My pond holds app. 3,500 gallons per on line calculator. I am not looking for a professional set up but rather a filter that will keep the water fairly clear and safe. Again this is not a "show pond" but a simple backyard enhancement for my own enjoyment. Fish load is minimal, currently about 6 medium size fish and some frogs that came from who knows where.
Not sure if they are small koi or large goldfish. Excuse my ignorance.
Anyway, I am using a 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tank as a filter. in its current form I have the water being pumped from a submersible pump (Alpine Cyclone, 5,200 GPH) into the bottom of the tank and exiting out the top to return to pond in a simple waterfall fashion.
My only media is 10 filter pads ranging from fine to coarse made by Aquatic Experts.
The pond is pretty clear and in 3 years I have yet to have a fish kill due to Ammonia or nitrite build up.
I clean the filter a couple times a year which entails draining the stock tank via built in drain valve and rinsing pads. The pads hold quite a bit of "muck" and seem to weigh 10 pounds each prior to cleaning.
I am considering revising the filter as follows:
Rather than the water entering at the bottom and flowing upward I would have the water enter at the top and via a series of PVC pipes with many holes drilled would "trickle" the water into the filter. Just below the trickling water I would have filter pads to catch large particles followed by something like bio balls or pot scrubber pads to allow growth of beneficial bacteria. This would be supported on a sheet of polycarbonate which in turn would be supported by either 4 large flower pots or 5 gallon buckets. The water would then flow back to pond from the bottom of the stock tank rather than from the top as I currently have set up.
Is this a better set up as far as removing waste and maybe improving clarity?
I ask because many years ago i had a salt water fish tank and a so called wet/dry" or trickle filter was in vogue at the time
However many of the commercial waterfall filters I see on line utilize a bottom to top flow which does not provide a wet/dry environment.
In short will I get better results with a revision since there will be a massive area exposed to open air(oxygen) or is my current setup providing enough oxygen since there is clearly dissolved oxygen in the water (I do have a large aerator running in the pond?
Although the pic appears to show water entering at top there s actually a PVC pipe which extends to the bottom of the tank hence water enters filter at bottom.
Sorry for the long post.
Any thoughts are appreciated.