UPDATE 23/10/12.

Many out there have contacted me to find out what’s happening with the pond since I covered it on this website for quite some time before removing it some weeks ago.

Now it’s all completed it has become the first ‘Fully Automated Koi Pond’ that I personally have ever witnessed.

In the past there have been many semi-automated filters whereby 2” electric valves are programmed to discharge some bottom water from a filter to waste.

This system is different, as 4” auto-valves are programmed to completely discharge all the filter units every day in order to ensure they are kept just like new every day.

The main pond holds 55,000 gallons (250,000 litres) of water and a smaller pond that is linked to the main pond holds 4,000 gallons (18,000 litres) of water so the total water volume is 59,000 gallons (268,000 litres) of water.

Eleven aerated bottom drains supply water to eleven Eric Four filter units and each of these hold 115 gallons (522 litres) of water. There is a reservoir/discharge box below the filters large enough to take the 230 gallons discharged by two filter units. This reservoir holds a submersible pump that passes the discharged water to another reservoir for use on the land and after that, the next two units are discharged and so on.

Every day 1,265 gallons (5,750 litres) of wastewater are removed directly from the filter systems but, bearing in mind the total volume of the pond, this only represents a 2.14% water change, which I would consider to be the bare minimum water change on a pond of this size.

The water discharged is replaced by new mains water on a constant trickle of just under one gallon per minute.

Obviously this has not been what we could call a ‘normal installation’ by any stretch of the imagination.

Mick, the owner, has had to call on ground workers, builders, steel erectors, carpenters, painters, heating engineers, landscapers, electricians, computer experts, lighting technicians and a host of others not forgetting Ian Miles who installed all the pipe lines, valves, fittings and all the equipment required.

Every single item used on the pond is programmed and automated; this includes the waterfall, the lighting, air pumps, water pumps, U/V units, pond water temperature and should any of these items fail it is detected in the control room.

The two guys responsible for the total automation have a company named ‘Forest Elite’ and they took these superb You Tube videos shown here.

Please enjoy – I did!

Waddy.