DIY Network

Installing the Pump and Filter From "Weekend Landscaping" episode WKL-102

In a pond that's home to fish and plants, clean water is a must. To help water stay clean, pumps and filters provide insurance against stagnation and detrimental bacteria.

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A pump's purpose, says fish expert Shawn McHenry, is to provide oxygen for fish as well as for beneficial aerobic bacteria.

• The pump and filter used here is actually a single combination unit called a bio-tube filter (figure A). Aquatic expert Perry Colburn explains that the filter actually houses a microbe-filled fiber media that simulates a stream bed within the pond. The live organisms within the filter eliminate fish waste and decaying organic matter that cause algae.

  Note: Biological filters require continuously operating pumps.

• To ensure total re-circulation, the pump and filter combination unit is placed in lowest point of the pond. The perforated supply line (figure B) is attached to the unit and run through openings in the rocks, along with the electrical cord, which will be plugged into the GFCI outlet (figure C).

  Figure A

  Figure C

  Figure B

  
  

  Maintenance Note: Although the casing of the filter should last many years, the filter material within will need to be replaced every 18 months to two years. When the filter material needs replacing, it will actually collapse within the casing and slow down the flow over the waterfall--a sure sign that it's time for a replacement.

• Once the supply line has been concealed within the rocks of the waterfall (figure D), the end is cut to length. For this waterfall, the end is cut with 8" to 10" extending over the runoff rock to ensure the entire flow falls over the front of the rock's edge(figure E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

• Next the pond is filled with water (figure F) and the pump is plugged into the newly-installed GFCI outlet (figure G).

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  

• As the water begins flowing over the flat surface runoff rock, it falls in a fairly uniform stream (figure H); small pieces of flagstone inserted just below the lip of the runoff rock break up the flow into multiple streams and create more interest (figure I).

  Figure H

  Figure I

  
  

  Final Tip: Add dechlorinator to the pond to remove chlorine or chloramines.

  Time elapsed: 14 hours.
  

RESOURCES :
Nautilus 30 Pump
OASE Waterscapes Water Gardening Equipment
Irvine, CA 92614
Website: www.oase-pumpen.com

In-Line Kit
OASE Waterscapes Water Gardening Equipment
Irvine, CA 92614
Website: www.oase-pumpen.com

Balljoint
OASE Waterscapes Water Gardening Equipment
Irvine, CA 92614
Website: www.oase-pumpen.com

Spiral Tubing
OASE Waterscapes Water Gardening Equipment
Irvine, CA 92614
Website: www.oase-pumpen.com

Snub-Nosed Bio Filter (4")
Happy Frog Garden Center
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: 530-885-0975
Website: www.happyfrog.com

GUESTS :
Shawn McHenry
Mystic Koi & Water Gardens
1250 W. Arrow Hwy.
Upland, CA 91786
Phone: 909-920-3767
Fax: 909-920-3153
Email: shawn@mystickoi.com
Website: www.mystickoi.com
Koi Expert

Perry Colburn
Happy Frog Botanical Garden Center
15386 Little Valley Road
Grass Valley, CA 95949
Phone: 530-273-3764
Fax: 530-273-1510
Website: www.happyfrog.com
Aquatic Expert