Canister filter

[koi]

Can i put a canister filter into my pond the actual canister will have shelter.Would it work?I need a filter but dont want to go buy one and dont have the time to do a diy.

[armthehomeless]

They make cnaister filters for ponds . . . so yes. I wouldn't try to use an aquarium canister for a pond though. They need to be below the water input/output to work correctly.

[koi]

Oh they can't be leveld with the pond? And yes i know they make ones for ponds right now im using a pot with Lavarocks in it flowing into another pot with more lava rocks flowing into the pond the pump is placed on the opposite side

[tcuduc]

are you ready to clean it out every week or more often depending on your bio load? canister filters for koi ponds sound like a great idea....until you put one in your pond and it doesn't even come close to doing what it is supposed to do.

the issue is that they are pump feed and with all solids entering pumps, they puree the fish waste and so it goes into the water column. design your pond with a bottom drain to settling chamber to take out the solids and then pump the water to a mechanical/bio filter.

[koi]

Im getting ready to redo the pond at my house Its currently a 150-200 gallon preformed. It lookes really ugly right now and its too small. about how many gallons is a 10x8x3? This is the approximate for my new pond which will be made with a flexible liner.I currently have a 330 gallon pump on hand with a filter box around it.Any suggestion for anything to add on? Im not willing on spending too much since money is tight these days. Maybe an above ground filter if its not too pricey. Any suggestions?

[tcuduc]

Hi,

a 10x8x3 pond is approx 1800 gallons.

check out this website for calculations: http://www.mystickoi.com/Pond-Volume-Calculator.html

the best way to do filtration without spending much money is the following.

3" aerated bottom drain to settling chamber to bio chamber, returning to pond via waterfall or jets to provide currents for the koi.

you will only need 1 bottom drain for this size pond, place it in the middle and slope your pond floor towards it. pour 6" of cement around it so that it doesn't move.

the settling chamber can be the 55gallon blue barrels that can be had for about $40-$50 each. pipe it so that the inlet comes into the chamber at a tangential angle to create a vortex effect which will settle out the heavy solids. it should go in at mid level. install a drain with a gate or ball valve to drain the solids out.

place the outlet of the settling chamber at the top of the barrel to go into the bottom of the bio chamber. this chamber should be filled with media such as bio balls or other floating type of media. place a strong airstone/air ring in here to "boil" the media.

the outlet at the top with a screen to prevent media from going out, to a pump (you will need a pump that has flow of 2000gallons/hour or more (i would aim for 3000 gallons/hour flow rate on the pump). return via a waterfall for asthethics or via jets to give your koi the proper currents to develop their bodies. or get a 3 way valve so you can have both!

i would also install a skimmer to remove any surface gunk (believe me, you will need this). most skimmers come with a filter pad. pump this to the waterfall (which can also be a filter like the laguna filterfalls--check www.azponds.com for this, they have the best prices on everything that i am writing about).

if you want to talk to a professional, call Bill at Mystic Koi. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry and does not charge for his time or if you buy anything from him (although he is someone I buy from frequently).

check out www.koishack.com or www.koi-bito.com for threads on building a pond. there are people there that know much more than I and will readily answer any questions you may have. lots of DIY people to help you get the most for your money.

good luck.

[koi]

That was very helpful though i was thinking of maybe getting a 2000 gph pump And pumping it to a pond canisterfilter And pumping it back out through a water fall or decorative pot.
Im going to slope the pond towards the center where the pump will be located at to make clean up alot easier. And another thing right now in my 200 gallon pond I have 3 8 in butterfly koi which just

[koi]

Are really unactive and dont swim around and are really skitish.

[tcuduc]

i've been there and done that with the pump to pressure filters. that was my original pond. just tired of cleaning it out and the water quality not ever getting to to a point where i didn't have to do big water changes.


i eventually rebuilt my pond....check out this thread on dfwfishbox... http://www.dfwfishbox.com/forums/pro...ad.php?t=11570

something to consider is that you will lose velocity through the dynamic head pressure caused by going through the pressurized canister filter and the static height of the pump to the filter. a 2000gph rated pump will probably only put out 1000gph (if you are lucky) when there is no gunk in the filter. with the gunk in the canister, you will get very low flow and will have to clean out the filter often during the summer months.

it's doable, just very time consuming and it gets a bit tedious after a bit. your water will suffer during the summer if you miss a cleaning.

koi are derived from riverine carp, and need proper flow/current to develop. they will be fat, pigeon breasted koi if otherwise. just some experience.

a pull/gravity system is always better than a pump fed system. for both energy & filtration efficiency.

best,

[koi]

Oh . SO there needs to be a good flow within my pond? My pond pumps 1.5 times the water in the pond with in an hour. But my koi always stay at the bottom and are unactive only coming up to eat.

[tcuduc]

Oh . SO there needs to be a good flow within my pond? My pond pumps 1.5 times the water in the pond with in an hour. But my koi always stay at the bottom and are unactive only coming up to eat.

hi, koi love some current to swim against. you don't need a turbulent flow like a reef. a nicely designed pond has areas of high flow and areas of low to give the koi an area to take it easy.

not sure why your koi are inactive, maybe shy due to predators that have been in or around your pond?

[koi]

my pond has no predators whatsoever for sure.My pond water has been still so maybe thats whats it.