Sorry sheepco - I've been offline all week. Thanks for your kind compliment. I really love to sit there in the evening, watch fish do their chasing, listen to the water and STL Card's games whilst doing 12 oz. curls. :^> I cannot find the tag for the blue pot's plant. It had a single 'tail' when I bought it at end of planting season sale. The darker purplish color plays well with the white fence, green plants, flowers, yes? Today I await the end of rain to run out and finish some skippy rework. My bottom grate (now flimsy ceiling light grid) is getting replaced with 1" thick, 2"x2" grid and new mesh on that. Then the plastic strapping I use for bio media on top of the mesh. Other plumbing changes to simplify my life.

Last year my 1/2 whiskey barrel skippy (~30ga) kept my 300ga pond very clean, I ran a 640gph pump thru it, only about a 3' lift. Lots of plants help, and a light fish load (six 6" goldfish/comets). I also made a prefilter that that needed to be cleaned frequently during the spring algae bloom, then all at once when the water cleared I just removed it. After that I had clear water all summer. The "stuff" on the scrubbies is ok. Good bacteria (and some waste) live there. Many people clean theirs, I never do (except to dump it out in the fall for winter). I don't know if there's a calculation for size of skippy vs. size of pond, but IMHO you could/should go bigger, and/or get a bigger pump. I think I read somewhere you want to turn the water over at least once per hour - meaning you would need at least an 800gph pump, and that's before taking into account the skippy, fountain, falls, etc. I can see you might easily go even bigger. I sounds like you're making progress! Don't drain and refill it! You'll just start all over! In general it takes several weeks to let the pond 'cycle' and start to clear. More shade helps at first ( umbrella, lily pads, etc). You're doing all the right things! Keep asking questions, and be patient. Happy ponding! S

samismom, a skippy filter is a DIY pond filter. It is best on small ponds (under 1000 gallons). A submersible pumps sends water down into the bottom of the filter, the water flows up through bio-media and flows out the top either via a waterfall or a pipe. It's very easy to make! Here's a link to skippy web site. This web site will show you how to build one. But do NOT believe the stupid statement they make about never having to clean it because fish poop turns into sand. That is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. Sand is made of silica. The sludge in the bottom of the skippy filter is not sand....it is rotting fish poop and decaying materials. NOT a good thing to keep in your system. So build the filter with a drain as close to the bottom as possible and clean the sludge out a few times a year. Frequent cleaning is a healthy thing. Just don't rinse the bio-media too agressivly or let it dry out while you are cleaning the filter because that will damage the beneficial bacteria that is living on it. Just remember...the good bacteria lives on the bio-media. the bad bacteria is living in the sludge in the bottom of the filter. Here is a link that might be useful: skippy web site

Hey there. If you tilt the incoming pipe ends the way it should be done, the solids should be thrown to the side walls and upward by centrifical force. Sorry I can't give you any advice on the pumps. I have a Laguna 5000 and it does an adequate job as described on the box but I have had no experience with the others. Sandy