Pond filter question

[hmt321]

I can get a 300 gal plastic tank from here, I plan on sticking it in a hole my back yard.

http://www.stockyardsupply.com/page11/index2.html

what do i need in the way of filtration for this thing? I plan on raising gambusia, and other minnows to use as feeders for my tanks. I plan on having floating plants covering the top.

my questions are about filtration:
I have a mag 12 (1200 GPH) I was planning on running the outflow through a concrete statue or something and splashing it back into the tub (surface adjutaion for o2 levels in summer)

i can run the water through a 5 gal bucket of bio balls but i am not sure if this is necessary

what do you think

 

[Dr Joe]

Your on the right track and almost there...If you promise not to add 50 koi in there later just because.

Set one or two 5g buckets with a few 1/2" holes at the bottom edge to return water to the tank and agitate the water surface, on a brace above the tank.

Fill bucket(s) 2/3 full of scrubbies (way cheaper unless you happen to have 3-6g of bio-balls laying around) and put poly-fil on top of them.

Now direct the water from the pump to spray on the poly-fil.

If bucket(s) fills up more than 2", drill another hole and try again.

Stick a fork in ya bubba your done.

Dr Joe

.

 

[hmt321]

Your on the right track and almost there...If you promise not to add 50 koi in there later just because.

Set one or two 5g buckets with a few 1/2" holes at the bottom edge to return water to the tank and agitate the water surface, on a brace above the tank.

Fill bucket(s) 2/3 full of scrubbies (way cheaper unless you happen to have 3-6g of bio-balls laying around) and put poly-fil on top of them.

Now direct the water from the pump to spray on the poly-fil.

If bucket(s) fills up more than 2", drill another hole and try again.

Stick a fork in ya bubba your done.

Dr Joe

.

if i am following you correctly that is a wet/dry set up,

I do have a wife to deal with (she would not like buckets hanging and such)

would this work? its a over flow filter figure 1 is a side view of the pond its 8' long, 2' deep, and 3' wide, i plan on capping it with a brick border so you cant see the plastic and put a stone (slate or granite) cap over the filter. the 5 gal bucket would have 3 over flow pipes spilling onto another piece of stone then into the pond

I could run a large air stone in 5 gal bucket to help o2 saturation.

here is a front view

the pump would only have to push the water up about 8" or so, so i would think that i would loose little or no pump pressure from this stet up. I could always go larger on my media canister, (garbage can, or some such as that)

here is a top down view

I have 7 gal of bio-balls left from when i put canisters on my planted tank (could not get co2 sat right with wet/dry)

what do you think?

 

[Dr Joe]

Oh, I get it.

Another husband that had to sell his soul to get a tank...

Wife = pretty

I was going for function.

OK

Your plan will work fine, Just put a pre-filter on the input to the pump or bio-balls and an aerator under them.

I'm just not a fan of updraft filters, I would rather run water thru a pre-filter on top and then trickle down on to the bio-balls to keep them in the air more, then fravity feed out ...but this raises the filter and detracts from pretty...

Keep us posted and post pix of the install and all.

Dr Joe

.

 

[RadleyMiller]

Your plan will work fine, Just put a pre-filter on the input to the pump


.

Oddball has some really good ones he got online made out of PVC. I can't remember excatly where they were from, but I think they were from aquaticeco.com

 

[hmt321]

ok cool thanks