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    Thread: Help with Pond filter retrofit B4 hubby makes me fill it in!

    1. #1
      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      Help with Pond filter retrofit B4 hubby makes me fill it in!

      Hello all, new here, and I've been reading some of the stickies and info on filters etc. But, I could use some targeted advice and/or direction to relevant resources/threads, We have an old pond with a skimmer and submersible pump, water fall with sacks of some kind of media, maybe lava rock? Maintenance is a headache, particularly cleaning filters, hubby just as soon fill in the pond. I love our pond and fish and need to find a way to reduce the maintenance. But, we have limitations, physical and financial, digging up and completely rebuilding the pond is not an option. Two things we did already, we put shade sails over the pond and cut down a tree that was dumping leaves into it. This has helped a lot. Recent research has led me to the idea of adding a bottom drain and a pressurized filter with external pump and backflush capabilities. These two things are viable. We will have to run the plumbing for the bottom drain inside the pond and conceal it, which I think can be done. I was looking at the Seagate xtreme filter system. http://www.seagatefilters.com/Medium...tems-p-53.html But reading here suggest that this might not be the best option. As I read more, getting a bit overwhelmed, sand filters, settlement tanks, sieves, and more.. I don't see anyway to add a settlement tank, from what I've read they need to be gravity fed, there is just no easy way to do this. So, I'd appreciate any suggestions or directions to other resources that might be helpful... thinking there were a lot of these old style ponds built, must be other who have tackled this problem. Thanks -cj-

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    2. #2
      koi4u2c is offline Senior Member
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      I would thing a sand and gravel filter would be a good option. There are directions on how to build one on here.

      Do you have rocks on the bottom of your pond?
      Nancy



    3. #3
      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      Yes, there are rocks, and I've read that we should remove them around the bottom drain so it can do it's job. ALso started reading about RDF's... think too expensive, looks like there is an Easy Drum which is less costly, but I don't find any dealers here in the US.. I should also comment that overall, the pond has been healthy, we haven't had problems with fish dying etc., it's just the maintenance nightmare...

    4. #4
      icu2's Avatar
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      Welcome and thanks for joining Koiphen!
      Pretty pond! What dimensions and depth is it now?

      If the system you linked to isn't out of your budget range I'd instead look at a sieve and a sand and gravel (s/g)
      filter or two. A settling chamber won't make the maintenance chore any easier but I think a sieve and s/g filter
      will simply your life a lot. A Zakki style sieve will keep any digging for the new filter to a minimum. A gravity fed
      sieve would take some more digging but is possible too and could be connected to a retro bottom drain which the
      Zakki could be connected to as well. The s/g filter(s) could be dug in ground at the top of the waterfall/stream to
      hide them.

      Lots of help here... no need to fill in the pond! Enjoy the forum!
      --Steve



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    5. #5
      catfish whiskers's Avatar
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      Like Steve said , if that filter You linked to is within Your budget , that kind of money can be better spent on a combo of DIY filters , and a Zakki sieve. The Zakki sieve being a suction sieve , would work perfect for You. Most everything , including retro bottom drains , can be DIY’d.

    6. #6
      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      Thank-you, Apologies, I've been sidelined with a very sick dog for a few days since I posted this. Good news is she is doing OK now and we are back home.. so will look at suggestions get back to this later today.

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      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      OK, I will do some more research on the S&G and Sieve filters. Thank you for the input. And yes, the Seagate xtreme that we are looking at is around 2K... I'd say we were planning on putting between 2500 and 3K into the pond upgrades. If we could do it for less that would be nice. An additional piece of info. We are both handy and mechanically inclined, but the desire to do DIY projects is, well, just not there. That was one of the attractions to the Xtreme.. It comes as an assembly on a sled, just need to plumb it in. But, surely I don't want to spend that kind of money and have it not work or have to go back and add a SG and Sieve filter on top of the Xtreme. Below is a broader picture of the backyard. It's kind of hard to see the pond, but it is under the shade sails. To the left is a wood fired bread/pizza oven, and behind the oven is a dog run. And, beyond that is the field. I point this out because while room in the backyard is limited, there are more remote locations such as the dog run and the field where I can put things. However, power is at the bread oven. Name:  Slide1.jpeg
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      Beautiful setup. Folks on here will help you have a much better filter system at less cost. Kits are available for the sand and gravel filters that will require minimal DIY work to assemble. Catfish and others will probably chime in with help when they can. Are those pavers between the pond and the brick oven that can be temporarily removed for piping work? The added filter equipment can be away from the pond edge.

    9. #9
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      the segate combo is not an ideal pond set up.. The pump was made for swimming pools and would increase your electric bill. I like Ultima ll filters.. easy to install, clean hands flushing. The backwash i send to the garden, plants love it. My previous pond had an Ultima 6000 and a Evolution ESS Series 5200 GPH Self-Priming pump. It was money well spent on quality items.

    10. #10
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      take a trip to Champion Koi in San Jose..If it ever warms up remove the bottom rocks too.

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    11. #11
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      The red paving is stamped concrete, so can't really move it. There is already an overflow drain from the skimmer that runs out into the field. But, it is pretty much dirt between the pond and the fields. In the picture, North is the top of the photo. So, we can dig and run plumbing in a northerly direction out towards the field and dog run. I can put equipment in the dog run, there is also the area to the right of the bread oven where equipment can be put somewhat out of the way, closer to the pond. But, I think putting it in the dog run would make it the most accessible and out of sight. If the distance is OK. I'd say that it is probably 15 feet from the skimmer until you get in the dog run.

      Quote Originally Posted by Grumpy View Post
      Beautiful setup. Folks on here will help you have a much better filter system at less cost. Kits are available for the sand and gravel filters that will require minimal DIY work to assemble. Catfish and others will probably chime in with help when they can. Are those pavers between the pond and the brick oven that can be temporarily removed for piping work? The added filter equipment can be away from the pond edge.

    12. #12
      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      Thanks for that suggestion, Champion KOI, will check it out when we are back home. We actually moved out of state to Nv, the Calif. house is currently rented. But Health Care/Insurance and the fact that it is just too bloody hot is sending us back to Calif. Not worth what we are saving to live here. Tenants are moving out and I'll be back in Calif March 1...

    13. #13
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      Quote Originally Posted by swngdncr View Post
      The red paving is stamped concrete, so can't really move it. There is already an overflow drain from the skimmer that runs out into the field. But, it is pretty much dirt between the pond and the fields. In the picture, North is the top of the photo. So, we can dig and run plumbing in a northerly direction out towards the field and dog run. I can put equipment in the dog run, there is also the area to the right of the bread oven where equipment can be put somewhat out of the way, closer to the pond. But, I think putting it in the dog run would make it the most accessible and out of sight. If the distance is OK. I'd say that it is probably 15 feet from the skimmer until you get in the dog run.
      Wow, beautiful outdoor area! Sometime I'd love to see close up pics of the pizza oven and
      what looks like a heater (flame) between the seating areas
      I think something like a Zakki sieve that can be installed above pond level along with a couple
      gravity return bio/fines filters would be perfect and the 15' distance shouldn't be any problem at all.
      The Dog run looks like a perfect spot.
      --Steve



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    14. #14
      catfish whiskers's Avatar
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      If Your willing to put out the effort to build a DIY Sand & Gravel filter or two , the benifits will be well worth it.
      Cheaper to build , use less power , and give better water quality . Then You can spend money on a Zacci sieve , and some good bio media for a shower filter.
      Bead filters can take 20 feet of head or more to run , meaning bigger pumps and more electrical cost’s. S&G filters take less than 2 feet of head to run .

    15. #15
      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      Thanks for the input... I gather that the Zakki is before the S&G filter... I'm looking for a schematic, but ones I've found are designing a pond from scratch rather than trying to retrofit. So, I'm just guessing that you pump first to the sieve, then to the SG, and last in chain would be a UV filter before it goes to the waterfall? For others in similar situation that run across this thread, I found this video that gives a really good explanation of how the Zakki sieve works.. very helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g0aWIyUy9U .

    16. #16
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      icu2's Avatar
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      You can put your UV in line between the pump and s/g filter.
      --Steve



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    18. #18
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      Omg, that schematic is so helpful. Edited original reply read more on shower filter, I get it......
      Last edited by swngdncr; 02-16-2019 at 08:53 PM.

    19. #19
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      We have a Zakki sieve and his retro-drains in our system. They work very well together. Here's what the drain looks like. I added the Plexiglas base for more support. The stainless steel bolts (feet) are used to adjust the gap from the bottom.
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      swngdncr is offline Junior Member
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      Excellent... thank you. That looks like a pretty good design ...

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