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  1. #1
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Pointy's Avatar
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    Pointy's Murky Puddle Upgrade

    Hi Guys n Girls,

    I plan to upgrade my murky puddle into something to be proud of. Here's a couple of pictures of the current setup...

    pond1.jpg
    pond2.jpg

    It's about 16' long, 6' wide at it's widest point, and 3'6" at it's deepest point. It holds about 6000 liters from memory. As you can from the following picture, it's very murky and has a variety of fish including 6 Koi about 12" long.

    fish.jpg

    The current filter is just a basic box, with plastic bits, foam and gravel. I bought it from a local garden center 16 years ago, but the UV gave up a few months back and I have been too lazy to fix it again. (replaced choke once already) It's fed by a Hozelock Titan 5500. (which can't be turned up full or the waterfall overflows over the sides)

    oldfilter.jpg

    My first concern is the fish during the rebuild. I have a quarantine pool which is 7' in diameter and 2' deep. Would this be big enough? I plan to just move the old filter and pump over to it when the time comes. Is there a BEST time of year to move the fish, I was thinking it would be better during the winter when they are less active. (not so much fun digging then though )

    vat.jpg

    I still haven't fully decided what to do yet, whether to keep the irregular shape and waterfall or go for a basic rectangular pond. I'll probably do some Sketchup models later to see which I prefer. Whichever I do, it will be bigger, deeper and gravity fed. I am swaying towards the rectangular pond at the moment as I think the waterfall might look odd with the rest of the plans for the garden. The wall on the left, in the next picture is going and then the mound behind is being taken down to the grass level. The rest of the wall will be rebuilt and moved out 6' to extend the raised pond area.

    leftgarden.jpg

    Anyway this is the equipment I have so far...

    nexus300.jpg

    Nexus 300 with allegedly 150 liters of K1 media (I weighed it at about 23Kilos)
    Airtech AT80 air pump
    A couple of 2" ball valves

    Things I will need...

    Suitable dry pump
    Bottom drain (to aerate or not to aerate, that is the question)
    Pipework and fittings
    New Liner
    UV Clarifier

    It's going to be a while before I attack the pond as the wall and other bits need to be done first but thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

    Regards,

    Les



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  3. #2
    well i would wait till next year now if your not going to get it all done by the end of next month. it will be kinder on the fish. as for bottom drain i would go for air type but if you don`t like that idea an normal one would do fine. the problem with putting the fish in the holding vat over winter is the wind chill will bring the water temps down so much more and faster then their use to. but once your ready use the water from your pond as well as the pump and filter but add on the new UV you will be needing. a good cheap dry mount pump would be a superfish evo around 10000lt an hour should be fine. please ask as many question you want mate , it is better to get it right from the start and we love to help if we can. good luck with the build . i am so missing doing mind, even if it did drive me nuts at times lol

  4. #3
    Agree unless you've got a few helpers and none stop graft:-)

  5. #4
    i am doing mine over winter, but that's because im going to put the holding pool in my garage where it can be warmer. I am hoping this way i will also get some winter growth without it costing much in heating
    I bought a mattock the other day , which should make digging a lot easier, i highly recommend you get one

  6. #5
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Pointy's Avatar
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    please ask as many question you want mate
    You might wish you never said that!

    the problem with putting the fish in the holding vat over winter is the wind chill will bring the water temps down so much more and faster then their use to
    How about if I fill some black sacks with insulation and put them around the sides of the vat, would that help? Last winter I don't even remember a single frost here, but it would be just my luck to have a really cold one this year.


    One thing I have been thinking about, is what to do with the waste from the Nexus, as I don't have any drain access in the back garden. I thought I could make a concrete sump and send the waste into it, from the sump it would overflow into a soakaway. Hopefully the sludge will collect at the bottom of the sump and I can just clean it out. Is that the best way to do it and what size should the sump be?

    I have seen a lot of talk about pressure pipe and fittings, is it just thicker better quality pipe over standard PVC pipe? I hate plumbing and I have never done any PVC pipework before so any tips would be very welcome.

    Regards,

    Les

  7. #6
    You'll need to find a way to pump it to drain mate as a lot of waste gets collected and it's going to stink:-)

  8. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Pointy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nik bate View Post
    You'll need to find a way to pump it to drain mate as a lot of waste gets collected and it's going to stink:-)
    Hmm, don't think that is very practical for me, as the drains are at the front.

    Anyway I made a quick sketchup model of a potential new layout...

    new_pond1.jpg

    The pond itself is roughly 12' x 12' x 5' deep. I quite like it and although it looks bare in the mock up, with some nice pot plants and ornaments, it could be just the business. It should also be very low maintenance.

    Regards,

    Les

  9. #8
    if you could fit a dry mount pump to the waste outlet of the nexus and you could then pump the waste around your garden to water the plants, grass and shrubs. pond water is a very good plant food. and since it is pumped it will mash any bit up nice and small. as for the temp vat. you could insulate the sides and also have a cover over the top, that would help stop the wind chill. if you could get hold of 2 rolls of rockwool and some pallet wrap you could use that on the sides. and some bubble wrap for on top would do as the cover. and no problems about questions mate ask away.

  10. #9
    To be honest mate the amount of crap out of filter in the summer will probably be to much for the garden !

  11. #10
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Pointy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nik bate View Post
    To be honest mate the amount of crap out of filter in the summer will probably be to much for the garden !
    Especially as there wont be much of one after! It will mainly be pot plants!

    Taking your suggestion on board, I have decided that pumped to the drain is a good idea, even if it means a lot more work. After all if a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing properly.

    I was thinking of something like a 210l water butt sunk in the ground to take the waste from the Nexus. Then, I use the old Titan 5500 to pump it to the drain. The drain is 20m away so what size pipe do you suggest? Could I just bury flexible pipe or would I be better off using PVC?

    Regards,

    Les

  12. #11
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Gosai dazmac's Avatar
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    if you plan on doing it this year, best start sooner than later, problems always pop up along the way

  13. #12
    That's a lovely shusui on your profile dazmac:-)

  14. #13
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Pointy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dazmac View Post
    if you plan on doing it this year, best start sooner than later, problems always pop up along the way
    Phase 1 begun today.

    I cleared the border on the right hand side in preparation for fitting the new fence and shed. I also removed the 2 small trees either side of the pond and picked up the 210L water butt I am going to use as a waste sump.

    I have found 20m of 1.5" Flexible Ribbed Corrugated Pond Hose on Ebay for £42.75, which seems a good price to me. (unless someone knows a cheaper place I will order it tomorrow)

    Tomorrows plan, weather permitting, is to dig out the holes for the shed base and sump. I also need to source some close board fence panels. I found this place online, which seems incredibly cheap, I don't suppose anyone here has used them before and can vouch for them?

    Regards,

    Les

  15. #14
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Gosai dazmac's Avatar
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    good on ya pointy no time like the present, keep us posted as you go if you get chance that is

  16. #15
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Gosai dazmac's Avatar
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    thanks nik, got it off ken at the koi collection and the red is as red as the picture fantastic fish. bit today ended up giving it to my uncle for his 70th im to soft me. so will be looking for another soon when pond is settled

    Quote Originally Posted by Nik bate View Post
    That's a lovely shusui on your profile dazmac:-)

  17. #16
    Let me know when you back over and well have a beer with ken:-)

  18. #17
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Gosai dazmac's Avatar
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    got to pop there this morning for some bits

  19. #18
    It'll be next month for me mate:/)

  20. #19
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Gosai dazmac's Avatar
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    gis a shout can always try and arrange something

  21. #20
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Pointy's Avatar
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    OK, let's get this thread back on topic.

    I managed to dig the hole for the shed base and the sump today. I thought I had struck gold when I uncovered a drainage pipe running to next door. Unfortunately they don't have any manhole covers in their garden so it must be for a soakaway. Strange though as it's miles away from the guttering downpipe on my side.

    Regards,

    Les

 

 
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