How We Run Our Koi Ponds At Koi Wholesale | Koi Pond Filtration

[@madaboutkoi]

Great insight into your ponds Ricky and a very simple solution to keeping koi 👍🏻. Quite a damning review on drums due to your experience with them. Looks like a QK15 you have on that pond so it will be struggling with the amount of loading in your commercial ponds. Could do with a bigger drum really. Overloaded drum = wash pump under alot of stress, more water changes which explains your water level issues you mentioned on a previous video, as soon as that screen gets any muck lodged in it then its just gonna make things even worse. Have you considered…. 1. Get rid of the snail issue blocking the spray bar nozzles - Header tank setup would be really easy to install. Small 15litre tank mounted on the top (connect a solenoid valve then you can place it higher than the drum for easy fitting/access). 2. Waste on dirty side mounting up on one side - i get the same issue on my grow on. Planning to split the bottom drain feed into both inlets to get the flow going on both sides and hopefully stop the waste piling up. Implementing changes like this will save you a fortune on maintenance overheads to compensate the huge utility bills you guys must be suffering with now. Feel really sorry for businesses like yours who are impacted so much by these increases. Government needs to sort it ASAP. Surprised to see you using those EA dechlor units. I always had problems with my mine letting chlorine through so i upgraded to a big blue.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

I wouldn’t really call pointing out my experiences and sharing my routines damning. As I said in the video I’m aware they are too small but this is what I was sold at the time having had no prior experience. If I had really wanted to be damning I would have been more honest about what I thought to quality of this brand of drum and the constant amount of spares they need to keep them running. Hence why I always say if you’re buying one buy Oase or Profidrum. I’m aware of fixes but I won’t waste the time as a I need a more a permanent solution because they’re not really fit for purpose. I can’t fit a bigger one and would spend the kinds of sums involved either to be honest. Not for what is actually gained by having one in terms of end results for me. The detox units are the final stage of purification.

[@andrewmh7634]

Great video Ricky as always, totally with you on keep it simple, I have done for years and they work a treat not , whether many moons ago in" dealer systems" or now in my" hobby system", sometimes I think nowadays things are way over complicated ,but then if you a manufacturer with a "fancy system" you are wanting to push and sell these at end of day

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Well said

[@richardbrunton2068]

Good video that, amazing results can’t be wrong. Really like the idea of spray bar return. It also lets people know like myself that it can be done without spending thousands of pounds on all the latest gear. Brilliant . Cheers Ricky 👍

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

That is exactly the awareness that I’m trying raise.

[@bawtrykoipond]

Excellent walk though of what you're running there, Ricky. Good points about the drum jets needing regularly cleaning and the running cost of the larger variflow pumps. Things that people don't realise unitl they're too invested to turn back. 👊

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Exactly!

[@jasonhind4172]

I cant believe I've never clicked on your videos before they are very informative. I will get through all of them eventually lol. Keep doing what you doing ricky. The sleeping sickness video drew me in

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Enjoy watching them there’s a few to get through.

[@RS20O0]

Thanks for the video. Agree with your points, but maintenance wise my drum probably from same factory. Yours cleaning every 4 minutes, mine cleaning every 35, So your weekly jet wash equates to my bi-monthly jet wash. In 2 years I've changed 1 float switch and one drum seal (UV degradation). Only ever had one blocked jet in 4 years of drum use. Have same problem with waste in inlet chamber and a small air stone solves that. Drum waste shoot itself gets huge waste build up and needs hosing fortnightly. They have too many design faults considering the initial outlay, but still a game changer, and worth the cost when winter comes and not having to clean mechanical media in the freezing cold.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Very well put. I will certainly try again in future. I’ve got the build of 10 new ponds coming up so there’s some big decisions to be made.

[@rich81090]

Swap the 150 airtec (100w) for two 75’s (31w each) uses a third less elec. For just moving k1 I use multiple smaller air pumps. Also adds redundancy incase one breaks. I only use the bigger air pumps where you need the pressure so deep bottom drains etc. I have questioned my shower, added elec need33 to pump that high. I think I would rather have more k1 now tbh

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

That’s great advice

[@andrewmason2879]

It’s nice to see your set up interesting. For a normal stocked say 12 koi 3000 gallon pond what would you recommend for the mechanical side of the filtration side 👍👍

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

That really depends on the feeding because that’s what makes or breaks it. Are we talking 12 large koi with heavy feeding?

[@andrewmason2879]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi some 35cm and some 40cm at the moment feeding 4 times a day in the summer 👍

[@paulsabucchi]

Maybe if and when I return to the UK I will go the Nexus or drum+ MBF but for now I am pleased with the "alternative" system I built here in Italy. I think Riky is right when he states that there is no need to overcomplicate things. I have a 10k UK gallon pond single bottom drain gravity fed to a 750 liter sedimentation tub (plus another for the surface skimmer) where eight SunSun CTP 2800 pump the water to 20 square meters of bog filtration. The pumps each move a nominal 3000 liter/hour for only 10w so a total of 24000 l/h for only 80w. They only have to deal with about 3" head and very efficient used this way but get exponentially crapier the higher they have to push the water. May to October I feed about 1/2 kg a day and the sedimentation tank gets emptied/flushed once a week and that is all the water change the pond gets. I know there is a theorical ratio between volume of the pond/stocking and volume of filter/flow rate but I kind of eye-balled it and it seems to work, fish have been healthy and growing well and parameters are good (yes I am one of those paranoids with the Hanna checkers)

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Thanks for that Paul.

[@shaunleonard8146]

Can't wait! Looking forward to this. Thank you.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Hope you like it!

[@thekoichannel264]

Ricky, are you using the water from the dirty side of the drum to clean the screen? Not had to clean my jets out for over a year.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

No from the clean side. Not many people have experienced it but we get a lot of snails which cause a huge problem. I know we could set it from a header tank with fresh water but there’s no practical way of installing it. It does highlight that it can be an issue though.

[@thekoichannel264]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi get the salt out 😉🧂

[@Carperama]

If you have good well water and solar well pump would it be cheaper to not have a filter and just do a water change as needed? Local farm here does a water change every 3-4 days in his over stocked ponds and he's a old timer been doing for over 20 years at least. You could even set the drain and intake on solenoid timers to do all the work.

[@persjoberg4027]

Thanks for sharing Rick. What type of protection do you have in case of power cut-off?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Backup generators

[@wills1206]

Need to be looking at how your running your drums if you need that much maintenance on them 🥴🤔

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

As I said in the video it’s quite clear that despite them being big enough for the flow rates they’re not big enough to handle the loading of the pond.

[@skeggy]

Drums aren't maintainance free... popular misconception

[@jasonhind4172]

@Koi Wholesale I completely agree I go round my drum with a brush and clean the waste shoot every other day and jetwash the screen every week. They are far from maintenance free.

[@wills1206]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi you were talking about having to clean screens weekly, washer jets etc… that isn’t the case if it’s set up properly. Once 3 monthly at the very most. An airstone in the dirty side as well to stop crap settling in one corner.

[@wills1206]

@@skeggy obviously…. But they do not need weekly cleaning and maintenance. No chance

[@aquaticnut86]

Filtration is one of those things that amazes me about this hobby. You have Japanese breeders and big time dealers that have the simplest filtration possible on the other side you have some hobbyists trying to build a damn transformer for filtration 😂 thanks for the information Ricky!

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Very well put, that’s commercialism for you. No piece of equipment can compete with skill and experience.

[@CescaTheDarkHorse]

Nice video 📹 very informative 👍. Enjoyed watching 👀

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Thanks.

[@paulgroth5414]

So for 1000 or 1300g what dimensions are you using? And water temp? Love your videos

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

7.5' x 7.5' x 3' plus filter which holds around 200 gallons

[@martingage5323]

Hi Ricky, could you show how you make you own air rings for bio tanks. thanks

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

I’ll pop it on the list.

[@koiandpredatorsuk]

Very helpful ricky 👍 do you prefer the brushes to the filter foam/jap matting. Thanks + new subscriber

[@skelatonman]

wow just 1100g-1500g. makes you appreciate the basics 👍. the farms in Japan have thousands $$$$ worth of fish in their systems and most just use brushes and mats. they know what works. the fancy high tech filters have their place in the hobbyist side but like you said, they really aren't needed. for freshwater are these systems on a trickle? how often and how much water is changed?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Hi No these are not on a trickle. Some have water changes weekly when the filters are maintained. With the drum filtered ponds they have small amount of water daily.

[@richardh615]

Have you considered a wind or solar power system, to reduce your energy bills?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Thought about it but never really been convinced by anyone.

[@shaunleonard8146]

First class Ricky, Nice to hear and see someone talk honestly about filtration, that works. Without people shoving constantly down your throat, that you need to spend thousands of pounds on filtration for it to work and to get great results. Even heard people say, you will never get good water Quality and healthy fish without a drum. But somehow you have a simple and basic filtration that as always worked well with the prove of excellent results. Thank you, Ricky and Team.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

All the things mentioned are what drive me mad. There’s still only 2 breeders in Niigata who run drum filters.

[@paulf9064]

At the end of the video Ricky, you mentioned submerged media, i dont have the space and hate showers as they are noisy and look awful tbh but like the concept of what they do, would submerging ceramic media work just as efficient?, or could you suggest an alternative set up instead of a shower for the same affect? Great vids btw 👌 cheers Paul

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Some of the benefits cannot be replicated and some can. The spray bar returns for example can help with degassing. Biologically you can get all you need from a fluid bed. One part is harder to achieve with submerged filters is higher turnover without compromising on retention time. The question there is though do you need a higher turnover than once every couple of hours? Most don’t.

[@paulf9064]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi i have a 220+ 1800g pond 20k vari running at 30% pulling from the nexus and a skimmer box so dont need anymore flow but i feel I'd benefit from a bit more clarity at times, any suggestions?

[@beast8623]

Don't think you covered the depths on the ponds. What depth are your normal ponds?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

On average they are 3’ to 3 1/2’

[@deejaysmi1469]

I love it Ricky you obviously stirred up a drum lovers hornets nest! 🤣. People need to chill and listen to what you said. Personally I can afford it and do have a drum on my pond, obviously I don't drive it like yours. For me the big advantages are: solid waste is removed from the water column within minutes (lowering the ammonia load) and how I run it it is largely maintenance free so I can go away for a few weeks and be confident that the pond is ok.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Exactly!

[@keepingitkoi]

As always Ricky great video and some great info 👍

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Thanks.

[@arvindganapathi7173]

Cheers Ricky. This is Arvind from southern India. Nice to follow you on your latest trip to Japan on you tube. That Kansuke koi farm trip was just amazing. As per your guidance, have been feeding saki hikari growth 75% & colour 25% for the 45 koi in my Outdoor pond of 45,000 litre capacity. The fishes have grown from 30cm to 50cm+ on an average in the past 4 to 6 months with 5 times a day feed for 10 to 12 mins per feed. They are all Nisai. They have put on decent body shape & weight. My aim is to get them to 75 to 80cm. What should I do from now on Ricky? Continue with the same procedure or decrease the feed a bit?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Hi Arvind, Glad you liked Kansuke, it’s a great place. I think the issue for you will be temperature. Is the water warm 12 month of the year because of your climate? If the water is above 20c you need to be feeding the same diet.

[@arvindganapathi7173]

Yes Ricky the water temperature pretty much stays between 28 to 31 degree celsius all through the year. So I guess I will continue with the same diet as per your guidance. Thanks a lot. With lots of love & passion from Animoor, Tamil Nadu, Southern India ♥ 👍

[@adamscott5144]

The drum is just undersized for your stocking levels, the flow rates of the drum will be based on normal stocking levels so not at all relevant to what you are needing to achieve, a bad representation of a great bit of kit!!

[@wills1206]

To true.. its like buying a Ford Fiesta to tow a caravan! Would do the job but would be a mess! Not suited to the size of the job that drum. But Of course, it’s the products fault! Not the user 🙄🙄

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Quite fascinated by your reply. I just had to rewatch the video to see what I’d actually said. It seems I said exactly what you’ve written and stated my experiences to raise awareness that they’re not what a lot of people say they are. I also stated what purpose I think they best serve. If I had really want to talk badly about them I would have mentioned the brand and the fact that the motors constantly fail, cleaning pumps break and floats are always failing. Like you say however great bit of kit.

[@mikeemyersss5477]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi the drums will fail if they’re under stress all the time! Like anything. It’s user error like will said above! Can tell by your videos that you’re pretty stubborn and it’s your way and only your way that is right! Makes my piss boil! 😂

[@KA-om9oz]

@@mikeemyersss5477 then why watch? You seem like a Karen.

[@Gobrian44]

How deep are these koi ponds?

[@JamesTHEKOIwhisperer123]

To be honest don’t look like that Drum has been clean for awhile can’t see it gets that bad in one week ? Crazy 😜

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

That was a week to the day.

[@JamesTHEKOIwhisperer123]

Crazy 😜 must be feeding 20k a week in there but it looks like a small drum what size is it

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

@@JamesTHEKOIwhisperer123 just over 2kg a day so a fair bit. Not sure on the size but was sold based on flow rates. You don’t often see manufacturers quoting them based on stocking and feeding unless something has changed.

[@richardmullins1656]

Buy a drum where you can place the uv inside the drum, no need to jet wash the screen or use acid🙃

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Thanks 👍

[@KoiKicks]

Great insight Ricky, over 200 per month per set up for a shower 😒😮, have you tried one set up without a shower to see if there is a worthy benefit? I'd assume its not that big due to you having the k1 Chambers. Think I'll shut mine down soon for the winter and start it up in spring like I did last year. You didn't mention pond temp and heat?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

All 8 ponds in here run without the showers for years. 4 of them still do and I get superb results. The showers were added because of the extreme feeding and summer conditions. I needed to increase turnover, bio capacity and degassing capacity. Ponds without the shower though still are producing great results which leads to my conclusion that in most cases they are not essential. Certainly not needed in winter.

[@KoiKicks]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi I've come to the same conclusion, also agree on the down side of showers needing big turnover through them. I think the next few years will see a change or reduction of type of equipment used due to electricity costs.

[@OrchardKoi]

Great insight, when you say k1? Are you actually using the EA branded stuff or a commercially produced mbbr media? if so Where do you get that? Interesting on thendrum I'm sure through all their testing they never considered a pond with your feeding levels.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Hi Dave Only genuine K1. With the drums I think it goes to prove they are overkill for most hobbyist ponds as they’re never really put under any pressure. Therefore quoting them on flow rates works.

[@simonward3861]

Hi Ricky interesting video as usual. You mention drums could be overkill for most hobbyists. What filtration would you recommend and why. Mines 10,000 litres with a combi drum always having to adjust for it to run correctly . Used to run bottom drain into vortex then ea bead. Sometimes wish I had hadn’t changed.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Watch the Q&A video from tonight.

[@garystevens5549]

For actual flow rates of your ponds, do you go by manufacturers rating (I.e. 10,000 lpm .), or do you physically measure the return flow into a bucket ( I.e. 15 litre bucket filled in 10 seconds.)?

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

Hi Gary If you’ve seen my other videos you probably have gathered I don’t spend time measuring details like that. It’s quoted from the pump so figures will be less and figures quoted are approximate.

[@garystevens5549]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi just like I thought, relying on the many years of experience and gut feeling.😉

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

@@garystevens5549 can’t beat it!

[@thepeoplespond]

Let’s see the secret ponds with the weapons 😉😂🙄

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

🤔

[@thepeoplespond]

That’s a maybe then lol 😂

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

@@thepeoplespond I’m good at hiding stuff in plain sight so no need for secret ponds 😳

[@thepeoplespond]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi Touché 😂

[@skeggy]

As my old man used to say K.I.S.S.

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

?

[@skeggy]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi keep it simple stupid 👍

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

@@skeggy 😂

[@skeggy]

@@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi 😎

[@japankoiimport]

i agree with the Oase drum as they are fully wet tested and are German high build quality and come with a THREE-YEAR warranty but with testimonials from genuine customers that have previously purchased a ?????? drum without mentioning any brands (as i will complement a good product/brand but will not knock a product or manufacturer that can simply alter/modify their product to overcome their issues) but i will give one BIG example 40watt amalgam UV a@ £49.00 from one manufacturer readily available or £145.00 from an exclusive manufacturer google it if you think i am FIBBING

[@Ricky_Stoddart_Koi]

👍