The Pond Doc's Dream Pond Filter System
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The Bottom
Re-circulation Drain
Essential Component to The Pond Doc's Dream Filter System™ for Koi and
Goldfish Ponds and Water Gardens
Why is a Bottom Re-Circulation Drain an Important Component to the Pond Doc's Dream Filter System?
DO NOT BE AFRAID OF INSTALLING A BOTTOM DRAIN INTO YOUR LINER!
Why is a Bottom Re-Circulation Drain an Important Component to the Pond Doc's Dream Filter System?
One of the drudgeries of maintaining a koi pond, goldfish pond or water garden is cleaning out the intake of the pump. Leaves, string algae and other pond debris get trapped in whatever opening the water is pulled through (the intake). In the case of a submersible pump the intake is either a small basket, foam pad or the bottom of the pump. You have to pull the pump up out of the water then clear the debris away with your hands. This isn't as easy as it sounds. The pump is heavy and it's slick and nasty with algae and pond "goo". In many cases it smells bad.
The idea is to make our dream pond easy to maintain so we opt for an external pump so all the debris, leaves and goo get caught in the leaf basket (aka priming pot) instead of inside the pond where it's harder to remove. It's just a matter of turning off the pump and emptying out the leaf basket whenever the debris gets thick enough to slow the flow of the water.
The Different Types of Bottom Drains
You can't have just a hole in the bottom of the pond where the water is sucked out by the pump because you'd end up with fish, plants, frogs - you name it - in your plumbing to the pump causing some really awful drain clogs. You have to have something that allows debris to go to the pump but nothing else. There are several available drains or pick-ups that we can use but we have a few favorites.
The 3" black domed bottom drain by Tetra (pictured on the top of this page) is what we most often recommend. There's a space of about an inch between the floor of the pond and the drain's dome so that leaves and dirt get sucked down but no whirlpools are created that funnel the koi and goldfish toward the drain. This is the lowest-maintenance option of all the drains. It has no screens to trap the debris inside the pond and allows more to be filtered out by the system. A negative to the 3" bottom drain is that small fish can be sucked down the drain. This includes babies and fingerlings up to about 6 inches. This drain is best on ponds that have larger koi and goldfish or water gardens without pond fish.
The 2" anti-vortex bottom re-circulation drain is the next best thing. We use it on ponds that are less than 1500 gallons as a rule or ponds that have small koi and goldfish. It has an anti-vortex screen that fits over the top. The good part is that it doesn't suck down fish. The not-so-good part is that large leaves and debris that would normally go through the 3" drain will be stopped by the screen. It adds just a bit more maintenance because periodically you would have to take a long net and rake the leaves off the screen to free up the water flow to the pump. It also only comes in white which stands out against black rubber liners frequently used on ornamental ponds. The drain can be easily painted black with standard latex spray paint.
The 2" vacuum bottom drain sits on top of the liner or floor of the pond and does not require a hole in the liner for installation. It's good to use on existing ponds when it's impossible to pull back the liner and install a drain on the bottom. It sits on top, leaving about an inch between the floor of the pond and the vacuum drain - like an upside-down 3" drain. It inherits the same problems of being able to suck down baby koi and goldfish but it will suck up much of the leaves and debris. It will not, however, do as good of a job as the 3" dome so it's not one of our favorites though it is certainly better than having a submersible pump.
Lastly and our least favorite is the pick-up strainers. It is a basket that screws onto the end of the flex hose and sits on the floor of the pond. It is simple to install and requires no hole in the liner but it has to be weighed down with a heavy rock or two and it doesn't pull leaves and large debris out of the pond. Like the 2" anti-vortex drain, the pick-up screen gets clogged up with leaves and debris and periodically needs to be cleaned by hand. It is much easier to clean, however, than a submersed pump and there is generally no problem with it sucking down koi and goldfish.
DO NOT BE AFRAID OF INSTALLING A BOTTOM DRAIN INTO YOUR LINER!
For good reason the thought of putting a hole in the liner scares the heck out of a lot of do-it-yourself pond builders. It really is not as hard as it sounds. The base of the drain is installed into the floor of the pond and the plumbing line run to the pump. The liner is laid over the drain then the top of the drain is installed through the liner and the hole is not cut out until it is already water tight. We have complete instructions that are easy to follow! In fact, we have seen less leaking from drain installations than any other component on the pond!
Installation Tips for Re-circulating Bottom Drains
Place the bottom drain as far away from the water return (albeit waterfall, fountain, etc.) as possible. This creates better circulation and helps prevent stagnant areas.
The bottom drain should be at the lowest part of the pond and the floor should gently slope down to it. This encourages debris to wash toward the drain so it can be removed by the system.
Fittings and Accessories Needed with the Bottom Drain
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3" Tetra Dome:
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2" Anti-Vortex:
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