Small Duck Pond with Biofilters - Please help with design specs

[smithmal]

I'd like to install a duck pond for 5-6 ducks.

Here's my criteria:
1. Low maintenance/low cost
2. Circulating
3. Seasonal (will close down in winter)
4. Filtered (biofilter + skippy filter)
5. External pump

What I'd like to do is basically make a 8' x 6' x 3' floorless box which I'll place a pre-molded pond liner into. I'll fill the box with sand to help with leveling off the pre-formed liner. Outside of the pond I'll have an array of filters to help deal with the buildup of organic matter.

The array will go in the following order:

1. Skippy Filter
2. Stone bio filter
3. Plant Bio filter #1 (5 gallon size)
4, Plant Bio filter #2 (5 gallon size)
5, Plant Bio filter #3 (5 gallon size)


See rough pic here:



Questions:

1. Do you think this design is sufficient for keeping this size of a pond clean, if not, what should be altered?
2. What plants should be used in the Plant biofilters to provide the best filtering process?
3. What external pump should be purchased?
4. What else am I missing?

Thanks,

smithmal

 

[StarCreekFarm]

I have a 350 gallon polyfoam Rubbermade livestock trough that I have put in the ground up to the lip. I use a 150 gallon Rubbermade trough for my Skippy filter and have native blackberries that grow on the top of the Skippy. Because my Aviary is in a remote part of our farm there is no power, so I power the water flow with a Rule 550 Bilge (Boat) pump connected to two 30 Watt solar panels wired in parallel (to create the 60 W the pump needs). When the sun hits the panels the pump turns on -- and provides a great flow and filtration. When the sun is down or it's cloudy, the filtration doesn't run. It's kept that 350 gallons well filtered for more than a year, with up to 8 ducks using the pond.

I would use plants in the biofilter that your poultry enjoy eating. I'm not brave enough to eat anything that is growing in the Skippy!

 

[Yoles32]

I am designing one now, similar size. Using Behlen plastic 8' diameter, 2' deep stock tank, and three 55 gallon plastic food grade drums for filters. Still working on how to connect everything and the right pump. Thinking a solar pump with battery backup so it still runs at night.

 

[kistner]

smithmal, how did your pond turn out?

 

[Guernsy]

I'd like to install a duck pond for 5-6 ducks.

Here's my criteria:
1. Low maintenance/low cost
2. Circulating
3. Seasonal (will close down in winter)
4. Filtered (biofilter + skippy filter)
5. External pump

What I'd like to do is basically make a 8' x 6' x 3' floorless box which I'll place a pre-molded pond liner into. I'll fill the box with sand to help with leveling off the pre-formed liner. Outside of the pond I'll have an array of filters to help deal with the buildup of organic matter.

The array will go in the following order:

1. Skippy Filter
2. Stone bio filter
3. Plant Bio filter #1 (5 gallon size)
4, Plant Bio filter #2 (5 gallon size)
5, Plant Bio filter #3 (5 gallon size)


See rough pic here:



Questions:

1. Do you think this design is sufficient for keeping this size of a pond clean, if not, what should be altered?
2. What plants should be used in the Plant biofilters to provide the best filtering process?
3. What external pump should be purchased?
4. What else am I missing?

Thanks,

smithmal

So what are you using to get the water out of the pond? What kind of pump before it gets into the skippy filter? Did you build the skippy filter?
Thanks

 

[smithmal]

Guernsy,

Still deciding. But I've dramatically changed what I plan to do:

Now the thought is the following:

Design #1
1. Pond (preform 350 gallon)
2. 30 gallon Swirl Filter (Inductor tank)
3. External pump (at least 1000 gph flow)
4. 35 gallon biofilter (using K1 media)
5. 2 hydroponic beds
6. Small waterfall to oxygenate
7. Water back to pond

Design #2
1. Pond (preform 350 gallon)
2. 30 gallon swirl fitler (Inductor tank)
3. External pump (at least 1000 gph flow)
4. Pond bog (at least 40" surface area in size of preform pond)
5. Small waterfall to oxygenate water
6. Water back to pond

I've alread acquired the pond preform and the inductor tank. The K1 media is going to be pretty expensive and I've seen others that incorporate a bog system that works very well to act as a biofilter and also to remove nitrates and small solids from the water (see thread here: https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/duck-pond-with-bog-garden-filter-query.27103/

My research regarding swirl flow filters suggest that they do an incredible job at removing large particles out of the water without adding too much footprint to the pond build. If you want to learn more about swirl flow filters see the following pub: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860904001049

In terms of the pump, I'm still deciding on the model but am pretty convinced that purchasing an external (either priming or non-priming) is the way to go. External pumps are generally more energy efficient, quieter, provide more flow, easier to clean and maintain and have a longer shelf life since they are not sitting in the water. I'd like to incorporate mine downstream of the swirl filter to reduce the amount of sludge the pump will need to deal with which should in turn dramatically increase how long it lasts.

Some other ideas include incorporating a drain into the pond with an airline built in. This will allow the drain to be backflushed with the air to remove clogging issues. You can see info about a pond drain in the followoing vid:

I'll also adopt my sand cleaning system to act as a pond vacuum (when necessary) to suck any build up of muck on the bottom of the pond. From what I've read, even with incorporating all of the various filters there's still a likelyhood that you'll have to shutdown your pond once/twice a year to clean it out. By have a pond vacuum system hopefully I'll never have to drain my pond to clean it.

 

[Guernsy]

Guernsy,

Still deciding. But I've dramatically changed what I plan to do:

Now the thought is the following:

Design #1
1. Pond (preform 350 gallon)
2. 30 gallon Swirl Filter (Inductor tank)
3. External pump (at least 1000 gph flow)
4. 35 gallon biofilter (using K1 media)
5. 2 hydroponic beds
6. Small waterfall to oxygenate
7. Water back to pond

Design #2
1. Pond (preform 350 gallon)
2. 30 gallon swirl fitler (Inductor tank)
3. External pump (at least 1000 gph flow)
4. Pond bog (at least 40" surface area in size of preform pond)
5. Small waterfall to oxygenate water
6. Water back to pond

I've alread acquired the pond preform and the inductor tank. The K1 media is going to be pretty expensive and I've seen others that incorporate a bog system that works very well to act as a biofilter and also to remove nitrates and small solids from the water (see thread here: https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/duck-pond-with-bog-garden-filter-query.27103/

My research regarding swirl flow filters suggest that they do an incredible job at removing large particles out of the water without adding too much footprint to the pond build. If you want to learn more about swirl flow filters see the following pub: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860904001049

In terms of the pump, I'm still deciding on the model but am pretty convinced that purchasing an external (either priming or non-priming) is the way to go. External pumps are generally more energy efficient, quieter, provide more flow, easier to clean and maintain and have a longer shelf life since they are not sitting in the water. I'd like to incorporate mine downstream of the swirl filter to reduce the amount of sludge the pump will need to deal with which should in turn dramatically increase how long it lasts.

Some other ideas include incorporating a drain into the pond with an airline built in. This will allow the drain to be backflushed with the air to remove clogging issues. You can see info about a pond drain in the followoing vid:

I'll also adopt my sand cleaning system to act as a pond vacuum (when necessary) to suck any build up of muck on the bottom of the pond. From what I've read, even with incorporating all of the various filters there's still a likelyhood that you'll have to shutdown your pond once/twice a year to clean it out. By have a pond vacuum system hopefully I'll never have to drain my pond to clean it.

Thank you for the very detailed info. I wouldn't mind having to drain the pond once or even three times a year. Right now I am draining the kiddie pool almost every other day and that is too much. Some maintenance is OK with me too. I understand that the filters have to be cleaned and some muck has to be cleaned out of the pond. I live with three grown teenage boys...they are almost like ducks, so I am not afraid of dirt. I just don't want to do it on a daily basis. LOL.