My next purchase is a skimmer and bottom drain. At this point I am wanting to run the BD to the skimmer. Does anyone know which skimmer would be good for this? I have read that the savio has an outline where you would cut and I think the mid level attachment will allow you to hook it on. If I were to do this would it be better to get the biggest skimmer I can? I may add a settlement chamber in the future but at this point I feel like I want to keep things basic but I do want a bottom drain.
Also, the pump I got(it was pretty much free with my filter) is about 1600 gph. I think my pond will be around 1200 gallons. Will I need a stronger pump to run a waterfall and BD through the skimmer? I know it was mentioned that I could add a second pump and that would help too.
Thanks for all your help!
Eve
Skimmer questions
Now I'm thinking about making a small settlement pond out of liner for the Bottom drain to run into before the filter and pump. Does anyone have one?
Like a large biological filter pool?
Yeah, that is what I was thinking. A place for the gunk to settle instead of a 55 gallon barrel. Would this work?
If its done right yeah.
All the bacteria can really keep your pond clean. You'd have to screen it or something to keep the large chunks from reentering your pool. Maybe use stones somehow. Hmm. Im not sure I'd have to think on it. lol
How much the pump will handle depends on the "head" or "lift". This is defined as the distance in the run from the pump to the top of the waterfall. Each level foot diminishes the pumping capacity by a certain amount and each foot of vertical lift diminishes the pumping capacity even more. Search your pump specs for the pumping head capacity. If it wasn't included in the literature then google the pump name with its stated flow rate and it should pop up somewhere. The size of the line you use will also affect the pumping capacity. See if the link below helps. To give you an idea of how this can affect the flow I have to use a 1000 gal per hr pump on a 480 gal pond to get a decent water turnover rate, adequate filtering and a pleasing flow over the waterfall because of the loss of pumping capacity due to the amount of head. You need a certain minimum flow for the water to be effectively filtered. Koi do better with highly oxygenated water ( faster flow rate) than goldfish need. It's a balancing act between the size of the pump, the total pond gallons, the filter capacity, the size of the line and the total head. Ideally you determine the total gallons in the pond first, then the amount of head, then the desired turnover rate, then you get the pump and filter and line size that will handle that flow requirement. It sounds complicated but with a little pencil work and a measuring tape you will work it out fine.
http://outdoorelementspa.com/calc.html
Hhmmm... math is not my strong point but I better sit down and figure it out.
I just ordered a savio compact skimmer. I am planning to get a bigger pump after I do the math, most likely an external one. Any suggestions on brands? I don't want anything too noisy.
Still not sure about what the bottom drain will be emptying into. My husband says he can get free food grade barrels at work if I want to go that route but still thinking about the settlement pond for a more natural look. Got the savio skimmer just in case because there is an attachment you can add for the bottom drain.
Thanks for all the help!
Eve
I hestitate to recommend a pump brand cause nearly everyone here has a passionate favorite. (Mine are PondMaster Mag Drives - very, very quite and reliable.) What you need to be mindful of are "solids handling" capability ( ponds have debris and debris can clog) and cost to operate. Sometimes the brand comes down to the one that is best matched to your needs. You really have to do the math. Otherwise one or all of three things can happen. Either you won't get a good turn rate and the water won't filter fast enough to remove the ammonia fish waste or it will turn too fast and the water won't have time to filter or you will get a miserly trickle or a rushing gusher over the waterfall. It took me three tries with three different pumps before I got just what I wanted in our small 480 gal goldfish. I didn't do the math. Dumb, dumb, dumb. My husband says I am the Queen of Pumps. One for every occaision.