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  • Results 1 to 13 of 13

    Thread: Help with Filter and Pump purchase

    1. #1
      CtheProducer's Avatar
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      Question Help with Filter and Pump purchase

      I am setting up a new 4,000 gal or so pond and wanted to get opinions on the filter and pump setup I am looking to purchase. My main goal is to have ease of use / simple to maintain / great filtration for my koi.

      My plan as of now is to run a 3" bottom drain to a Aquadyne 4000 Filter utilizing a Performance Pro 1/4 HP Artesian2 Low RPM Pump, then to a U/V (not sure which one yet) and back to the pond from there.

      I would greatly appreciate any input and thoughts on the products mentioned, and if there would be any better alternatives.

      Thanks!

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    2. #2
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      Sounds like you were intending to use the Aquadyne as an all-in-one filter for both mechanical and biological filtration. You'll find that most members here recommend against that and in general tend to not favor pressurized bead filters due to the inefficiencies and head pressure they create. If you'd still like to run the Aquadyne, I'd treat it purely as a mechanical filter and run a separate circuit for biological filtration, like a DIY shower. Do a search here for 'Birdman Sand Gravel filter' and 'Birdman moving bed filter'. Those are two very popular options for mechanical and biological filtration that can be built for a very low cost. Oh, and definitely up those bottom drains to 4", you'll thank yourself later.

      If you have a bit more to spend, definitely look into an RDF (rotary drum filter) for mechanical filtration. Right now these are the gold standard for mechanical filtration that will give you crystal clear water with hardly any maintenance as they're self cleaning.

      I too have a 4000 gallon pond which is setup as follows:

      Main circuit: Dual 4" bottom drains, AquaKing Red Label RDF, DIY shower filter w/ 9cuft of feather rock media, returned via waterfall
      2nd circuit: Deepwater Koi Skimmer to DIY Birdman 55g moving bed filter, returned via 3 underwater returns.

      ~ Jose

    3. #3
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      Are you going to gravity-feed from the bottom drain into a settlement chamber (recommended)? If so you will want a 4" bottom drain.

      If you suck directly from the bottom drain to the pump, you'll need to make sure you regularly clean the pump basket--or even better would be to put a Zakki sieve between the BD and pump.

    4. #4
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      jcardona1, great looking pond! That water and the koi are amazing. Yes, I was looking for an all in one mechanical and biological filter system, but am not opposed to better options. I was also considering the Nexus 220, but I was reading some of the opinions on this forum and it didn't sound like the best route. The photo below is my current DIY filter setup on my 800gal pond, but it is just not cutting it and takes a little too much work each week to flush. I will do some reading on the Birdman setups. The AquaKing Red Label RDF sounds amazing, but ideally I would like to be more around the $2,000 price point. Point taken on the 4" bottom drain as well, I will make sure to go that route, and also get two of them.


      audioenvy, I was up in the air on whether to go gravity or pump driven. I know gravity is best, and I am currently running my setup this way, but was unsure if pump driven to a pressurized bead filter would be ok to do. Overall I am not dead set one way or another, it sounds like a all-in-one setup is too good to be true, but want to make sure whatever route I go I am not regretting it a year later.
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    5. #5
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      Forgot to ask, would running this Performance Pro 1/4 HP Artesian2 Low RPM Pump work for any filter setup or is there another pump setup I should be considering? Thanks

    6. #6
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      Quote Originally Posted by CtheProducer View Post
      jcardona1, great looking pond! That water and the koi are amazing. Yes, I was looking for an all in one mechanical and biological filter system, but am not opposed to better options. I was also considering the Nexus 220, but I was reading some of the opinions on this forum and it didn't sound like the best route. The photo below is my current DIY filter setup on my 800gal pond, but it is just not cutting it and takes a little too much work each week to flush. I will do some reading on the Birdman setups. The AquaKing Red Label RDF sounds amazing, but ideally I would like to be more around the $2,000 price point. Point taken on the 4" bottom drain as well, I will make sure to go that route, and also get two of them.


      audioenvy, I was up in the air on whether to go gravity or pump driven. I know gravity is best, and I am currently running my setup this way, but was unsure if pump driven to a pressurized bead filter would be ok to do. Overall I am not dead set one way or another, it sounds like a all-in-one setup is too good to be true, but want to make sure whatever route I go I am not regretting it a year later.
      Nice setup! Looks like your no stranger to building DIY filters. Is there any other filtration in this setup? Honestly this should work well even for a larger pond, but it looks like what you're missing is a good mechanical filter. Like audioenvy mentioned, take a look at the Zakki sieve which would be around your price point. With this sieve you can run pump fed since it's a pressurized sieve. From there you could run moving bed filters like in your photo, shower filters, or even add Sand & Gravel filters for even more water polishing. http://www.deepwaterkoi.com/Zakki-Si...akki-Sieve.htm
      ~ Jose

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      Quote Originally Posted by CtheProducer View Post
      ...My plan as of now is to run a 3" bottom drain to a Aquadyne 4000 Filter...
      Oddly yet consistently, any all-in-one filter with "aqua" in the name is nearly always disappointing for koi pond use.
      Last edited by kimini; 12-28-2020 at 03:00 PM.

    8. #8
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      Thanks! I originally got the plans for the drums from Terry at DIY Pond Filters. This is the only filter system for the pond. I can see how if I added something like the Zakkie Sieve it would be a much better setup, and not need to be three drums.

      New thoughts after the feedback.... Line one would be 2 x 4" BD's gravity fed into the Zakki Sieve, then from there use the Artesian2 Low RPM Pump , something like my current DIY K1 media bio filter, maybe just use one 55gal drum, OR the Birdman moving bed filter.

      Second line would be running from a skimmer, into a U/V, then to a pump, and back to the pond.

      Question on Line 1, would I want to put the pump after the Sieve, before the bio, or after the bio?

    9. #9
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      Pump goes after the sieve. This removes the solids before being chopped up by the pump and protects the pump. Depending on the quantity of fish you plan on keeping, I would NOT eliminate any of the K1 drums. I have about 120 pounds of fish (13 large and some smaller ones) and a 200 gallon k1 MBBR after a RDF. The fish will out eat the ammonia conversion capacity of the 200 gallon k1 tank if I let them. Summer feeding of 6-8 quarts of 35% protein food per day.

    10. #10
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      Great to know on it being best to keep all three barrels. If you have a 200gal K1 tank plus a RDF, I feel like I may want to make 3 x 55gal ones instead of the current 3 x 30gal drums. Living in Florida we have long summer months as I am sure you have in LA.

      Sorry didn't phrase the question right, I was wanting to know the correct path after the sieve, is it to the pump, which then feeds the K1 bio filter, or do I place the pump after the K1 bio filter? Though asking this question now makes me realize the pump would have to go before the K1 filter or how else would the water pump into it.....

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    11. #11
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      The Zakki sieve works off of suction from the pump and needs to be after the sieve.
      Same for a regular gravity fed sieve like the Aqua Forte Ultra III. Then you could pump
      feed the moving bed bio filters and gravity feed back to the pond.
      On the skimmer circuit you want the UV after the pump. The UV creates a fair amount
      of head so it's harder to gravity feed through it so better to pump feed it. Might take one
      of the barrels and make it a sand and gravel filter so it'd look like:
      BD > sieve > pump > bio filters > pond
      Skimmer > pump > UV > s/g filter > pond
      --Steve



      Koiphen 2021 Koi Person of the Year!

    12. #12
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      Thanks Steve, I like the setup you have mapped out as well. I will definitely look to work that s/g filter into the skimmer line.

    13. #13
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      You could run the skimmer line to the sieve also and save an extra pump. That’s what I do

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