This is the second year for my pond. Last year we struggled a little to get the water clear, but by adding bacteria pretty aggressively the water was pretty much crystal clear by this time of the season - I also don't remember the water being this brown.
Pond size is around 26,000 gallons (smaller top pond, connected via a stream bed/waterfall to a bigger lower pond - about a 10ft vertical drop). We have two pumps with a filter mat in each skimmer box. I have about the same number of plants as last year, although since we can't see the bottom I don't know how the submerged plants are doing. The entire pond liner is covered with pebbles, no bottom drain. We have comet goldfish (about 30 or so - can't count since water is too brown) and a few mosquito fish. The fish and plants seem to be doing really well, and the water tests great. I'd just rather have clear water than this brown muck - and I'd like to see the fish other than just at feeding time :)
Any suggestions?
What do I do about my iced-tea colored water?
What type of filter do you have besides the skimmer boxes? Was this a professional installation and if it was have you asked the installer for any assistance? Twenty six thousand gallons is an enormous pond. I can't imagine what kind of filtration that must require.
Yes, it was a professional installation, but the installer is AWOL :( We have been unable to find a pond service willing to travel to our area for maintenance work, so now I am attempting to acquire the necessary knowledge.
Oops - typo on pond size - should be 16,000 gallons.
There is no filtration other than a mat in each of the skimmer boxes - the mat is about an inch thick and looks like some kind of stiff batting. This is what the installer put in. I can't imagine that there is anything else for filtration - we take the pumps out for the winter, and then it's just two empty black plastic boxes. There is a plastic frame that the filtration mat rests on. The mat does get dirty and we hose it down from time to time, but it I imagine it needs to be replaced? I'm not sure what to buy as a replacement though (or where). There are no pond stores in our area, so I prefer to order online.
What is the brand and capacity of the skimmer boxes? I think you may be seriously underfiltered. Time to get a reliable installer or start researching how you can add a filter your self. Did the installer leave any printed information on the system installation? Where are the skimmers located in relation to the pond and what is the pumping capacity of the pumps? Do you know how much head you have for each pump? What I'm after here is the turn rate of the water. What is the depth of the pond? Are there planting shelves?
With only 30 comets in 16,000 gals you should not have any water quality issues. Too few fish for a large volume of water. The plants plus the bacteria growing among the pebbles are currently acting as your biological filter. They are prosessing the fish waste. The problem is very most likely inadequate filtration and flow. Somehow you have to find a way to add a good filter for biological filtration as well as removing particles that cloud the water. Have you ever had an aquarium or have you read up on the nitrogen cycle in a pond? Can I assume you didn't let any leaves that might have fallen in the pond stay there?
I have a tiny pond (4500 gallons) compared to yours and I have dirty looking water from time to time but I have a lot more filtration than you. I have 3 filter mats, 4 bags of barley three bags of volcanic rock and the very last thing the water passes through prior to going down the falls is two bags of carbon. Also, I have learned that not all brands of bacteria are created equal - my old brand might have been old and "off" but I just bought a new brand and within 2 days the pond cleared up nicely. Try different brands and get more filtration. Also, are you doing water changes? Put your pump at the bottom and drain off the dirty poop and food from the bottom where most of the fish stay/hide. I didn't do that aggressively enough and ended up killing fish (even though all my water parameters were great). The rain has made the ponds very murky plus it's my understanding that rainwater isn't the greatest for the pond. This is my first season with the pond and I lost 11 koi about 13 days ago and I have been really working on improving conditions here in the pond and have been asking a lot of questions on forums as well as vets and so called "pond experts". There is a lot of "misinformation" out there and I find it very frustrating but if you ask enough questions you will see "trends" and can determine who to trust. Good luck and let me know how is goes!
mothermole - I'm so glad you're doing better! About water changes, some are good, too many can actually keep upsetting the pond balance. I do 35% twice a year, but my pond is much smaller (2500 gals) and I have agressive filtration in terms of biological filtering capacity and turn rate. The point about pumping out the water from the lowest point where all the crud collects is probably the most important part of the water change. This is my seventh year. It really takes a pond two full seasons before it becomes a healthy balanced aquatic ecosystem. By the third year it should have come in. Expect to still be working on finding the right bacteria for your situation, the right schedule of filter cleanings, what your fish load does to encourage algae and how aggresive to be with water changes for at least another season.
My advice to first year ponders is to keep your fish load low, get a few water plants, let the filters come in, keep the filters clean (without destroying the nitryfying bacteria of course), make sure you don't let any leaves collect on the bottom and let the pond find it's balance. It will tell you what to do.
My preference for bacteria is MicrobeLift PL. For algae, especially that pesky string algae that UV lights won't handle, is Aquascapes S.A.B. S.A.B. Extreme is very good at breaking down pond crud, lifting the crud off the bottom and getting it in the water column where it can be filterd out. It reduces the need for pond vacuming or water changes. (I also keep my pond salted to .01, but that's not going to do anything for potgieter's problem today. )
The first two years are really learning years. By the third, you know what your pond needs and when to do it. Then you can safely start pushing the fish load with all those gorgeous koi.
Snapple-I'm learning to trust myself and my own judgement. If I smell something around the pond too fishy or worse I now know something is not right. I just started with that same bacteria (Microlift PL). This is what I was referring to as my "new better bacteria that I can see a difference with". It actually works (my old one really didn't seem to do anything.
BTW, my three Amigos are still hanging in there. I was supposed to take them to the vet today but I went with my gut feeling and what I see them doing in the pond and told the vet "no" because I didn't want to stress them by trying to catch them. All three are "schooling" and eating and swimming around although they are a little scared with it only being the three of them. "Goldilocks" (my son named her . . .) is the one with the big ulcer and it is half the size of last week and not all red and raw. She also have what appears to be "new scales growing" as her ulcer side is whitish-but not fuzz or fungus-it looks like it is healing and she/he is spunkier.
Thanks for the info on the pond-nice to know the first 2 years are trial and error, otherwise I might want to give up!!!!lOL!
You're not a giver-upper mothermole! Besides, you havn't fallen in yet. Losing a favorite koi is the unfortuate part of ponding that nearly everyone goes through. That's behind you. But, until you take an unxpected dip, or at least come close, you ain't a ponder. Or maybe I just like to think that because last year I took a dunk and think everyone should do it.
potgieter - we'll quit gabbing here and get back to the topic at hand - your ice tea colored water. I forgot to add that filter matting should be cleaned frequently. Every three days or so at least in warm weather. Do you have an extra pump that can get the water from the deepest part of the pond to do a partial water change?
Snapple-I don't clean my filter pads-that would be a lot of hard work-I have all these very very heavy bags of volcanic rock and then the carbon. How do you clean yours-just a rinse with a hose and a sprayer?
Yup - they just rinse off with the hose. There are two pads, one in the skimmer and one in the biofilter. They get hosed clean about every three days. The loose material in the biofilter that sustains the bacteria I take out and shake off the chunks of dead algae and just plain gunk about every ten days or so. I don't clean it with the hose until about July. Cleaning it with chlorinated water can kill the bacteria and I could lose the filter. By late June/ earlyJuly I feel there is enough good bacteria all through the pond to compensate for any lost in the cleaning. I also drain the biofilter ( it has a bottom drain) at every cleaning. When I talk about the pond "coming in" I'm talking about the biofilm that eventually forms on all underwater surfaces. It's important. It sustains a lot of good bacteria necessary to filter the water. It takes time for this to develop. Too frequent water changes disrupts the establishment of the biolfilm. If you want to ensure a source of nitryfying bacteria place a couple of smooth granite rocks here and there. They provide an excellent surface for good bacteria to grow. Granite wont leach anything into the pond water to upset the pH. If the rocks are deep enough some bacteria can survive over the winter and kick start the biolfilter in the spring. They will get algae covered and develop a slimy surface but that's good. If you buy potted water lilys from a pond store maybe you can get some that were in ponds or tanks with fish. That's a source of good bacteria too. It's all about keeping the good bacteria and not allowing any muck or debris ( like leaves) to build up. And, like you I use activated carbon. It pulls out any pollutants and really polishes the water.
Starting a new pond is tricky. You need fish waste to give the necessary bacteria food. But too much fish waste for the volume of water that has not grown enough bacteria yet results in ammonia and then nitrite. Both are fish killers or cause weakened immune systems and they subcome to something else.
The reason potgeiter isnt having fish trouble yet without a biofilter is because of the low volume of fish to water plus the gravel/pebble bottom acting as a biofilter. Eventually the gunk buildup could overwhelm the whole system. It is definitely the source of the discolored water.
We do have an extra pump. If I do a partial water change, how much water should I change?
Our installer did not leave any paper work at all - not even the pump warranties and we had to replace one of them last fall :( It started making a most alarming very loud noise.
The size of the skimmer boxes is about 2ft by 1.5ft and there are two of them - I think they're about 2ft deep. There is no filter material in the return boxes into the upper pond - and those boxes are covered with bluestone paving, which can be taken up with a crowbar and a lot of manpower, but not something to undertake lightly. The flow rate of each pump is 92 GPM - I think that's sufficient - the water seems to move quickly.
We did cover the ponds with netting in the fall, but not the stream/fall between the ponds. There probably are a few leaves at the bottom, but I don't imagine a lot. There is visibility about 1ft down, so the planting platforms are visible and they don't have leaves on them - maybe a couple of tiny ones, but nothing that you would notice without close inspection. There are probably more maple seeds than leaves at the bottom - I have seen some of those on the planting platform.
Assuming our pond is under-flitrated, what can we do about it that won't cost a fortune, and that is doable by amateur homeowners?
Thank you so much, snapple, for all your input!
ps - I counted the goldfish at feed time yesterday and I counted 38. We only bought 35 initially and I figured some of them must have died, but maybe not - or at least only one or two. I saw about 4 that were about half the size of the others, so I assume those were last season's offspring.
Oh - on the bacteria: We also like Microbe Lift PL - I buy that by the gallon :) I also add a few other brands from time to time to get a good cross selection. I will look into the Aquascapes - we have some sting algae but not a lot. I remove it by hand once a week or so. It's mostly in the upper pond - I'm assuming because the fish are in the lower pond and eat it.
About goldfish - they BREED! My original 4 in 4 years turned into over 100. (All gone now - they make great fertilizer.)
You are seriously underfilterd. Can you post pictures of the current placement of the skimmers and the return boxes? The return boxes should have been biofilters. No - I wouldn't want to take up bluestone to install a proper biofilter either. But, one or better two , HAVE to go somewhere and the best place for filtration and proper circulation is as far away from the intake pumps as possible.
There are all kinds of biofilters available. There has to be one style that would fit your situation. Are there no experienced reliable professional pond installers anywhere in your area? It might be possible to interrupt the return lines and plumb in above ground filters, maybe bead or bubble filters which are terrific. Boy, if you want to see clean water wait until you see one of those babys at work! However esthetically you would want a way to screen them from view. The link below is just for general information. There are others on this forum who use bead filters and swear by them. It's one the very best forms of filtration you can get. If my Savio tub style biofilter ever needs replacing this is what I'm going to install. However the Savio is extremely durable and I'll probably never have to do that.
Bubble/Bead filters are about the only above ground filter that can handle your pond volume and flow rate from the pumps, which I think you would rate at 5520 gph. For two return lines you would need one large filter that can handle the combined flow or two smaller ones, each dedicated to a single return line. Without looking at the plumbing it's hard to tell.
http://www.webbsonline.com/catalog/aquadyne/#ultima
Try not to keel over with price shock. Remember the alternative is the pickaxe. If you choose the pickaxe the possibilities are many. And way cheaper on the wallet.
Snapple-can you post a picture of how this biofilter is connected to your pond system? I don't have anything like that on my pond. I will try and get a picture of my waterfall and filters at the top and then my skimmer basket at the bottom to give you an idea of what I have. It will have to be tomorrow though!
Link for diagram of waterfall biological filter.
The photo is 2006. (Can't find any more recent that show the waterfall when it's installed.)
It's a really sturdy, easy to operate and maintain system. The skimmer filter is located directly opposite the waterfall on the other side of the pond. I have nothing but praise for the quality. I would change to a bead filter though if I had to replace it. Only because I love big koi and they like, they demand, ultra filtration and a bead filter can really do the job. It's just a ton more expensive.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8530
I think we will renew our search for pond installers/maintenance people. There aren't any close by that handle anything other than tiny pond installations - and nothing for maintenance, even of small ponds. I think if we try out of state we might have more luck - I just need to start calling and find somebody willing to travel almost an hour.
This all sounds way over our heads - maybe in the future we will become more experienced, but we've just been thrown in the deep end ;) And yes, those bead filters are expensive! If we could find somebody to do installation and trust that they would be installed correctly I guess we would look into it, but installing one of those ourselves is not something I foresee in our immediate future :) If we can't find anybody to fix our filtration issue than I will revisit that idea, but I think finding a good pond person seems the best bet right now.
I did get out the original quote for our pond installation from the disappearing installer and see that it specifically mentioned installing two biofilters - guess he omitted that part, and we, as completely ignorant brand new pond owners, didn't know. Live and learn.
Thank you SO much for all your help. It's greatly appreciated.
potgeiter, knowing the problem is knowing the solution. Please post when you get it resolved. You would not regret installing bead filters (once the bank balance heals up). But, the less expensive alternatives certainly have much to recommend. I suggest you do an internet search of pond biofilters that will handle your pumping capacity of 92 gpm or 5520 gph and a minimum of 1/2 pond volume of 8000 -10,000. The pond volume puts your needs at the upper end of the spectrum. Then you will be familiar with what's available and better able to understand whatever a pond installer might proprose. Your situation isnt' bleak, expensive maybe, but not bleak. For the present keep the filter matts clean and don't add any fish. You could also vacuum the bottom and do a partial water change. Keep adding the MicroliftPL.
A properly filtered and maintained pond with that kind of volume can be an absoute joy.