pump/filter question

[Suzu]

Hi all, I'm brand spanking new here as well as new to ponds and fish, and I have a few questions.

This past spring I started making a small pond to replace the kiddie pool that was being used by local tree-frogs for breeding. I've been encouraging them because I love the sound they make and how friendly they are. The pond isn't totally finished but nevertheless currently contains tadpoles and froglets in about five different sizes from newly hatched to nearly tail-less.

Meanwhile algae and crud has been building up because it's so much harder to change water in a pond below ground. So I'm ready to get a pump and filter but am not sure how it will work out with tadpoles, I don't want them to be sucked into the pump. How do I prevent this? The really small ones would be the most endangered, I suppose.

The eventual plan is to collect rainwater in a cistern with an overflow into the pond, and downhill from the pond will be a small rice paddy. Once the rice paddy is in place I think the frogs will prefer that, and the pond will be turned over to some fish (actually, I already have some small fish - too small to eat tadpoles), but in case the frogs lay eggs in the pond I can always move them to the rice paddy.

[smaug]

where are you located?You mention rice paddy and I think hot and wet year round.Alot depends on what your finances are on how you will filter/move water.How big is the pond and what type fish are you thinking about for the future?

[Suzu]

I'm in southern Missouri. Lots of rice grown here and in Arkansas, where we have four seasons and winters can get quite cold.

The pond is not large, maybe around 600-700 gallons. I will make a filter out of a bucket as shown in another thread here. There will only be a few small fish. Not sure what kind yet. Currently have tiny carp.

[smaug]

Tiny carp?You mean capable of being 4 ft long carp?for a water pump you need something that will move 1500 gph minimum with about 5gals worth of bio media in your filter.It will be very difficult to keep very small fish out of the intake but you could avoid some loss by using some sort of mesh over the pump which are normally submersible.

[Suzu]

for a water pump you need something that will move 1500 gph minimum with about 5gals worth of bio media in your filter.

Wow, I wasn't expecting to need such a strong pump. 1500gph would mean the entire pond is filtered twice per hour. Does this need to run continuously, like almost 24/7x365? And BTW, what is "bio media" for the filter?


It will be very difficult to keep very small fish out of the intake but you could avoid some loss by using some sort of mesh over the pump which are normally submersible.

I was hoping to find here some sort of design for a device to exclude the tadpoles/fry from being sucked up. Isn't this an issue for most people who have ponds?