A Guide to Modern Koi Pond Construction

Pumps & Systems

Now that we have considered the construction of the pond and the filter system we must now consider what pump we are going to use, and what systems we need for this.

The size of the pump required to operate the filter system is usually said to be length of time it takes to pass all of the pond water through the filter. The figure required is about two to three hours. This means that with a pond of say 6,000 gallons capacity including the filter then you require a pump capacity of about 3,000 gals/hour. The size of the pump quoted here is the actual pumping rate and not the figure quoted by the manufacturer. The actual pumping rate will depend on the length of pipe runs and the correct design of the pipework with the minimum of sharp bends. Another item to be considered is the contact time in the filter. That is the time it takes the water from the time it enters the filter until the time it exits. This time should be between ten to fifteen minutes. If you are purchasing a complete filter system then you should be guided by the dealer as to pumping rates as some of these filters work with different parameters depending on what media is being used.

TIP. If you are using The Answer then you will need to check the maximum pumping rates for each unit, and use these figures for your calculations.