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Home: KOI Talk: Pond Construction & Water Filtering System:
Indoor Pond

 





 


nik
New User

Dec 31, 2001, 2:37 PM

Post #1 of 6 (1143 views)
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Hi, I'm a new enthusiast to Koi but lack the space to have a decent pond as I live in a condo in Shah Alam. In the meantime, I have to settle with a 15" deep raised 4ft *2.5 ft wooden pond to be lined with PVC material sitting on my verandah (60% direct sunlight) that is due to be DIY'd next week.

All the information here is quite good and useful. I just need some pointers to start with with your help.

1. What kind of filter system(brand/location) should I use with this rraised system? Are those aquarium systems adequate? I intend to use a small pump to ceate running water for aeration purposes.

2. How many Koi should be kept in the pond?I'll start off with small ones anyway. Where should I get them?

3. Do I need an overflow channel? rainwater coming in where the pond would be located would be minimal.

[confused]




denniskweh
Koi Lover

Jan 5, 2002, 11:08 AM

Post #2 of 6 (1143 views)
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hi Nik
Keeping kois is such a joy and this hobby will make you koi crazy! To keep the story short, I too started off with you with an ornamental indoor pond with 6 small cheap local kois. Soon I realised that this indoor pond is not going to be a koi pond as firstly, they will outgrow the pond and secondly, a bigger pond is always better. So I had sell the ornamental pond and restart again to facilitate the hobby. Now, I have 2 indoor ponds!

So my friend, I humbly advise that you think carefully what sort of indoor ponds you want to. In my humble opinion, a biggest capacity tank that you can afford to have in terms of space and budget will go a long way and also save money. Kois need space to grow and shine Smile !

regards
Dennis


nik
New User

Jan 8, 2002, 12:24 AM

Post #3 of 6 (1142 views)
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Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I am a bit space constrained which can only be eliminated should good fortune allow me to buy a house with garden in the near future. So I am stuck with the proposed pond. Point taken on the need for the Koi to grow and the suitability of the pond but I don't think I would be having as much fun with goldfish as I would with Koi. Maybe I'll try Koi and replace them as they grow with smaller koi's.


Joshua Lee
Koi Lover

Jan 9, 2002, 9:43 AM

Post #4 of 6 (1145 views)
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Hi Nik

How did you go with you DIY pond? A wooden pond lined with PVC should look just great.

You 4'X2.5'X1.25' pond works out to be 354 litres or 78 imperial gallons so you should a pump that can pump about 150 gallons/hour to circulate the water through your filter about twice every hour. An acquarium system may not be adequate for you pond as koi are heavy eaters and produce a lot of waste.

The rough guide for the size of a filter box is 30% of the surface area of your pond. Since the surface area of your pond is 10 sq. ft (4'X2.5'), your filter box should be about 3.3 sq. ft, say a box about 1'X 3.3' with a few compartments to put your mats and bio-filter material. The first chamber should be the mechanical filter and thats where the mats are placed perpendicular to the flow of the water to trap as much waste as possible. The next few chambers are your bio-filter and you should place the mats in the same direction as the flow of the water so that they don't get clogged up so easily. You can wash the mats in the first chamber as often as you like but try not to wash the bio-filter material in the other chambers as they contain good bugs that convert the toxic ammonia and nitrates to relatively harmless nitrates. Once the bio-filters are clogged up you can rinse them in pond water (not with tap as they contain chlorine which kill your good bugs). You can put oyster shells or corals in the last chamber to buffer the pH.

It takes about 6 weeks for the bio-filter to cultivate enough good bacteria to eat up toxic wastes. In the meantime you may try to add you bio-enhancer or biozyme to speed up the process. Or you can add some bags of zeolite and carbon to eat up ammonia and before the good bugs get into business. Once your bio-filter kicks, you can throw them out.


Would be good if you can have a bottom drain to help change water. I suppose if you are getting small koi you can get about 5 or 6 ones and watch them grow but they will soon outgrow the pond once they get over 1 feet. It's good for a start.

Since you are familiar with DIY you might try to build a trickle filter which is great of killing nitrates. A diagram of how the contraption works is found by pressing the "koi club home" button at the top right corner of this forum which will bring you to the home page. The diagram should be staring at you in the face once you get there.

If you look at the left hand column of the home page you will also see a heading "koi dealers". Press it and you will see 13 dealers listed. UCP's address has changed. They are now off LDP highway at Kelana Jaya. Turn left before you reach the Shell station from PJ towards the Motorola bridge and you're there. Quest Acquarium at Damansara Kim near the Specialist hospital also have some koi and filter material. I used to get mature bio-filter mats with good bugs off them.

All the best and have fun.

Cheers

Smile
Josh


nik
New User

Jan 10, 2002, 3:53 AM

Post #5 of 6 (1142 views)
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Hi Josh

Thanks for the great information. I’m still waiting for the wood to arrive with unabated anticipation. Have got all the “borrowed tools” ready to commence the task. In the meantime, I’ve been making wooden decking to cover up the tiles on the verandah and some trellises to make the verandah tidy. This takes up about 60% of it and the DIY pond should take up the rest.

Starting new in this area and after reading nearly all the posts on pond construction, is it correct to say that if I wish to build a pond (indoor or outdoor) these are the initial steps to take during planning:

1. Decide on location of pond
What are the factors that should be taken into consideration here? Would hours of sunlight a day be a factor/water temperature?

2. Determine dimensions of pond
30*48*15 inches

3. Calculate size of liner required.
With my dimensions this would mean that I need a liner which measures 81”L*63”W (based on the calculations found here http://www.watergardensupplier.com/pondnotes/information/Calculatingsizes.html

4. Calculate water volume
Thanks for the calculation. It got me thinking about the water volume and weight load on the verandah. Here is a useful link which confirmed your calculations. http://www.worldfishlink.com/calculate.htm) Can anyone help me calculate the weight of the water volume?

5. Determine suitability and type of pump adequate for water circulation
Pond volume/2 = 150gph. Is this correct? Would additional water features such as trickle filter need a larger pump as there would be some volume of water in the filter too?

Electrical consumption would be determined by the wattage of the pump etc…. I’ll have to scout around for a suitable pump and calculate its approximate cost p.m. Does anyone know the wattage for a 150gph pump? (http://www.zoeller.com/zep/techbrief/JF6article.htm)

6. Determine filter size/type for my requirements
33% of surface area would be 3.3 sqf of 10sqf (30”*48”)

This is where I get a bit confused. Based on your suggestions and the link, I would have to create a box looking like the Mark Richman diagram here http://www.koi.com.my/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000067.html and it would be known as the “wet/dry filtration system”. Is this also known as trickle filter as it says there or incorporates a trickle filter after a wet/dry filtration system”? Would be grateful for further advice. I’ve got a friend doing fiberglass kits for cars and I think e can fabricate me a small container to suit the above. Just need final confirmation that the filter system proposed is OK.

Thanks.


Joshua Lee
Koi Lover

Jan 11, 2002, 12:44 AM

Post #6 of 6 (1142 views)
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Hi Nik

Now, see what you have done. You've got us all excited about your new pond! Cheers [biggrin]

Yes. The link to the "wet& dry" trickle filter thread is correct and there is a nice picture from Mark about the basic components of the filter. It's basically the same as a conventional submerged filter system except that the last chamber has a pipe at the top with holes for water to trickle down onto the bio-balls which are not submerged because the larger outlet lets out water fast enough to prevent flooding in the last chamber. So that is the "dry" part of the wet and dry filter system. If your friend can fabricate one for you it will be great.

The pump size should be the same at 150gallon/hr or if you like 180 gallon/hr to cater for the water in the filter box. Ask the dealer for the pump specs. I am not sure of the wattage but it should not cause a dent in your pocket in electricity bill. The circulation time of pond water through the filter is only a rough guide and varies from expert to expert from twice an hour to once every two hours! So it is just a rough guide.

Yes. The surface area of the box should be 30% of the area of the pond according to the koi gurus. Why the depth of the filter box is not important is something I am still trying to figure out!

Some sunlight hours a day should not bother the koi, although full exposure to the direct sunlight for a pond of your depth may cause sunburn or fluctuation in temperature. Normally a deep pond of several feet is required to protect the koi from the effects of full exposure to sun and heat.

Getting the weight of the water is easy. Remember that 1 litre of water weights 1 kg. So 354 litres weigh 354 kg. Hope your 0.35 ton pond won't go tumbling down the hill!

All the best, Nik. Most of all enjoy your kois. Remember to take good care of the water and the koi will take care of themselves!


Best wishes

Smile

Josh

 
 
 



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