Small pond, many fish

[addy1]

A fish hatchery near here had this filter on a above ground container pond, around 200-300 gallons. The water was beautiful, she had a lot of fish in the tank. They were her fish, vs fish they sale. A lot of beautiful fan tails. She said she has been using it for years. The flow back into the tank was a nice stream. I do not know what size of pump she used. When it needs to be cleaned water flows out of the top port. Just do a rinse job. It is 15 inches, 38 cm in size. 11 in tall, 27.9 cm

http://www.amazon.com/TetraPond-Cle...4692&sr=8-2&keywords=clear+choice+pond+filter

 

[MitchM]

The pump was too powerful, i traded it for a smaller pump. all they seemed to manage was just disturb the pond. the water has gone muddy and the bubbler doesnt work. i dont care for this pump im actually pretty upset. the pond was clear, i could see almost to the bottom, now, the plants are all disturbed and the root systems are disturbed and the water is cloudy.
Not a happy camper right here...
I will report back in a few hours to let you know what happens to the pita pump.
I really need to learn how to handle this kind of dissapointment. In my head i imagined the fish in a clear pond all natural and clean with a nice pump working away gently instead I get a mechanical nightmare.
the pump Im running now is the same brand but does 400l/h

I understand the disappointment, but without any substrate and rooted plants, the sediment that's accumulating on the bottom will cause you water quality and algae problems in the future. Once that happens, you will need to do a complete clean out which could be a real pain.
It's important that you have some way of disturbing, collecting and removing the sediment that's building up on the bottom.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

This is what I used in my small preform pond (165 gallons) it worked pretty good but filter pads need to be cleaned regularly or water flow slows down.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006...filter+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=417XJB7P0YL&ref=plSrch

 

[Meyer Jordan]

This is what I used in my small preform pond (165 gallons) it worked pretty good but filter pads need to be cleaned regularly or water flow slows down.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006...filter+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=417XJB7P0YL&ref=plSrch

Same filter as in post #30 of this thread. One other feature of this particular filter is that lava rock, bioballs or other filter media can be added to maximize bioconversion.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Yes, it is the same but this one is complete with pump, filter, tubing and fountain head. Ready to use. I believe it may even come with filter pads. And the best part is that it's on sale

 

[sissy]

The only bad thing that if your pond is deep it is hard to get out and is heavy and you really have to be careful with it because it is awkward because of the shape .I had the tetra one that the pump fit inside the box with a filter pad in it and bio balls .It was in my preformed and worked great but still had to be cleaned often and it was small

 

[Fishwatcher]

I have just given away 17 of the fish, i have a comfortable 5 left now
I will put them out of the pond and give it a clean. I have ordered that filter you were recommending. its not cheap but i think in the long term it will be worth it.

I actually like having a bit of substrate in the pond because it seems to be a more natural thing... what would be good? i've covered the bottom in aquarium pebbles to hold down the roots and so on but there is still a lot of muck down there.

 

[Fishwatcher]

i dont mind cleaning the filter daily, I clear out any debris and algea by hand daily anyway.

 

[Fishwatcher]

Would I be able to stock a couple of sunfish?

 

[MitchM]

...

I actually like having a bit of substrate in the pond because it seems to be a more natural thing... what would be good? i've covered the bottom in aquarium pebbles to hold down the roots and so on but there is still a lot of muck down there.

It depends on the plant, but there are not enough minerals in detritus to sufficiently feed rooted plants.
If you live in a dusty area though, you might have enough dust enter your pond that a "good enough" substrate may accumulate over time.