Thread: Filtration options 1700 gallons

Hi everyone looking to build my first koi pond albeit a small one (1700 gallons) and currently weighing up options for filtration

Do you think an ultrasieve 3 linked to a bottom drain and a skimmer then split returns one feeding a 1m wide x 1m high stainless shower the other just returning to the pond would handle my volume of water or would I need extra bio ??

Like the idea of a drum but wanted to keep things simple for now (ie less electrical stuff to go wrong)

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks

Originally Posted by KoiPolloi

Hi everyone looking to build my first koi pond albeit a small one (1700 gallons) and currently weighing up options for filtration

Do you think an ultrasieve 3 linked to a bottom drain and a skimmer then split returns one feeding a 1m wide x 1m high stainless shower the other just returning to the pond would handle my volume of water or would I need extra bio ??

Like the idea of a drum but wanted to keep things simple for now (ie less electrical stuff to go wrong)

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks

I believe (but could be wrong as I know nothing about the product) the ultrasieve 3 is more of a pre-filter than a main filter.

A Nexus 200/220 filter would work well on that size pond and an aftermarket drum can be added to the Nexus at a later date so that is an option to consider.

I think the bio in the shower would work but could be marginal once say, 8 small koi start growing at pace. Also you will need to consider winter issues with the shower freezing over or at the very least chilling the water, and obviously all the bio within being lost each year and having to restart everything in Spring. A Nexus on the other hand would give you plenty of Bio capability.

Whilst I'm not a fan of EA products, my first port of call on a pond between 1200 and 1800 gallons will probably always be a Nexus since they have no moving parts to go wrong and are very easy to maintain. The main downfall of a Nexus when you have both a bottom drain and skimmer is that the Nexus can only handle one of them as its an extreme balancing act to get it to work effectively with a bottom drain and skimmer tee-ing into the Nexus' single inlet.

I was recommended to get a nexus by my local koi dealer/shop but then another shop seemed to think they were crap, said go for a sieve and a multi bay which I thought was old school now

having looked on here a lot of people seem to slate the easy pod/nexus in terms of mechanical filtration

Ideally I’d stick an Oase proficlear combi on it but £2k plus seems a lot on top of the build cost, pipe work etc

Didn’t think about losing the bio from the shower in the winter, looks like another few weeks of going round in circles trying to weigh up the pros and cons of each filtration type

Starting the dig next weekend and I’m still no closer to a decision 😂

My pond is about the same size as yours. I've been running it for about thirty years, with a couple of large water tanks, containing brushes, alfagrog and foam, with a central heating pump powering it. I've become so fed up with the maintenance that I've finally admitted defeat and ordered a drum and bio unit combi. Should be fitted this week.

I looked at all sorts of options, Nexus, sieves etc. but the drum and bio combi just ticked all the boxes for me. Gaz at Aurora was very helpful and patient with my endless questions. Also offered good prices and advice.

Yeah the multi bays with brushes and matting etc just conjure up memories of my old man swearing and washing them endlessly 😂

I don’t mind a little bit of maintenance but I don’t I want that much, as RS2000 said perhaps just go with a 220 for now to get me started I can always upgrade if I get bitten by the bug

unfortunately I can’t do much about the size of the pond as my space is limited which means only a few fish, will be 7ft x 7ft x 6ft

Yeah I think Ive been changing my mind so much on depth I’d forgotten where I was, it’s in that ball park anyhow

My Nexus failed miserably once I increased pond size to 2600 gallons. It became next to useless in the height of summer with pond in full sun.

But here's a video of my pond in summer when it was 1600 gallons with 8 small koi, and to be fair as the only filtration the Nexus didn't do a bad job at all:

https://youtu.be/dx1f-AO8wz4

If going over 1800 gallons in full summer sun and feeding heavy I think the Nexus might start to struggle.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

Right ok so with that knowledge now, what would be your starting point would the nexus do a job for a year or two and then replace it, or would you shell out a few hundred more on something different from the start

is there a particular aspect you feel the Nexus struggled on just generally under equipped in several areas

i appreciate all your input thanks for your time, pond water in the video looks great by the way

I’ve a similar sized pond and run a nexus 200 which I find does the job well,on a pond the same size as ours I think it would definitely be my 1st choice,I really don’t get why they are slated so much-the way I see it is they are sooo much less maintenance than a multibay system and so much less expensive than a drum filter.
I’ve ran a couple of nexus/easy pods now and find them decent
Really I suppose it depends what your goal is,they don’t do great with fines as I’m led to believe but personally I don’t care it keeps my pond crystal clear and I’m not number chasing.
I gave £290 for my last nexus 200 c/w lid pipes and other bits,it’s old but there’s literally nothing that can go wrong with them (perhaps that’s a problem) think of how expensive & how many moving & wearing parts/sensors a drum filter relys on and it almost seems like a backwards step to me

My setup isn’t ideal being pump fed via a retro bottom drain and stays clear all year round so with a proper bottom drain setup yours should be even more effective

Thanks for that, I think you may be right, I’m not trying to win a show just looking to make a half decent purchase to get me started

was hoping for specifics on why people don’t like them if it’s down to fines, but the water parameters are good I think I could live with that for now

Originally Posted by KoiPolloi

Right ok so with that knowledge now, what would be your starting point would the nexus do a job for a year or two and then replace it, or would you shell out a few hundred more on something different from the start

is there a particular aspect you feel the Nexus struggled on just generally under equipped in several areas

i appreciate all your input thanks for your time, pond water in the video looks great by the way

Think the answer really comes down to cost.

If you can pick up a 2nd hand Nexus for £350 or even less then you'll always get your money back if you sold at a later date, and it is most definitely fit for purpose for your pond size.

If you start getting itchy about fine particles in the water and want an upgrade later on, you can fork out for a drop in draco drum, around £1100 when on offer and that will fit inside the Nexus and keep your pond crystal clear, also having the advantage that if the drum ever failed it would be an easy and quick process to remove it and the Nexus will still keep your pond clean while you get the drum fixed.

However, if you want something new and shiny from day 1 that is an all in one type filter that will never need upgrading you could look at a combi drum that has both a drum and a bio section in a single unit.

This would probably be overkill for your pond size, but will keep it crystal clear with ease and will still be adequate if you added a 1000 gallon extension to your pond in the future:

https://aurorakoi.co.uk/product/filtreau-comb-next/

Alternatively for a British made product with easy access to spares, Draco are about to release a similar sized combi for the same money which is made up of a Solum 16 drum and combined bio chamber.

So in conclusion the Nexus is an affordable way to get you up and running, and you may decide it is plenty adequate for your needs and stick with it, but if you think it likely that you'll be taking the Koi hobby seriously, growing Koi big and possibly expanding the pond one day in the future, then future proofing with a drum now would be a good investment.

Originally Posted by KoiPolloi

Thanks for that, I think you may be right, I’m not trying to win a show just looking to make a half decent purchase to get me started

was hoping for specifics on why people don’t like them if it’s down to fines, but the water parameters are good I think I could live with that for now

I think it really depends on how far you want to go and what you want to spend? And maybe what space for filtration you have available?
If you just want to keep good water quality and clear water to enjoy your fish I personally don’t think you can go wrong with a nexus but that’s just my opinion,I’m not an expert and there’s plenty on here who are more knowledgeable than me and have done the nexus thing and gone the drum route and rave about it so there must be something in it?

IMO given the simplicity and 2nd hand value I just think the nexus is well worth considering and still has a place in many setups,don’t forget that while nexus and multi bays are pretty old tech now people have been keeping & growing koi successfully for years using them,so actually capability wise there is no issues,I think it’s just down to striving for a bit better water clarity for some,ie less fines.

The future according to most does seem to involve a drum setup but personally I’m not sure how much more future proof you can get than a filter that has no wearing parts and if bought 2nd hand still retain its full value a few years down the line?

Thanks everyone for your advice, still a little head scratching to be done but I will make my decision in the next few days and hopefully start digging next weekend I’ll be sure to post some pics of my progress