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  1. #1
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai Dom G20's Avatar
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    My own Koi pond build

    Hi all

    Just thought I would start my diary although the construction has not quite started yet. My girlfriend and I bought our first house together in December which comes with a quarter of an acre of land (perfect for a pond). My dad has a 3000 gallon koi pond and I have always helped him maintain his and have taken a real shinning to the hobby.

    So onto the prospective pond build. The pond will be 4m x 3.5m x 1.3m deep so judging by calculations will be around the 4000 gallon mark. It will be an informal pond with landscaped rock edging and a natural waterfall feeding it. I have already purchased a Kockney Koi 20000 multi bay filter which will be gravity fed, plumbed in with a 4" bottom drain on a Sequence 10000lph pump. In addition to this I will be running a gravity fed Eazypod from a skimmer box on a separate 8000lph pond pump, I know I will have to convert the skimmer to 3" feed to enable good flow with this pump.

    I am in two minds as to which UV clarifier I should buy, I have my eyes set on a EVO UV55 or EVO UV75, for the extra £20 is it worth buying the 75w?

    I have taken trips to Kitsu koi, Queni koi and Absolute koi to gain advise and look at some of their beautiful stock and aim to have this pond finished for April ready for their 2019 stock.

    Let me know your thoughts on the set up all and if anybody within the midlands area has an Eazypod for sale that would be awesome...

    Thanks

    Dom



  2. #2
    sounds like a plan, couple of things id suggest to consider are....realistically aiming to turn the ponds full volume over every hour, using a 10,000 and an 8,000 pair of pumps won't get you anywhere near that, by the time you've added in flow losses, you can probably half the claimed output. Another thing id suggest is installing a shower on the return after your easypod, because I think you will struggle for bio filtration sooner rather than later.
    Whats the max flow of your multibay?, is it pre-filtered with a vortex ?, might be worth looking towards a draco drum, to do the mechanical filtration for your multibay, would save you hours and hours of cleaning.

    If you hadn't already brought things, I would have just said buy a stand alone drum and run both skimmer and bottom drain through it, its all budget related though.

    Hth
    David

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  4. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai Dom G20's Avatar
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    Thanks for the recommendations David. The bakki shower is a great idea, that will be next on the list although I have seen some great DIY builds so might look into that. Yeah the drum would be a dream but budget wouldn't allow for one so looks like it will be man hours with the multi bay. Yeah the multi bay has a vortex a VF2 kockney koi. The multi bays maximum flow rate is 10000lph so the pump I have will be the most powerful it will allow.

    Expensive stuff this hobby is!

    Thanks Dom

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  6. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai Gray's Avatar
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    My own Koi pond build

    Sounds like a nice pond! Looking forward to seeing this in the making. My own Koi pond build

    My pond is ~3,750 gallons and I run an EA 110w just for info. That’s probably overkill but I wanted to be sure it hit the spot.

    If it were me I’d go for the 75w as it’s only a few quid more as you say.

    I also run a Sequence pump but it’s an 18,000. Added to that I’ve got a Jebao 7,000 running at half speed on a balance line to my Nexus 320 so I’m mathematically getting a 21,500 flow rate.

    But the manufacturer figures are “max” and based on flow with no consideration for losses, etc. Hence max.

    Looking at my return pipes and primarily the Nexus input I’m not seeing that rate at all. I’d have some serious rapids going on in my filter if that were the case!

    Quite possibly (top end) I’m getting around 12-13,000 and my pipe runs are pretty short and not complex.

    Seeing as your bay filter can handle 10,000 and taking into account losses you might better off upping to a larger pump, maybe a variable speed so you can play with the total flow rate to get exactly the turn over rate you need?

    Like FamilyMan says, you never get the flow that’s on the box of the pump. Usually much less as he said.

    I could even be over egging my flow...

    Hope this info helps a little. Just passing on what I was given by the guys & gals on here and it was gold during my build!


    P.s. Yup, it’s an expensive hobby this “water keeping” lark. I’ve got a lovely hole in my wallet that’s getting bigger by the week!
    Last edited by Gray; 04-01-2019 at 01:10 AM.

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  8. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai Dom G20's Avatar
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    Thanks Gray, here's hoping. Definitely hiring a mini digger for the pond and filter pit excavation.

    Yeah that is what I am thinking cant go wrong with the 75w UV.

    Wow that is some serious flow you got going on there, ill make sure to increase my flow on the multibay then, as you said the loss through the bay and pipework etc will be considerable anyway.

    Do variable speed pumps burn out quicker or is that a common myth? If I was to simply over power my pump would a 12000 be a good bet do you think?

    Much appreciated, this is why I joined the forum to gain insight and advice from people who have been in the hobby much longer than I.

    Yeah certainly is burning a nice hole in my wallet too!!

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  10. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai Gray's Avatar
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    No worries at all. As mentioned, just passing on the info I was given by everyone here!

    Not sure about the variable pumps and the potential to burn out sooner. Some of the other guys on here with bigger variable pumps can probably advise better on this as I’ve only been in the game for a couple of years so don’t have any data to debunk or prove that point. No pumps have failed yet.

    My 7,000 variable is running at 50% so in my simple mind I’d like to think it’d last nearly twice as long. My own Koi pond build I could be wrong though.

    With my potential flow rate rate above it’s turning the water over 1.5 times per hour - I was advised to aim for 100% turnover every two hours min so I think I’ve achieved it even if the flow is much less than my guess. I’d need only 8,500 l/hr to hit it.

    With your 4,000g you’d need 9,000 l/hr if my maths stands at 9am in the morning!!!

    You could put a flow meter on your system and that will tell you exactly what rate you’re getting. I know some people have these on their set up.

    Maybe a 12,000 pump with a variable pump on your skimmer would certainly give you room to play with the total flow in my humble opinion. You’d certainly lose a fair chunk off the 12,000 due to losses anyways.

    That’s why I’ve got a variable on my balance line.

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  12. #7
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai Dom G20's Avatar
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    Yeah the more the better .

    Cool I suppose if they are designed to work on a variable basis instead of being restricted technically they should be built with the same life expectancy.

    I would have guessed at 1.5x the flow even after all the losses you will be surpassing the 0.5x per hour target.

    Love a bit of morning maths, great that gives me some calculations and shopping to do to find the appropriate pumps, I might look at some of the head loss and pipe loss formulas online and see if I can calculate it. The 12000lph isn't too much more expensive so looks like the way to go.

    I am aiming to have the multibay filter filled with aerated Japanese matting in cartridge style with brushes in my vortex and first bay.

    Hopefully this will give me a good mix between mechanical and biological filtration and with the hunt for an Eazypod and bakki shower added to the list im hoping the water will be perfect!!

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  14. #8
    Id suggest this, I installed one last year, probably a little bit more money than a non variable 12,000 or the like, but its very strong and very cheap to run.

    https://queni-koi.co.uk/aqua-forte-dm-vario-3036-p.asp

    I have a 20,000 one and after losses my best measurements suggest its losing about 1/3rd of the stated flow, on only a small pipe run with just a few swept bends and no obstacles like u.v lights to slow it down, which doesnt sound great, but I had a 12,000 superfish and a 15,000 superfish running before and on 50% flow its pumping as much as the 15,000, also the superfish 15,000 uses 170 watts constantly, the aquaforte is using about 60 watts to do the same. Of course the best bit is, you can adjust the flow to suit your filters flow capacity.
    If you do install a shower you will have some head height to pump the water up and over also which will also slow your flow down again.
    When I 1st set my multi bay I fitted a 12,000 superfish on it that was pumping through multiple elbows, through a u.v, but no head height, I struggled with water parameters for ages till I realised the pump was actually only flowing about 4,000, hence the start of a big switcharoo.

    I d recommend going for 2 inch pressure pipe instead of 1.5 inch and always use swept bends instead of elbows, will cost a bit more but you really do gets loads more flow.

    I made all these mistakes and have since had to swap it all out, so ive paid twice

    Hth
    David

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  16. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai Dom G20's Avatar
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    You guys are awesome! An excuse for another trip to Queni koi then, that pump is cheaper than the sequence I was looking at as well, so thanks for saving me some money there David!!

    Yeah I will always use swept bends instead of elbows to avoid any major restrictions or areas where water could get clogged and stagnant.

    So glad I joined this forum!!

    Thanks again

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  18. #10
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    I would go for a variable say 18000 jebao,i bought one for my3000 gal pond for my drum to shower and it is great for about £130 and low wattage.
    You have to look forward when you may get a drum,or use a shower but you can run it slow till then.
    Just my thought as you have to look forward as you will change your filtration in the future,can guarantee it,will get a link if you like.
    John

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  20. #11
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Mature Champion pip895's Avatar
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    I am going to suggest you go for at least a 20,000 ltr variable pump to get 10,000ltrs through your multibay - it may be slightly more than you need but you will be surprised just how fast the head losses add up with a few bends and a UV in the run. More importantly most variable speed pumps run more sweetly at lower power i.e running at 70-80% rather than 100%.
    6000g in ground koi pond
    +3000g lily/Anoxic pond attached
    29 koi (40 to 65cm)
    Bottom drain, Mid water & Skimmer to Drum
    JBR boichamber->Blue eco 500 pump ->below surface return.
    Blue Eco 240 -> Large MB -> Waterfall -> Planted Anoxic pond (25 baskets)

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  22. #12
    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai Rayman's Avatar
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    Hi Dom and welcome. Some good advice already offered by the guys. As John has said, you will upgrade your filters at some point in the future, we all seem to end up doing so! I bought a multibay, easypod and bead filter and none of them ever even got to go on my pond when it was finished. I ended up with a QK15 drum and a bio chamber with amalgam UV!!

    Good luck with your build and put up lots of photos as you go along. All the best.

    PS I have an Easypod for sale (includes 50lt K1) PM if you are interested

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

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  24. #13
    Senior Member Rank = Gosai Dom G20's Avatar
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    Thank you all once again for the kind welcome and the fantastic advice. I have my eye on the 20000ltr variable so I can dial it in to feed my bay it’s max flow rate. I wish I still had the budget right now for that equipment after our house move but I am really hoping that the equipment that I have got with the advice you guys have provided will give some real good water quality. I’m not going to be cliche and say the pond won’t be heavily stocked because judging by others stories it never turns out that way!! I cleared out a huge chunk of garden yesterday so will start to take some photos of the area the pond will go when I get chance. Thanks Rayman where are you based?

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  26. #14
    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai Rayman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dom G20 View Post
    Thank you all once again for the kind welcome and the fantastic advice. I have my eye on the 20000ltr variable so I can dial it in to feed my bay it’s max flow rate. I wish I still had the budget right now for that equipment after our house move but I am really hoping that the equipment that I have got with the advice you guys have provided will give some real good water quality. I’m not going to be cliche and say the pond won’t be heavily stocked because judging by others stories it never turns out that way!! I cleared out a huge chunk of garden yesterday so will start to take some photos of the area the pond will go when I get chance. Thanks Rayman where are you based?
    Hi Dom. I am in Sleaford a few miles south of Lincoln.

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

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  28. #15
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Grand Champion lee63's Avatar
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    My own Koi pond build

    Hi and welcome dom My own Koi pond build
    Now you probably will but try to not take this the wrong way, its all well and good looking at and talking pumps but what size is this v2 bay? Kockney koi dont do a v2? Going by the 10k per hour then i think you have the 10,000V and this is absolutely no where near big enough for a 4k gallon pond bud. Easy pods are not bad little things for mechanical on a skimmer line but they are pretty crap on the bio side. To save the heartache I’m just been honest and i cant help wondering why no one else picked that one up too? More so with you stating top dealers that dont come cheap. To be fair it sounds like you must be going to spend a pretty penny stocking it so dont make the mistake of starting with a system already flawed from the off. I run a bay double the size of that bay on a 2250 gallon pond, only i have a queni drum in front of it now due to losing fingers in the colder months and lots of pink eye moments from fish shit splatter in the face. Its the best £1600 quid ive ever spent on my pond. Trust everyone when they say do it once and do it right.
    You may think “well i can upgrade as i go” but realistically in the end you will turn out spending twice as much over a few years than you would have if done from the off.
    Im confident enough to say it, you will rip out that bay for a bigger one or a drum combi etc... in the future it’s just guaranteed you will change it. An easypod isnt good enough before a shower really, they let alot of fines threw and the shower needs as clean water as it can get. Like after a drum clean this does depend on what media you use too but still, cleaner the better. Sounds like your going to set up the bay eric style?? Major problem is an up and down bay isnt designed to flow like an eric. Jap mat as good as it is will definitely clog up and pretty quick after only brushes as the mechanical filtration.
    How are you planning to build? Block and fiberglass or sleeper and liner etc...? Just trying to get a picture bud thats all.
    Please dont take what ive said as over the top harsh criticism, just that we see this alot and then 3 months after build the guys jack in due to problems or completely rip out and spend a load more cash etc.. just trying to save you from that slippery road or at least open your eyes up to the potential possibility of it going south and very quickly. I am actually one of the few who still runs a bay filter on here and a liner pond too lol but if its done right it works My own Koi pond build I do however have rebuild plans though and the bay will probably eventually go but only because its difficult to convert the type of bay i have My own Koi pond build
    Im not saying jack it in or go and buy a drum combi, im just trying to give a bit of a wise word and say the truth by that bay cannot run a 4k gallon pond it just cannot do it. You wont get anywhere near the turnover you will need if keeping koi. Take it or leave it but its Just my 2 cents worth. I wish you all the best


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    Its always a work in progress

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  30. #16
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Grand Champion lee63's Avatar
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    Ok i apologise here as i completely read the start of the thread wrong Dom. It seems you have the 20,000 (biggest they do) and are adding a vf2 add on vortex. Now contrary to my last that bay is alot better. Its a beast of a thing and the amount of media it could potentially hold will be awesome. Im guessing this was bought/sourced 2nd hand though as the cost of them new isn’t far off an average drum and bio chamber.
    I cant see why that wont take more flow to be honest? Maybe its for the dwell/contact time of water to media. Im betting it will definitely handle a bit more flow and as said above a variable pump would be best so you can test and set to suite your setup. I still think you will end up changing it or ripping it out though in time. Theres very few if us who have held onto the bay’s. For me once the mechanical side is sorted a bay is a brilliant bit of kit purely due to their size and amount of media they can hold in comparison to say a nexus etc... downside is the foot print and space they take up. You can convert so many bays to airated K1 etc and still have trusty old jap mat and other submerged medias.
    No hard feelings there bud, it was early and i didn’t read properly so my apologies.
    My thoughts on your media layout are still the same though bud. Brushes just don’t cut the mustered unless you have foam matts after them imo which in turn makes more hard work and more often.


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  32. #17
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion anne's Avatar
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    Whoops Lee. lol...….. You need a holiday me thinks .

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  34. #18
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Grand Champion lee63's Avatar
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    Luckily i am end of this month anne My own Koi pond build My own Koi pond build


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    Its always a work in progress

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  36. #19
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lee63 View Post
    Luckily i am end of this month anne My own Koi pond build My own Koi pond build


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    still great advice lee.

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  38. #20
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion anne's Avatar
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    I know Lee......I was taking the piddle , have a nice time....missing u already .

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