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View Full Version : Utilizing existing 750 gal fish pond



multifasited
04-15-2013, 06:34 PM
Hi from Cartersville Ga,I have a unique pond set up ,consisting of twin ponds conected by a waterfall 18" to drop lower pond 2' deep ,upper 4'x12' x12"deep . bottom pond ,has 1/2hp sump pump in capped milk crate w/course comm. scrub pads surrounding pump ,travel thru 1 1/2"pvc sch 40 pipe thru check valve -Gate valve to a tee feeding 300 gal bio tank,and 55 gal sand and gravel filter second valve meters flow to each ,5 liter air pump to bio and ponds via air stones,water exits each filter dumps into gravel trickle tower in SS weire at water fall into SS final filter aeration and dispersal collection box at water fall at upperend of upper of the .long pond ,second water fall also has same ssffa box w/o TT. The upper and lower ponds have connected 1/6hp pump fed bottom sweeps ,upper pond has 1 1/2" linear bottom pipe half slotted connected to a third sealed sump pulling thru that 1 1/2 pipe for is feed pumping to the bio tank for waste removal. pix below ,after that longwinded disertation ,the QUESTION I am thinking of adding ! or maybe 2 bci 4x4 x14" GTs with constant flow from the upper drain sump to feed the gbs ,w/auto=bell vac drains back to my bio tank,or I could go back to the upper pond directly this pond supported 80 -6-8" gold fish ,all suggestions welcome before I build and decorate to match existing . This is my front yard 10' off my frt. porch ,I set 800' off of the road.I am interested and anxious for all replies !! Got the fever and want to do it right the first time ! Thanks ,Carl

badflash
04-16-2013, 07:12 AM
Ponds suck up most of the nutrients and defeat the AP process for the most part.

multifasited
04-16-2013, 07:25 AM
Ponds suck up most of the nutrients and defeat the AP process for the most part.
Thats quite interesting ,can you tell me more?

badflash
04-16-2013, 09:30 AM
Ponds are already a closed AP system and the pond bottoms de-nitrify the water. The only way I can see it working is if the bottom has a liner and you keep the bottom clean.

keith_r
04-16-2013, 10:59 AM
you could remove some of your pond plants after you get growbeds online.. i imagine if you started feeding your fish a good quality fish food (and remove the filtration) you'll have plenty of nutrients to green up a few growbeds

multifasited
04-16-2013, 01:21 PM
you could remove some of your pond plants after you get growbeds online.. i imagine if you started feeding your fish a good quality fish food (and remove the filtration) you'll have plenty of nutrients to green up a few growbeds

I was planning to suck the fish waste from the upper pond directly into the grow bed and flood -drain back to my biofilter ,the upper pond has no bottom drain and is collected thru separate pump to my bio filternow ,I was simply going to directly feed GB first and exhaust thru flood drain vac to bio filter to eliminate contaminion at cycle process to my fish,would that not work,and eliminate failures or changes to the fish and the pond ,while providing needed nutrients
to the grow bed. I can capture the water directly from the bottom of either pond to the grow beds prior to any filteration ,and dump exhaust water directly into filteration media before re-entering either pond ,However the supply to the beds will be from the bottom of the pond where the excrement collects . Am I missing something ,as I have 80 + fish
in the two ponds ,I thought ,this would be Ideal condition for both the fish and the plants ,please explain problems you see .!Thanks Carl
Ps. The fish are already on Quality food now! My plan was to be able to grow plants ,and increase water quality to the fieh ,btw both ponds do have liners , and sump pumped to filters individually .

jackalope
04-16-2013, 02:48 PM
Welcome to the forum! Nice pond ..... keep at it and let us know how it works :mrgreen:

multifasited
04-16-2013, 05:29 PM
Ponds are already a closed AP system and the pond bottoms de-nitrify the water. The only way I can see it working is if the bottom has a liner and you keep the bottom clean.

A better view[attachment=1:2o7kuzc1]non-con pond 008.JPG[/attachment:2o7kuzc1][attachment=0:2o7kuzc1]non-con pond 001 - Copy.JPG[/attachment:2o7kuzc1]

bsfman
04-16-2013, 06:10 PM
That's a really cool looking pond! :) Let us know how it goes!

multifasited
04-16-2013, 06:34 PM
That's a really cool looking pond! :) Let us know how it goes!

What! No Input ! That is two tomatoe plants and 1 bell pepper ,grown in the flower bed next to the pond last year ,fed only pond water ,grew to the roof cascaded back to the ground and 2/3 back up ,over a bussel of tomatoes each plant. vines removed after killing frost over 20' long .

multifasited
07-28-2013, 01:44 PM
Ok! Now it is july27,Not a lot of encouragement ,in April ,but enough to forge ahead ,messy set-up ,contains 1-DWR aka clear water sump 150 gal. combination ,going to BIC grow bed w/12" of 3/4" granite gravel w/ corner ladder supports .1 - dirty water sump connected to 5'x4' constant flow wicking tank bed w/ drop in trays and buckets . Both are totally close loop ,fed back flush from my Sand and Gravel filter from the pond ,to the sumps, both sumps are in constant circulation and aeration ,late start ,heat got lettuce & greens ,will reinstall for fall attempt .Both sumps refreshed weekly ,excess prior to recharge is fed to ground plants ,They are going nuts! Cucumbers taken over GB ,providing shade for tomatoes and peppers and cabbage ,starting build of two compartment wicking bed 12'x3'x6" I/3 clean water Dutch bucket style .w/ perilite ,2/3 dirty water w/ soil for root crops ,potatoes ,carrots, parsnips ,etc . Beets in existing shallow trays 6",just playing around seeing what works ,love the constant flow wicking tank -Bed . The closed loop's seems to be doing the job ,next spring I should be ready ,have plants started for fall attempt ,worms are happy fish are happy ,plants are happy & I am busy and very happy with the results so far .Now to see if I can add some pix!!

JCO
09-25-2013, 12:50 AM
Very interesting setup...looks like a childrens theme park but as long as it works and produces who cares. So, here it is basically fall is coming, how is your crops doing at this point. More photos please and how big are you fish now. :?: :mrgreen:

multifasited
09-25-2013, 09:42 PM
I am happy with the results to this point ,Fish are happy and growing well ,added some blue gill ,a couple buffalo fish and a large golden shiner to the mix ,all wild caught seem to get along well .Gold fish from 5" to 2 1/2 " big ones are little pigs at meal time ,got a late start as you know ,but mostly experimented ,added a couple constant flow wicking tables. Cabbages ,starting to head ,beets ok sweet potatoes ,time will tell, first time I have ever grown any , gravel bed w/ bell siphon disappointing to this point .Cucumbers did well ,took over ,may have been the reason ,shaded tomatoes and peppers too much I think .Tomatoes in the ground and peppers were exceptional ,still flowering and producing like crazy .Fall lettuce on raft going great .Spring crop was too late and bolted ,green beans still flowering and producing have to pick again ,now ,last two years I was picking tomatoes till first hard frost .The separation of the two systems the pond from the gardens seems to work very well ,utilizing the back flush from the sand filter to the two sump tanks W/constant flow and aerated ,refreshed weekly . I water the ground plants from them too, it seems satisfy the ponds need and not waste the water ,from back flush and supply all the plants with the nutrients they need and protect each from the other ,The pond is of great interest to all who visit and is easy to maintain in the process, another 3 weeks and the leaf screens will have to go on ,which alters the looks some what ,but Otherwise ,you have a major mess ,and all of the problems with water quality issues .
Feed back was non-existent ,but we muddled through,and learned a lot in the process ,How is yours doing ,and what do you have?

JCO
09-26-2013, 11:26 PM
My crop has finally wound down for the year. Nothing left to do now but start cleaning up and getting ready for the spring :mrgreen:

multifasited
09-27-2013, 06:01 AM
Sorry to hear, I would have thought with the differential in weather you would be going gang busters, but then ,hard to know with limited details and time constraints people have ,assumptions can be faulty. Responses ,so narrow in scope, and brief to be fair .

JCO
09-27-2013, 08:51 AM
It take dedication to stay up with everything that is being posted and some just do not have the time. :mrgreen:

multifasited
09-27-2013, 05:13 PM
Yea!!! Baby ,detailed posts take time and thought .some times seems like a waste of time and effort for sure! :mrgreen:

Aloha Don
10-19-2013, 03:23 PM
:D Im blessed to be here.....continue growing all year.... :D

multifasited
10-19-2013, 04:42 PM
Yes you are ,I think .I would love to be able to at least visit ,but the budget won't allow. I really do not think I could afford to live there. Just my guess from things I have heard from people who have and moved back state side ! Enjoy for me TOO!!