- 1). Determine your water feature's volume by calculating the area of the pond then multiplying the area by 7.5 to get the volume in gallons:
Rectangle: Length x Width=Area
Oval: Measure from the pond center to the most distant edge (A), then measure from the center to the nearest edge (B). Multiply A x B = C then C x 3.14 = Area
Circle: Measure from the center to the edge to get the radius (r). Multiply r x r x 3.14 = Area
Abstract and irregular: Multiply the maximum length by the maximum width = Area
Oblong: Break the space into two half-circles and one square. Calculate the area of the square using L x W and the area of the two half-circles by joining them and using r x r x 3.14. Add the two results together for the total area of the oblong. - 2). Determine your water feature's turnover rate by reviewing the gallons per hour (gph) rate of your pump with the filter attached compared to the total volume of your water feature, for example, a 1,000 gallon water feature needs a pump that can cycle through at least 500 gph to ensure the total volume is 'turned over' once every two hours, 12 times per 24 hours.
- 3). Determine the filter flow through rate by dividing the concentration of ammonia and nitrate by the optimum level for the water feature to get the ideal flow through rate to achieve that level; for example, the optimum level of ammonia and nitrate for Koi ponds is 0.0025 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Assume a production of ammonia and nitrate of 817 mg/day, you can find the ideal flow through rate with this equation:
817 mg/day divided by 0.0025 mg/L = 326,800 L/day or, 86,275 gallons/day = 3,535 gal/hr or about 60 gal/min
previous post
next post