55 gallon drum pond filter

[Justin David]

I am planning a pond build in my basement about 1-3 feet high im planning to put rays and arowanas in the pond. It will be built out of wood but i am still unsure of the design it will be about 8x4. I have the option if picking up 2 55 gallon drums food grade that i plan to use for filtration.
I will be using a pond liner.
My questions are:
1 if keeping rays and arowanas how high should i make the pond?
2 i have seen many designs for the frame but which is the strongest structurally?
3 what is the best setup for the diy drum filters?
4 is this filter setup easy to clean? How would i clean it?
5 which is the best type of pond liner that wont cost me an arm and a leg?
6 which pump should i get for the filters?
7 what is the best way to heat a pond this size? Basement gets around 65 in the winter im looking to keep the pond at 82.

I have a general idea in mind as to the answers to my questions id just like some detailed reassurance. I will keep you guys updated on the build in a sepeate thread once i start.

Thanks in asvance,
Justin

 

[monkeybike]

As far as the pond build goes, the store I used to manage had a 4x8 raised pond like that in the showroom. We stacked landscape timbers (4x4 I believe, pressure treated, rounded sides), overlapping each other in the corners, and drilled for a threaded rod thru the corner secured with a recessed washer and bolt. The timbers that weren't in the overlap got screwed to the one below and from the one above with Timberlock screws. We then lined it with plywood and a sheet of foam insulation board on the floor with ply over it. Lined with a epdm liner, top edge sandwiched between the top timber after filling. You could walk or sit on the rim and it wouldn't wobble or flex. Ours was around 36" deep, we kept koi and the occasional turtle in it. We used an internal pond filter with a fountain head and an ehiem 2060 to filter it. We didn't use any substrate.

 

[monkeybike]

With an arrowana you might want to rig some sort of anti-escape netting or extended walls. We would see the koi jump up for moths and flies and clear the surface by a foot sometimes. Never found one on the floor but it could be a possibility.

 

[duanes]

I've used kiddy pools in the basement for overwintering koi, and for cichlids, and they have worked well(500 and 1000 gal, about 2ft tall). Cost about $100. I put Styrofoam wall insulation sheets underneath to hold heat, and wedge aquarium heaters on a stone tile to protect it from burning the pool material.
And have used barrels for filtration, using sand as media at first, but found it would compact, and without some sort of backwash system, became nitrate factories.
After some experimentation, I found using a simple commercial pond filter for mechanical worked well, and was easy to clean by simply hosing the sponge off.
The pump then ran water thru a DIY protein skimmer with lava rock as biomedia, and cascading as media to create the turbulence required for protein skimming. I would use this system outside in summer, and inside in winter. Below is a video of it working outside.
The pump is a Laguna (@2000 GPH)

The outside ponds use EPDM liner, but below, the inside pool.



As you can see above, the protein skimmer took lots of waste out of the water column, before it had a chance to enter the pond. It also removes free floating algae, and even some micro and macro parasites.

 

[Justin David]

Thanks so much for your detailed answer. I think i will use these ideas