Pond build help needed!

anth.payne · 07-04-2009, 09:32 PM

Hi all, i'm new here and I am in need of a great deal of help and advice. I am an amateur at this and need some guidance with my pond build.

Just a bit background - I had put my pond building plans on hold, as I was intending on moving house, but now that me and the wife have decided to stay where we are for the next couple of year, I have decided to build a pond. It wont be as big as I would like, but I can live with that, as I will be building a new one when we move. It will be approx 1800g, which I will be putting in some smaller koi to grow on ready for when I build my next pond.

I already have a concrete hardstanding in the garden, at ground level, which I will be using as the foundation for my pond. Becuase it is ground level, I have decided I will only have it just over 3' deep (I know this is quite low but I will be running a heater on it to keep temps more stable).

Question 1: What shall I use for constructing the walls? Originally I was considering using 9" hollow block, but I was wondering whether 4" block would be sufficient for this depth? I wont be facing the outer walls, I will have only 1 course of block work.

Question 2: What filtration system? I've been doing alot of research on this and seem to have narrowed my results down to:

Kockney Koi 10000v
Oasis VorTec 20000 (or 16000)

These both appear to be more than capable filters for my pond with a fair price tag, but which is the better option.

When I build my new pond, I would be hoping to continue to use the filter, and just add an additional filter (like the nexus eazy).

Question 3 What other kit do you recommended? On my shopping list so far is:

* Oase Eco Aquamax 8000 (or cheaper alternative - recommendations welcome?) I like this as it will allow me to run a floating skimmer withour the need for an additional pump.
* A 30W UVC - or will this be too much?
* A 2kW Profi Heater
* An air pump (unsure on size?)

Question 4 I was considering converting the last chamber of the filter into a K1 fluid bed. I was wondering what considerations I may need to make to do this, other than ensuring the k1 media doesnt fall through the base grid and doesnt flow through the oulet pipes. I'm unsure what the dimensions are of the chamber in the above filters, but anticipating more than 50l of K1 will be required - what size air pump would be suitable for this?

Finally, would I benefit more from opting for a filter with a greater capacity, such as the KK 18000 or VorTec 30000?

Regards, Anthony

koimaster · 08-04-2009, 11:38 AM

first off my friend 4ft is a real depth you need 3ft of water will chill easy the deeper and more water you have the longer it stays warm. hollow block yes or norm on there side[flat]
get the biggest filter possiable if you plan on using it for your re-build to this is where most people skimp and end up paying the price....

how do you plan on the filter working i see no pump planned for that ???
other than that your uv skimmer etc ok

as for k1 convert there someone here thats done just that on there oasis filter
www.UkKrazyKoi.Com • View topic - Simple K1 conversion

anth.payne · 08-04-2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anth.payne

Becuase it is ground level, I have decided I will only have it just over 3' deep (I know this is quite low but I will be running a heater on it to keep temps more stable).

* Oase Eco Aquamax 8000 (or cheaper alternative - recommendations welcome?) I like this as it will allow me to run a floating skimmer withour the need for an additional pump.

Pump will be as above...

Regarding depth... when running a heater on the water, wont this keep temp more stable?

Thanks for the link - much appreciated.

koimaster · 08-04-2009, 08:17 PM

i have a 3kw heater on mine you will find the heat will trip on and off less with more water volume ie saving you money.

i cant really see running both skimmer and pump for filter on the same pump unless your using a t piece but using one pump has its problems if it goes wrong you have to run and buy one quick on the other hand if you run them on two pumps if one goes swap so your filters working and theres no that greater rush to replace

anth.payne · 08-04-2009, 09:01 PM

That is a good point

The good thing about the aquamax is it has two feeds - one inlet and one outlet, so the inlet would come from the skimmer + the pump case, with all the outlet going to the filter. Then again - a cheap pump wouldnt go a miss in addition to the aquamax.

koimaster · 08-04-2009, 10:13 PM

problem there is your filtering the top layer of water you really what the bottom where all the sediment is filtered