Streamflow ponds???

[Bob Hart]

I hope later this year to be building a new pond, when I get a new house.

I have been impressed with what I've seen on streamflow ponds and this is my intended design.

As I've got plenty of time, thought I'd research it here with you guys - So what downsides have you guys seen or heard about? What pitfalls are there in building a pond with this design?

[tomc]

Bob

All seems positives to me. If I were to move then I'd probably go this route.

Issues/challenges:

1/ I hear you need to get the benching angle spot on, and it needs to be a smooth finish.
2/ Your ponds design is limited to some particular dimensions

I know Stuart's streamflow is on the Koi UK forum somewhere, and there's another new build on there at present too.

Tom

[eds]

I was going to go this route for my new pond build Bob and only changed my mind as I decided to go with a box welded liner for cost/speed reasons.

I saw Stuart's pond working and it was brilliant. The base was spotless and the fish looked amazing swimming against the current and demolishing all the food he threw in. The air lifts lifted a lot of rubbish out and Stuart reckoned they could drain the pond down by 6" if left on! Al's old pond with the timing for the drain purges looked superb in photos and I'm sure his new pond will be even better.

Downsides - they all seem to use bakki showers which you need to house inside if they're the only filtration for heat reasons (I'm doing this for my new pond still) however I can't see any reason why you couldn't run a streamflow style pond with different filters. In fact you could even run it all on air with the right piping and gravity filters.

When I next build a blockwork pond it'll be a streamflow one.

[Geoff9]

Hi Bob
I'm sure Jules built an airflow system in Nottingham 5 years ago for heather and Andy,so he should have all the information you need.

Regards Geoff

[boogatee]

Would older, mature, larger koi be okay spending their life swimming in a stream? or does this system have some still/slower moving areas?

[carlejo]

Cliff Neale has a growing on pond in streamflow IIRC....... benches from about 8 to 6 feet, I went there on a pond visit a few years ago with Maurice Cox and Mike Snaden........ try asking Mike about it

[Gazza]

Hi Bob,

Is it time to get my spades out ready

We have spoke about this many times and i think they are a very good idea and i know how great some of Stuarts fish turned out. I was going to do that with my tank but didn't know enough about them or have the time when i did it but as you know i have a big slope from the shower end towards the bottom drain and it works a treat

Look forward to hearing and seeing this one come along and out of the ground

[eds]

Would older, mature, larger koi be okay spending their life swimming in a stream? or does this system have some still/slower moving areas?

Stuart had some huge older fish in his and they were fine. The current doesn't look too fast when you see it. The deep end has slower flow than the shallow end as does the centre area of the pond in midwater.

[Bob Hart]

Thanks for your comments guys

Just as I thought no real downsides!

I've read up on many pond builds and know of the one being built now which I'm following.

So the slope is crucial, need to read up on that a bit more

I have a large nearly double shower which I'll be using and it will be housed 'indoors'

[Jon W]

Hi Bob

I don't think there are any inherent pitfalls with the streamflow design. I looked into it in some detail (and visited a few ponds such as Stuart's - very impressive in terms of execution and quality/growth rate of fish) and thought it was the best design I have seen in terms of growth potential, skin quality and ease of maintenance (especially if using automatic air lift and top up systems). To achieve optimum growth and health requires heat and a high turnover for the bakki showers resulting in high energy costs. I know this is the case to some degree with all designs but particularly so if using showers as main filtration.

I suppose it comes down to pond size and how much one can afford or is prepared to spend on energy; my situation is that an ever increasing proportion of my limited disposable income is going to go to some poxy corporation which is part of an oligopoly that ensures prices remain articially high and perpetually on the rise.

Now thinking about using airlifts to run filters and not keeping really high quality fish because although I understand the envrionment needed to bring out the best in them I don't think I will be able to afford the running costs in a few years time as energy prices continue to escalate.


Cheers

Jon

[Thorny]

Hi Bob personally I think this is the way forward in the hobbie for more seriuos keepers who will strive to get the best from there koi. I have a built a few now and heaverly involved in the build of a 7000 gallon streamflow pond at the moment. This has 4 bottom drains that will all feed to a drum filter, then to a resevour tank where the pumps will be, to return water back to pond over shower, I have also done it the other way with only skimmers and side wall feeds. With a troff and air up ilfts at lowest part of pond benching, very effective. Air pump is on a timer and comes on a few times a day and throws waste straight down the drain. Works a charm, and very little maintanence perfect type of pond for people who spend time away from home, as is a drum filter but then cost come into play. If You need to pick My brains just give Me a shout.
If I was building a new pond for myself this would be how I would go about it. To get the best out of the design and how it works, You need a formal shape, i.e a rectanglular, this is the only down fall if You can call it one Great ponds
Justin

[Duncan]

anyone got a scematic of how they are built and function

its something i have not got into, but i too am thinking of getting shot of my stock and rehashing my pond to better effect but i know very little about these

dunc

[Manky Sanke]

Duncan,

I'll be drawing my version of the streamflow system for a series of articles in Koi Carp, but that will be later in the series so it won't be for a while yet. When I do, if you want it, I'll send it to you or post it on here, but in the meantime, go to Google images and search for streamflow + koi.

There are a few different variations but the general principle is the same.

[greg]

Duncan,

I don't have any schematics but i do know the links for two of them on Maurice Cox's Koi UK forum.

One is Stuart Toms pond and has already been mentioned here as being a very successful pond.
http://mauricecox.proboards.com/index.c ... 755&page=1

The other is currently under construction
http://mauricecox.proboards.com/index.c ... hread=2232

Basic principle is that you remove all the water from one end (deep end) and return it at the other more shallow end. They are commonly used in conjunction with Showers and also low level returns to sweep the floor clean towards the sumps were waste is flushed away using air lifts on timers. I think that maybe combined with the new RDF's we are seeing emerge in the hobby now and the airlifts direct to waste you would have a near maintenance free system if you used showers. Water for the filters is often taken from mid water feeds as this saves disturbing the heavy waste in the sumps.

Think that makes sense!

[Gazza]

Hi Duncan,

Its about time we see you with a set of showers on your pond