordy the Catfishnut

 

[Lisak1]

Stromung,

If you have the time to watch all 21 segments of this pond build, I would like to urge you to do so as it will give you some really great ideas and helpful tips. Start here at episode #1:

Of course, you do not have to build a pond like this one, but the tips the "PondDigger" (Eric Triplett) gives throughout the whole series are really good. It is also a great deal of fun to watch.

Great suggestion! The internet is such a valuable tool for learning about just about any topic really. You have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes that others have made (and there are still plenty more that you can figure out all on your own!) I love that the professionals like Eric Triplett are sharing this information. His "Ponds Gone Wrong" series is informative as well - lots of things NOT to do. When we decided to dip our toes (ha) into the world of ponding, we spent many hours on the internet, researching all aspects of ponds - construction, costs, maintenance, landscaping, plants, fish... we wanted to be sure we were ready for the commitment. We also learned which aspects of construction we could not do on our own - mainly excavating. The digging can be a lot harder than you think and we needed to haul off a LOT of dirt. Our pond build was 85% DIY, with a little help from some "friends" (aka - the excavation guys we paid to dig and haul!)

So to answer your questions - do you need a skimmer? Should you install a UV light? I don't have a clue! You will get as many answers to those questions (and the many, many more that you will have as your project progresses) as there are ponds. The only answer another ponder can give you is "I do/don't have a skimmer/UV and here's how it works for me". Take that information and think about how it applies to your pond. You will find people (both DIYers and professionals) who will happily tell you that you MUST build your pond this way or that - but they don't have to build it, they don't have to maintain it, they don't have to live with it. You do. So make sure your decisions are based on your own reasoning. You'll be much happier in the long run.