Hi Wayne,

Been looking at the air pumps, and although I know it's cheaper to run them, I am worried about the throughput on the airlift. I have found energy efficient submersable pumps: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] which I think will be better suited for the job. At least there will be some pressure to get the water through the UV's and to create a nice water flow in the pond.

Have you ever used these submersable pumps "P series of Hailea" any pro's or cons to these pumps?

Thanks - all the info is much appreciated.

Willie

I have not personally used these specific pumps before but i read about them.

The problem with them as i understand is that they clogs up quite frequently if you dont have a pre-filter in front of them and that the power consumption stimulated is not the actual consumption but i also have to say that i read about them about 3 years ago, so things might have changed.

If you look at lifting or moving water i would rather go with a air pump if you wish to save on electricity.

Submersible pumps don't last forever, are constantly coming out in new modes and getting parts are also a problem with them. Ive had a few and they all ultimately start to leak voltage into the pond.

I have a small Buyo-ACQ-003 on two 110ml two airlifts and you will be surprised to see the amount of water this small 60l/minute air pump can move. I have the a airlift in two show vats which is about 1m deep and the airstone sits about 500-600mm from the surface.

Hi Wayne,

Maybe I should try my experiment again. I currently have an Hailea Aco-318 Air Compressor which is also 60 L/min at 0.02Mpa
So if I do something similar with 2 110mm pipes and 2 airstones one in each pipe I think I have all the required hardware.

I'm hoping for a 10,000 L/ph turnover.

Do you possibly have some images of how your setup looks and works? I'm trying to figure this one out as the Lift will be in my last chamber and must return the water to a high and low return in the pond, also the return must pass through a UVC.

Will gravity be enough for this?

Thanks!

I think you will get closer to 5000l / hr in total. I think you will need a 009 to get 10 000l /h.

Because i use 3000l showvats for growing koi on and i dont have any filtration on it i had to devise a airlift bio filter.

Its a 1.2m 110ml pipe with two 40mm hole drilled on the bottom sides of the pipe. I then have a piece of metala matting above the holes. At around 300mm from the bottom i drilled a small hole where i fed a airline through and placed the airstone. At the water surface level i drilled a 50mm hole and i skrewed a union into it and placed a piece of metal matting inside. I then filled the 110mm pipe with K1 and there i had a airlift bio filter.

You can remove the metala matting in yourcase and this will speed the flow up radically. I also added a 90' bend to the top of mine as it doubles as a protein skimmer.

I recently got an email from a member on this forum about air lifts...very valuable info...and I lost the email...by accident.
what he said and i know as well is....
-make sure your airlift is deeper....around 2m, the deeper it is the more it will pump.
-make sure the bubles are as small as possible, it improves the pumping rate.
I would not use airstones, but a sleeve, like a chamber around the pipe, to which an airline is connected, with some very fine slots for the air to escape on the inside.
about your UV, see my thread japan filtration...the Japanese use their UV lights outside the water, with a shade over it.

Hi All,

An update on my progress - we managed to dig the hole this weekend. Unfortunatly we did not reach the target depth of 2000mm but we did get to about 1600mm I do not think that would make a huge difference - after the concrete we should be around 1400mm deep.

Then one question: after reading some horror stories on sealing, cracking ext and people paying huge amounts of money trying to get their DIY job to work I have decided to get the professionals in to take over from here. At least the professionals have done this before and made all the mistakes before that I am bound to make and discover

I am in the Centurion Gauteng area and have contacted the KoiShop. The contractor will be at my house tomorrow to look at the hole and quote me on the project. But as with any building project it will be a good idea to get a few quotes and references.

If you have used a contractor to build your pond, please share your experiences good/bad as to help me choose the best contractor.

I have appreaciated all the imput so from you guys so far

Here is a pic of what the hole looks like from my CCTV camera hehe.
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Willie

Try and get hold of Jack from this forum, know he does some pond building and he is in your area....hopefully he responds to this...do not have his number anymore

Cliff wrote:

Try and get hold of Jack from this forum, know he does some pond building and he is in your area....hopefully he responds to this...do not have his number anymore

Jack Bach - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks guys! I am sending him a mail now.

Good luck!
I can not help with contractors, but Just to advise double check, what ever your contractor is doing, and research and know everything so U know what to check for.
Make sure he does what U want and not what he wants.
Not all contractors are good and some like to cut corners...
I am starting tomorrow too, but i will do it myself.

Thanks Neli - you have been awesome!

Good luck with your project - and yes we are currently building onto our house and I have to double check everything. Move all the loose bricks sideways hehe. It's always a gamble, but risk manament comes to mind.

Good luck!

Willie

Willie,
any advise on CCTV cameras? Make price? What are U using?
Have U thought of putting a window on your pond?
Dont forget U will need some shade over it.
Post all the plans drawings so We can try and contribute.
Are U going to use aerated BD?
Include automatic top up too.
Try and make it as easy to maintain as possible...and automate it as much as possible. It does not need to be expensive.
It is a headache to clean filters...so U need to make it very easy.
I would like to make a provision in mine for underwater camera too. They are not expensive.

I forgot to tell U ...there are automatic valves available abroad...that can be operated with a timer..not cheap, but it can save a lot on manual labor, if U design the filters in such a way that flashing can do wonders..
Also airlifts on timers can be used for cleaning too.

Thanks neli, Ill do some google searches

An update on our pond building. I had Ken from superpumps on site yesterday. I've been buying most of my equipment from them and he is a real expert. I was on his plot last week and he has 2 100,000+ ponds, one concrete and one with firestone EPDM liner.

The contractors that quoted all quoted in excess of R50,000 to do the pond which I think is a craaazzzy price.

Ken suggested a liner pond with retaining walls that my current building contractor will build. He is also the only liner installer which gives me a 10 year guarantee. I have read some reviews on the liner product from Firestone on the web, and all seem to be good. The liner is a bit expensive but save for fish and long lasting.

I think we will go for this option, the cost of the liner is around R150 per m2 there is just one question I have but I emailed Firestone for their comments. Basically the water level is raise 3 bricks above ground with the retaining wall. The liner will then go over the retaining wall. For a finish we want to tile the retaining wall to make it look pritty, so I am just wondering if we can put concrete on top of the liner and retaining wall and then build a single brick on top of it then tile over the brick.

Have you ever used the EPDM liners?

Thanks for all your updates and posts!

Willie,
Liner is a good idea! Chris neaves, uses one for over 26 years in his pond. Just that the quote for your liner is too much.
Contact Neville, or David. I have his number. David has a connection for liner that the whole pond will cost U R1500, and it a good quality one.I am in Zambia...but I am like CNN.He he he!
Remember U will need special fittings for it, or adapt the design of your pond in such a way than U can use normal ones...But if U go the BD way U will need a special BD for liner or Use a perforated pipe like Nev and Chris. But BD is better!
All the best!

Depending on the type of soil U have U might not need to Build inside, U can get away with a collar on top of the soil, raised one.
U can have your pond ready in a week.
There are many different ways to build a liner pond...goggle, google and google again and check koiphen...search there. lots of liner ponds in America...
I am not just sure If U will find all the fittings in SA.

Finally some good news Great!

I know the liner price is a bit expensive but it does include the under felt to protect from stones and the contractor is giving me a 10 year guarantee. The guarantee for me is a good reason to go with this contractor and liner. The product is called Firestone EPDM liner and it includes the two "Liner" bottom drains with installation.

What is your thought on bubble bead filter systems? Have you seen or used them before?

Willie

PS - a link to the liners that I am looking at:

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willieburger wrote:

Finally some good news Great!

I know the liner price is a bit expensive but it does include the under felt to protect from stones and the contractor is giving me a 10 year guarantee. The guarantee for me is a good reason to go with this contractor and liner. The product is called Firestone EPDM liner and it includes the two "Liner" bottom drains with installation.

What is your thought on bubble bead filter systems? Have you seen or used them before?

Willie

Experts dont like the buble bead filters...but some people like them.
Wayne has recently changed to bubble bead filters...U can ask him how happy he is.
The complaints about bubble bead filters is that they dont remove fines well. Sand filter does...some people like sand filters a lot, and they are cheaper...if U add a compressor to it, it can be cleaned well just by pressing a button.
Good idea about the liner!

willi you can call henry they work for chemcrete and done alot of ponds i already contacted him he will give you a qoute his number is 0799899754 he is in krugersdorp about half an hour from you