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catfishhoward

Well pump on 24/7 for Flow Through Koi Pond

2 years ago

I have a 6700 gallon pool which I'll be putting koi fish in and I will need to flow well water 24/7 through the pool (well water in pool, then in filter, then out on ground) for about a month or so until the pool filter system gets the beneficial bacteria growth to take care of the ammonia.


Don't know much about my well depth or pump size. The well pump kicks on around 50 psi and turns off around 75 psi.


I heard its better to run the pump 24/7 rather than have it cycle on/off all the time? If this is true is it better on the pump to run it at 50 psi rather than 30 psi? Would it cost more in electric bill to run it at 30 psi vs 50 psi or is the wattage the same? Not sure what water flow I need as of now since the fish aren't in the pool yet.


As for my pool filter pump: I have a 7000 GPH pump which might be to much water flow for my 3 barrel K1 filter system so is there a wattage regulator switch I can hook up to the pump to reduce the flow to say around 3500 GPH?












Comments (6)

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I recognize that pump / well.

    You probably don't want to run your pump full-on 24/7 for a month or so because of the electricity, the water, and the wear on the pump. Your well itself (not just the pump) will likely limit the amount of water you pump over a period of time. I'm no fish guy, but I also question the amount of oxygen in the water if you are replacing it that often.

    Find out what kind of flow rate you need for your fish and throttle the output of your pump accordingly by restricting the water flow with a valve and let it cycle.

    Alternately, set up a timer system so that your pump runs for a determined period of time.

    If you need a full change of water every day (!?!) and your well is capable of 10 gpm, running it for a total of 10 hours a day spaced out over even intervals would do it.

    catfishhoward thanked Jake The Wonderdog
  • 2 years ago

    I ran the well water into my 3/4 acre pond I have 24/7 for about 4 day and it held pressure at 18 psi really good. The pipe going to the pond is 1-1/4" but the pvc going to my pool is only 3\4". I just started to fill the pool and the water temp was 70 degrees and it ran about 14 GPM at 37 psi.


    Good point on the oxygen, mine well water oxygen tested at 6 out of the spray bar I have the well water coming from plus I will have air stones in the pool.


    I have a timer so I could use it to space out intervals refills during the day but I'm worried about a temp change since our daily temps are around 90 degrees and the well water is at 70 degrees? I also heard the its better to run the pump 24/7 if you have the water to do so, at least that's what two koi farms told me but I'm sure they have larger pumps?

  • 2 years ago

    I'm not familiar with this brand of pump but am highly suspicious of the specifications and reviews posted. It says it’a ”Amphibious”, ”used for diving or land”. What the heck does that mean?

    ”AMPHIBIOUS - Our fully submersible water pump is functions at 100% in fountains, ponds, aquariums, hydroponics, and other small waters. Our functional and versatile design can be used for diving or land, giving users needed flexibility.”

    It doesn’t list the size solids it can pass. Instead, it says monthly cleaning is necessary or else the warranty is voided.

    “Note: Our pump requires routine maintenance, if your water is very dirty, please check the maintenance video and clean the pump rotor every month. If the routine maintenance is neglected, warranty is null and void.”

    I’ve not seen this language before on a submersible pump and I’ve had a pond since 1998.

    Buyer beware.

    catfishhoward thanked jrb451
  • 2 years ago

    I'm not really worried about the 7000 GPH pump since it can be maintained and replace at a low cost and easily but the well pump is the main point of the thread. If it goes out i'm with out water or a week minimum and out of pocket thousands.


    Does anyone know if it's better to run a well pump at 37 psi or 50 psi? And is it better on the well pump to run it 24/7 or run it for 1 hr every other hour?

  • 2 years ago

    You aren't going to choose if you can run at 37 or 50 psi - so it's a non-issue. That's going to be determined by the flow restrictions. Fewer gpm, the higher the pressure.

    Reasonable stops and starts are fine (evey other hour). What is hard on a pump is to start and stop every time the faucet turns on - which it does when the pressure tank is waterlogged.