Filters and pumps

[rdd1952]

I have had a goldfish pond in the back yard for about 8 years. It is about 110 gallon. I knew very little about stocking levels, filters, etc until I got my first aquarium in December. My dad had (still has) a pond in the back yard since I was a kid (I'm 52 now). Once a year, he cleaned it completely, added water (and dechlorinator once he learned that he should use it) and put the fish back. That always seemed to work fine. Never lost any fish but probably was hard on them. For most of that time, there wasn't a filter or pump in the tank either.

I have always had a small pump and filter in mine but I now know they are probably inadaquate. I also know that it is terribly overstocked and has been pretty much from the start, just worse now as they spawn each year and there are always a few of the fry that make it through. Now that I know what I have been doing wrong, I am ready to clean it and start taking better care of it. I have a LFS that will take any fish I need to get rid of to get the pond back to a decent stocking level.

What are the differences between ponds and aquariums as far as:

Filtration/pumps - How many times per hour should the water be turned
Stocking - Does the same 1" of goldfish per 2 gallon of water apply to ponds too
Water changes - How large and how often
Water testing - Do you test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH
Cycling - Do you cycle a pond too and how, especially after spring cleaning?

Also, can anyone suggest a good filter/pump combination? As I said the pond I currently have is about 110 gallon. It is one of the preformed ones that you dig a hole and set in. I am seriously considering buying a large liner and making a larger pond that way as this one has been repaired numerous times and has another leak now about 3" down from the top. A larger pond would allow me to keep all the fish I have now.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[bribones]

lots of questions there rdd

how many fish does the pond currently house ? oops 1

110 gallons isnt really that big and a lot of the bigger pumps would most likely be overkill

a combined bio filter /UV would keep the pond clean but youd be hard pushed to get it working to capacity as i think they start at about 2000 ltrs

if your current small pump is keeping the pond clean you could add a inline uv light

water changes if and when needed about 1/3 at a time i check my stats once a month and act only when needed

same rules as a tank yes 1" per gallon or 2 gallons for the first fish etc etc

but if you have decent filter water circulation you can get away with a few more (not Recommended)

bigger is always better for a pond so go on treat yourself you know you wanna

 

[rdd1952]

Unfortunately, the pond is not clear now and I'm not sure exactly how many fish I have. As I said, it has had very little done along the line of keeping it clean and the water in good shape so it is dirty. If I had to venture a good guess, I'd say probably 30 to 40 - as I said, definitely overstocked as most of these fish are in the 6+ inch range. Could be less than that as we have had both an owl and a heron that have decided our pond is a good place to get dinner so we have lost some fish to them. We have had to put a netting over it to keep them out.

I am almost certain that I am going to make the pond bigger. I have been looking online for a place to get the 30mil poly liners at a decent price. I would like to get it to at least 500 gallon. I had never heard of a UV sterilizer until I started having problems with greenish water in my 75 gallon aquarium. In researching how to clear that water, I came across a thing about using barley straw and found some small bails the you are supposed to put in a pond to keep the water clear. Has anyone ever tried those.

 

[bribones]

try e-bay for a liner and if you find a stockist e-mail him/her to ask about larger sizes either that or google search for stockists in your area

yes your overstocked

i havent tried the straw myself as i have a biofilter/uv combined

 

[bribones]

http/www.bendpondliners.com/?source=google

 

[celestialpoet]

hey there. Just wanted to share what I made my pond out of. I used concrete first, then lined it will a blue tarp. Works great and pretty cheap..Havent had any problems with it.