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Thread: new pond newbie

  1. #1

    new pond newbie

    Hi I'm from central Scotland and just about to build a raised block pond 8ft x 6ft x 3.5 ft to give me a 1000 gallon pond or 4500 litres. This is my first attempt at keeping koi. Am I right in thinking that if I have a approx 5000 litre pond that i want to keep a few koi in that I'm better with say a 8000-10000 LPH pump with a 10000-12000 capacity filter? I'm thinking of using a pressurised system at the moment.

    Thanks and apologies if this is just an introduction thread.



  2. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum Lonewolf.

    I'd be tempted to dig down a little deeper to at least 4 foot if you can but no need to go beyond 5 foot. Its a good way of increasing volume without using up too much garden and gives the Koi the depth they need.

    With filters I have found it best to divide the claimed capacity by 3 to get something that works, i.e a filter marketed for a 15000 litre pond is more likely to keep water clear on a 5000 litre koi pond.

    Pressurised filters tend not to be very good, and less so with Koi. They just can't handle the masses of waste Koi produce. For example I'm cleaning my 510 litre capacity filter out every 2-3 days at this time of year for just 12 Koi, and the waste is unbelievable. Pressure filters tend only to hold 20-50 litres and that is likely to leave you with murky pond water for anything other than a wildlife pond.

    Have a look around the forum, especially in the build section, loads of great ideas and interesting pond builds in there.

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    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai Handy Kenny's Avatar
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    Welcome Lone Wolf,

    Plan, ask advice, plan some more, ask more advice. I am in Central Scotland as well and I dug a huge hole 8 feet below ground level to get well below the frost line and pick up some heat from the ground to help stop the water from freezing solid. I remember well the -20 C we were having every night as a couple of winters (9 months apart) 9 years ago. None of my neighbours could get out of the street for a week and ice stalactites reached the ground from my bungalow roof. The more pond you have above the frost line the more you will need to heat it, so factor that in.

    I like Rotating Drum Filters, they get the cr*p out of the water and can keep your pond crystal clear.

    Kenny

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  6. #4
    Hi RS2000 and Kenny
    Thanks for your response and advice. Yes I've been reading about pressurised filters not being very good although YouTube seems to be full of people using them. I kinda thought a bigger pressure filter with a bigger pump might service my small pond.

    @ RS2000 Wow 510 litre filters, do you just pump into these and let it gravity flow through the media? For a 15000 litre filter would a 10000 lph pump be powerful enough to make the system work ?

    @Kenny wow again 8 ft in the ground, that's a fair depth and I take your point re the frost line, I had it in my head I might need to heat the pond during the winter. I've not got a lot of room and I want to keep the grass buy I have for the dogs so building up the way seemed to be the best option. The garden is not that small but I like space as well.

    I'm not rushing into anything and will have a look around the forum.

    Thanks again for your advice.

  7. #5
    Hi I posted a couple of days ago but seemed to have disappeared.

    I didn't want to start a new thread. Been a change of plan, going to dig 300 mm or so into the ground and lay a concrete border to lay the block on which will be 800 mm height now.

    I'm still looking at a large pressurised system. Im looking at an Oase 20000 Filtoclear with 10-12000 lph pump. Has anybody any experience with this?

    Also I can buy an All Pond Solutions 25000 pressurised filter with a 12000 lph pump anybody any experience with this make?

    Thanks. Chris

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  9. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Hassai arceye's Avatar
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    Hi, only thing i'd like to say is ..... step away from the pressure filter.... they really are not up to much at all. I used a laguna 14000 and a cheap jebao 15000 together on a 700 gallon pond as a stop gap last year to try and improve on the previous homeowners set up of a dustbin full of ceramic tiles. Even for that job they struggled.
    Having enlarged the pond I now use the Laguna minus biomedia just as a pre-filter to a secondhand klk multibay filter, honestly, its all its fit for.

    I'd suggest looking for a decent second hand filter, I know a lot don't like multibays now but I paid 100 pound for mine, delivered by its previous keeper, and i'd take it over a pressure filter everytime. Lots of other options out there filter wise these days, second hand nexus filters seem to be getting cheaper if thats more your thing.

    Hope this helps,

    Mick

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  11. #7
    Hi arceye thanks for the response. Believe it or not I've been thinking of using the pressure filter and a filter like the Oase Biosmart type. I've seen a lot of 2nd hand Nexus etc but to he honest I want to crawl before I can walk. Understand how the pond is working first with basic filters.

    I've just bought one of those Aquacadabra retro fit bottom pond drains, believe it or not I'm not comfortable with fitting a bottom drain in the pond. It's only going to be roughly 1000-1100 gallons maybe.

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    Senior Member Rank = Hassai arceye's Avatar
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    Biosmart certainly better than a pressurised filter, I used to like the old Biotec filters, if you're using both its got to be better than just a pressure filter, but, in my opinion I still think theres stuff out there that allows you much more biomedia and therefor better performance for less money.

  13. #9
    Would an Easy Pod work with my set up with a pre filter ?

  14. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Hi and Welcome LW,

    I have just had a recent pond installed, this forum and its members were excellent in help and guidance and still are as lots to learn, trawl through the pond construction section and learn from it all, there are so many different builds and majority opt for drum filters as they are easier to install and relatively low maintenance and clean very well, as do others..... before doing anything my advice would be to spend a couple of weeks reading peoples builds and experiences and understanding your options before proceeding, we all learn from each other, so much knowledge to gain unless your an expert already good luck Steve... look forward to your build and progress, and to add you should go max size from the beginning and save yourself a fortune modifying later, its quite true it can never be too big....1000 gallons, - 2000 gallons would be better.
    Last edited by smartin; 25-06-2019 at 10:16 PM.

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    Banned Rank = Mature Champion Trace's Avatar
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    I think the best easy and cheap option for you would be a second hand eazypod.

    How many fish were you thinking about? ...

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  18. #12
    Hi Trace was thinking about 4 - 5 koi. I'm a bit all over the place with filters, looking at reviews etc.. some saying the Easy Pod won't do it alone but need pre screening filters etc.. I don't mind spending the money on a decent filter just want to make sure it will do at least for a while until i understand the filtration better.

    My 2nd hand Laguna PF8000 came today but the inlet valve got busted in the post wonder if that's an omen. I was planning on using it as a pre filter.

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    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Your correct about the easypods not being great, but I think people are trying to do whatever possible to encourage you away from a pressure filter and in that sense an easypod would be a 1000 times better, and really inexpensive 2nd hand. That would definitely fit in with your desire to crawl first.

    If you don't mind spending money and can afford a drum filter and bio chamber, you'll likely be set up for good. But it does bring with it further complications, in that after 1 year of stunning crystal clear water you'll be wanting to extend your pond to make the most of it and get more Koi!

    There's just as many "Pond Extension" threads in the build section as there is "New Pond" threads!

    I'm a culprit for that too.... having my Koi pond running for less than a year before carrying out a major extension. Already thinking it could have been a bit bigger lol.

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  21. #14
    Banned Rank = Mature Champion Trace's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Your correct about the easypods not being great, but I think people are trying to do whatever possible to encourage you away from a pressure filter and in that sense an easypod would be a 1000 times better, and really inexpensive 2nd hand. That would definitely fit in with your desire to crawl first.

    If you don't mind spending money and can afford a drum filter and bio chamber, you'll likely be set up for good. But it does bring with it further complications, in that after 1 year of stunning crystal clear water you'll be wanting to extend your pond to make the most of it and get more Koi!

    There's just as many "Pond Extension" threads in the build section as there is "New Pond" threads!

    I'm a culprit for that too.... having my Koi pond running for less than a year before carrying out a major extension. Already thinking it could have been a bit bigger lol.
    Got it in one! .... I think it's a lot easier to keep fish healthy in a larger pond too .... IMO now ... minimum koi pond should be 2500G for many different reasons ...

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  23. #15
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lonewolfrwm View Post
    Would an Easy Pod work with my set up with a pre filter ?
    I have an Eazy Pod on my pond and it's coping OK also I'm pump fed too as I didn't like the idea of cutting a hole in the bottom of a pond and hoping it doesn't leak LOL my QT on the other hand is going to be gravity fed with a bottom drain to an Eazy Pod then a 210 litre DIY barrel filter and that's a 500 gallon tank.

    As long as you are prepared to do the maintenance an Eazy Pod will handle more than a lot of people think it will as I have always had good water quality apart from when I messed it up with a blanket weed treatment SNAFU a few years back and sent the Ammonia level through the roof due to miss reading the instructions, but thanks to people's advice on here it was back to normal fairly quickly.

    Good luck with what ever you choose and any questions just ask

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  25. #16
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    As others have said. Easy pods
    Are ok.
    I had two running on my last pond. With in pond pumps.
    And they did the job. And on my grow on I use one as a mechanical filter then bio after it. Plus the media in it has matured good now.



    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

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  27. #17
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Strange!!! I got a notification of a new reply before your reply Fred but it isn't on here

    Think I was something to do with using a pressurised filter as a pre filter for the Eazy Pod?

    Personally I would think that may defeat the object of the Eazy Pod and turn it into a bio filter only as the pre filter would remove the stuff the Eazy Pod would remove and maybe just leave the fines which an Eazy Pod would struggle with anyway. I would be tempted to use the Eazy Pod as the main filter and then add something else after it to remove the fines on a pond of this size.

    As the Eazy Pod is pump fed you have to be careful how you add anything after it as you can end up restricting the flow out of it which will cause it to overflow. Basically what ever you put after it needs to be gravity fed. You can add another pump after it but that can be difficult to get right and also if one pump fails things will overflow or run dry unless you fit water level switches to allow for a pump failure.

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  29. #18
    Hi everyone thanks for your responses.
    Yes I did make another post and I went to edit it deleting it by mistake.

    It's looking like the EasyPod it is then, is a Nexus 220 much bigger I see some going 2nd hand and would I be right in thinking the difference between the 2 is more media and a continuous are flow?

    My next problem given that the raised wall will be 900 mm is where do I mount the easypod.
    The pond is also going to be 4 ft deep now or more as I can dig down more.

    Chris.

  30. #19
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    The outlet of the Eazy Pod for a pump fed system has to be above the level of the pond so it can return via gravity.

    Hope that is what you wanted to know Chris?

  31. #20
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lonewolfrwm View Post
    Hi everyone thanks for your responses.
    Yes I did make another post and I went to edit it deleting it by mistake.

    It's looking like the EasyPod it is then, is a Nexus 220 much bigger I see some going 2nd hand and would I be right in thinking the difference between the 2 is more media and a continuous are flow?

    My next problem given that the raised wall will be 900 mm is where do I mount the easypod.
    The pond is also going to be 4 ft deep now or more as I can dig down more.

    Chris.
    I run a Nexus 220 as the sole filtration on a 12,000 litre pond with 12 Koi. It keeps the water clear and the bio section copes really well (claimed to process up to 250 grams of food per day).

    It is bigger at approx. 80cm high, 1.1 metre wide and 1.2 metre long. It holds 510 litres of water. Definitely need a medium to large van to transport one.

    A 220 would be over kill on 4500 litres but if there's genuine potential to extend the pond in the future then it's a good option. There are also drums available that drop into the centre of a 220 so all possible future needs are covered no matter how large you eventually extend your pond.

    The easypod is perfectly fine for 4500 litres but if you do extend the pond in the future and add quite a few more Koi then it is said that the easy pod begins to struggle with the bio side (i.e it can't process the ammonia/nitrites quick enough and the water becomes toxic).

    So if you intend on sticking to 4500 litres and are unlikely to extend in the future, the easypod will cater for your needs.

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