> No one has answered me this
No-one can really answer unless you do a water test. Yes, it looks like it's low on oxygen in warm water, but who knows?
Get this, or lose fish: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255NCI/
Ok, so I did what you suggested and jumped in (figuratively). Here's what I learned:
What pump are you running on that BioSmart 5000? I read the specs and it says the flow rate is 1450 gph. I hope you are at least running that although it is still too small if you stock the pond with koi. I don't know the product but it looks like a simple sponge filter that gets water passed through it in different chambers. It says it can support 5000 gallons with 'NO FISH' but 1250 gallons 'with koi' so you are still under-filtered.
As a temporary aid, you can run these sponge filters at various locations in addition to your current filter. It will 1) aid with water movement 2) add aeration to the water 3) increase your biological load capacity.
Also check this out for pump sizing guide. Hope this helps. It's going to getter hotter in the coming months with decreased oxygen levels so what you're looking out for is smart. Good luck.
Sure. This is a 4x6x4 emersed box pond setup and I built a pergola over it after uploading this video. DIY dual k1 media filters with bottom toilet drain.
I use a night owl 8 channel wireless system. I cut a hole at the base of the emersed frame part and siliconed the camera bubble 4". https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L6GLTNP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IFiNFbXXAQNBV?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
blanketweed or green water? got a few photos?
barley straw doesn't do much as it is, it needs to start rotting basically to have any effect, barley straw extract might help a bit but I've found it very hit and miss and never found one that is consistently useful.
That 5w UV is only going to be much use once you are on top of it all. Main issues will be sun and food, and that sludge buster is just turning the fishpoo and rotting stuff back into plant food, the algae is probably loving it.
If it's blanket weed, you can at least get your hands in there, or get your self a 'twiddling pole' and start lifting it out, leave it on the side for a day so any critters can crawl back in, in a way it's doing you a favour by using up all the abundance of food, cropping it will eventually start having an impact, but also start doing a water change, not just topping up, actually get rid of about 10% every few days and replace it, for a couple of weeks. (stick a bit of tap water conditioner in as you do it)
I guess until we know more it's tough to offer more.
Was this neglected for a while maybe and over full of sludge?, overstocked?, other plants in there?, what filter?
I tried a new treatment this year when the blanket weed got bad - but I couldn't find it on US amazon and it's not very friendly to ponds with a lot of other plants and wildlife other than fish, worked wonders for me though. Use with care, it did its job, but other floating plants I had in there had a bit of a rough ride.
I can't remember the exact website we bought it from the mfg directly, but it's on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Folding-Koi-Breeding-Quarantine/dp/B00E0OJTFO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8 I only use it for a few hours every year on average.
You can look on Amazon or even Home Depot and Lowes sell Filter and Pump Kits. Something like this might work for you.
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Sorry to hear this. It's an easy mistake to make and could happen to anyone. I would take a few days and then start over. Also I used this and it could prevent the problem you experienced for about $15: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006FLGHGE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’d recommend you add some sort of bubbler. Fish can survive only a day maybe two in a bucket. Also, in respect to how fast dropsy becomes irreversible, I’d go to your local aquarium store and pick one up rather than ordering online. I usually only change about %30 of the water after a week in a quarantine tank with an aerator.
Kanaplex is an antibiotic and it’s much more important that the treatment be administered daily. If you skip a day, then it all goes to waste. Dropsy is a nasty thing.
Our orange black koi also had similar greyish patches on its head and fin. I got Melafix and that treated the infection. Hope this helps.
All the kinds of mosquito fish I know have a similar problem. I use bullhead minnows, and they populate like crazy. But they do seem to reach a balance, eventually, and they do solve the mosquito problem. Sadly, they can't get into my bog filters, so I have to use this stuff in the pond: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001AUF8G/
Cost effective, I use about a quarter cup every two weeks.
I've never known plant based remedies to work. Bats will help with mosquitoes that fly at dawn and dusk, but aren't much help during the day. Dragonflies are good as well. But fish and bits are really the things to use.
There's no way I'd put a predatory fish in with my koi.
We got this one from Amazon that’s worked pretty well. We were able to identify and treat a fluke while our koi were in a holding tank during winter cleaning.
This good resource to identify the parasite.
Net the fish that is flashing and get 3-5 scrapes, use a credit card or something similar so you grab the slime coat, but not harming the scales. Sedating the fish might be easiest if you’re having issues getting a decent sample. Treat the entire pond but only if you know the exact volume of water.
https://www.123ponds.com/tp16783.html
I wouldn’t mess with chemicals unless you have to. Koi are pretty hardy and can handle most tap water - but it really depends on the water quality where you live.
I would also suggest a UV filter to avoid algae blooms.
Your uv light isn't big enough to kill the alge or your pump isn't big enough. You need to figure what your max gph your uv light can handle . If it was working like it should your water should be brown bc of dead alge. I think I saw that you had a 900 gallon pond? You should add a bunch of plants to so they will eat the nitrogen to starve the alge. I would also add another form of filtration and pump. I feel like for 150 bucks you could easily completely turn all of your water over every hour . https://www.amazon.com/CANVUNTHY-Pressure-Filter-Fish-Garden/dp/B09MY72HQ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_18_sspa?crid=1NVAZCIS7XGJF&keywords=uv+light+plus+filter+for+koi+ponds&pscroll=1&qid=1658336452&sprefix=uv+light+plus+filter+for+koi+ponds%2Cap...
This little fella with prob get you right with what you already have and it'll leave enough for you to buy another small pump. When your water turns brown buy a can of calcium clay and it will bond to your dead alge and drop it to the bottom. It's organic so it won't hurt your water, ecosystem, or fish.
You're welcome! Good luck! They are a lot of fun and pretty easy to care for. They've brought my wife and I a ton of joy.
I also recommend this book as a nice guide to have at hand. It's very well designed, has tons of diagrams and photos, and is genuinely interesting.
Can you share a pic of your pond? You didn’t mention fish or other wildlife, otherwise we would also need to consider their contribution to the nitrogen cycle encouraging algae growth. Also, do you have specs on the water volume and the pump’s throughput?
Another thing which I’ve heard mixed things about is the use of barley straw or extract. This is what I use (purchased at my local Ace Hardware): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006JLXGA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5C47VAZ6ZG658ZJGW2ZM I can’t say for certain if it has had a significant effect in my pond, but it’s not expensive so I figure it can’t hurt to keep using it every year.
Fair enough. I inherited a very large pond and well established pond that's can clearly handle have more stocking density. My plan is to monitor for a year, find the peaks stresses and plan adding more fish based on these measurements. For biosecurity reasons, I'd prefer to do it in larger batches with proper quarantines from single sources (trying to get as close to 'all-in' epidemiology principles as possible) [1]. Tracking closely for a year I hope will give me a good idea of maximum environmental stressors in the pond I should expect. So it's more about future projections than chasing issues/micromanaging.
A secondary issue is the nutrition needs improvement. I have a huge variation in fish sizes despite similar ages. I want to get everyone access to food without creating a lot of waste and that's obviously very temperature dependent.
[1] Clinical Guide to Fish Medicine has a great quarantine protocol for anybody interested.
I’m pretty sure it was these ones, they also change color if you want
Large rocks are fine, its the pebbled ground and small rocks that would need to go. Also get a test kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DJNN0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Definetly reach out to your local club they will be a ton of help.
No typically waste accumates on the bottom of the pond and will just sit there without a drain and plumbing to an external filter. Its's possible you may not need one if pond is understocked and underfed, but someone in the koi club will def know. Koi are water pigs that poop constantly they are extremly messy and this little pond may best be served with goldfish which are more managable. I would def get a 40lpm (at least) bubbler in the pond asap.
Your fish are struggling because of parasites which ones I couldn’t tell you for 100% certain. If you have taken scrapes I a specialist and he’s only found such. You shouldn’t be loosing fish IF you’ve adequately treated the pond.
You have blanket algae too much nitrogen in the water.
If you can get your self a salinity meter and dose the pond with a lot of salt. This will kill off 7/9 parasites, it’ll also reduce the amount of energy required for osmosis in the fish.
I’m on my second one of these, after the first lasted several years. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JLJC0W/ I keep it on a brick under an overturned bucket to keep it out of the elements directly (obviously not an air tight covering) and leave it running continuously throughout the year.
https://www.amazon.com/Medo-LA-45-Piston-Air-Pump/dp/B01J24ARVG/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B01J24ARVG&psc=1 - This one "came with" our Koi pond and has been outside in the elements for 3 years with no issues, currently under a couple inches of snow and purring like a kitten.
Chloramine is a compound mix of chlorine and ammonia.
2ppm of Chlorine will take around 110 hours to evaporate from 10gallons of tap water. Aeration, uv filters and circulation will speed the process up no end.
But the ammonia will have to be filtered out, remember this will produce extra biological load on your filter.
Equally you can just get a bottle of tap water purifier, cheap and simple. linky You can’t overdose with this stuff.
I filled my 500,000+ltr (135,000gal) with tap and rain water it was left for about 1-2 year before we put koi in. Safety first.
No. Rock salt contains impurities / trace elements that the fish will pick up if used in large enough quantities.
Buy swimming pool salt or water softener. salt
We use ones like this. Unless you get a lot sticks and leaves it will normally not have any issues.
Terada PX150 Submersible Pump for Waste Filled Water Non-Automatic 60Hz https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B002P8E6GO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_H4CT644YNRP2KXMKGHGP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Some folks use bentonite for this. Others might try dumping in a couple gallons of accuclear: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006G5I64/
But the real source of your problem is the filtration system. Fix or upgrade that, and you'll fix your water quality problems.
There are also sort of floating mesh nets that can surround the plants to protect them. Kind of like this.
For comparison, I've got 9 koi probably 8-16" and I probably throw away and have 4 3foot circles full of plants on my pond. It probably doubles in quantity every two weeks. I have to toss a bunch.
For sure - I was gonna get these instead of the lava rock.
I have some canister filters and they work well. I have the lava rock at the bottom just for extra bacteria generation. Its right around the intake and the return, so there's lots of movement, but I want more filtration and more oxidation in the water and the more I read about the bakki filter, I think it's a great low cost solution.
I just built one this last month, and I'm very happy with the result.
My pond is approximately 1500 gallons and I'm using the tough black tubs with the yellow lids that you see everywhere. I think mine are 7 gallons.
I did lava rock in the bottom for the growth of healthy bacteria, and I've been experimenting with the top laters of filter media. So far, the media has been too fine and my pump was plugging it about 2x a day..
I just picked these up on Amazon, and they've been done excellent job so far
AQUANEAT Aquarium Bio Sponge Set... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HVPDFPQ
My ultimate plan is to incorporate my bakki system into my waterfall so it's a little less visible, but for now I have it suspended over my pond on 2x4s that way if it leaks or fails, I don't lose any water.
You can get a hose-end water meter for about twenty bucks Here. I have a pond that I calculated to be 5000 gallons...Turns out it was 3250 gallons.
Hi,
I have an outdoor pond (with bigger fishes) and using a pool that I converted to an indoor one for the baby kois. They are 6 of them approximately 4-6 inches. These results are of the converted pool.
Here is the exact link to that pool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y49GJX4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_6DDRYTRB2MYKHSA3EW0W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This set up has been in place for 4 wks now. Filter changes wkly, running 24/7. However, I changed it twice in the last 4 days due to noticing top was covered. Feeding fishes 2-3x daily. Water temp is 72F.
I did noticed a lot of food hidden between rocks despite the water being clear.
Prior to all this, about a week ago I noticed the fishes all staying to the bottom and in one corner.
Will change 50% of water. Thank you so much!
if your pump will fit this is easy / cheap
I use this one in advance of my other filter
I used bird netting strung tight over the surface of the water. It kept the herons away, you could barely see it, and it also kept leaves out.
Look into this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006YG12F6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glc_fabc_ZC4PZ55XNHHZZNNPPP6D
They used to make a pond kind. But i cant find it. I used this after each major change. Loss of bacteria thats whats going on rn.
Your right. I've done a ton of research and I just can't find what I'm looking for. Here's the camera that I did have and I loved it. https://www.amazon.com/Aquascape-81054-Underwater-Camera-Optics/dp/B013XJJUZK
If you use a plant ring with netting like this (https://www.amazon.com/Nycon-Floating-Protector-NYCRFID2-round/dp/B001ODZ8KY) then they can't eat them. Once the hyacinth get established in a few weeks they reproduce so quickly you will be using them for compost. Interestingly enough, they are one of the few species with no built-in controls and left alone will consume all resources until the entire colony dies out.
I use the ring until they start growing and a month later I'm pulling them out by the pound. Luckily my pond was in MA (we recently moved) so the weather would take care of them in the end.
Thought I’d provide you with help. SaltyMcSalt This will be the cheapest salt you should be looking for. I use it on my ponds, swimming pool and water softener :)
As your in uk I suggest you test you water quality, even tho you stated the previous owner had an extensive filtration setup, you can still have bad elements.
Is it natural mud (clay) or lined pond ? If it’s lined buy some medi clay to help improve ionisation of bad bacteria.
Add salt (helps osmosis, reduces energy requirements for nutrient uptake) Heat the pond but read the link I sent above on daily increments. And please do not feed the fish in winter Unless it’s a good quality food similar to hikari
Like somebody else said NO treatments will work in water cooler than 50°f.
PH test sticks, have a good supply of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), Koi Pond Algaefix, and salt. I'll try to make a video of everything we used to build the filtration and getting the water right!
Just a cheaper salt instead of pond salt £30 20lb parasalt
£11.62 25kg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hydrosoft-GRAN25KG-Salt-Bag/dp/B07K4QTC8Q
Been using this for a few years.
Add some mediclay to your water to add micro minerals. https://www.amazon.co.uk/NT-Labs-Mediclay-1-5kg-1500g/dp/B003ZG8SZK
In the UK I think we call it 'Blanket' weed. Evil nasty stuff to get rid of, but over a decade of trying different things, Blanket Answer is utterly amazing! Even with 18 inch long strings of algae this stuff just dissolves it all. Makes the water milky for a day or so but not a single fish has ever complained.
Last few years just a treatment in Spring and the algae is gone for the rest of the year. Seriously Blanket Answer is the very best stuff out there. IMHO.
Yes, salt will remove the slime coat at high concentrations, but at lower therapeutic levels, it actually stimulates the production of slime. But for an outdoor pond in Michigan, I don't think salt is an option - it'll get way too cold.
For treating an outdoor pond of that size, a broad spectrum treatment of malachite green and formalin would be a good start I think. It treats a number of parasites, as well as fungal infections. Also able to use it a low temps. I found this on Amazon:
From what I can tell, it is cheaper than it's competitor, Proform C, while they are both virtually the same ingredients. I can't tell how many pond gallons it treats, but I think that this one gallon purchase will be enough for your pond size.
After getting completely wiped out by a heron, I put a fountain in the middle that shoots about six feet above the water line. I then plugged the fountain in to a motion sensor like this one. You can set the "on time" from 5 seconds, 1 minute or 10 minutes. I use one minute and haven't had a problem since.
My mother in law bought a motion activated sprayer similar to this Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler with Day & Night Detection Modes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009F1R0GC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HcmyDb7X0V19V
She says it's worked better than all other options so far.
Go to a pet store or on amazon to buy a water test. You have no way of knowing your filtration is “very adequate” without it. If koi don’t live in absolutely pristine waters they are so susceptible to disease or succumbing to disease. This could potentially be an easy fix for you. Here’s a link to what I mean:
API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT 800-Test Freshwater Aquarium Water Master Test Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Fv4ZCbHMW1V7Z
Edit to add: koi have an amazing ability to heal on their own when the water is good. Having clear water doesn’t mean the ammonia or nitrates are not sky high. Even with regular water changes I have to watch my ammonia levels.
Yes I haven't had much trouble with the filter pump clogging for whatever reason, whereas the waterfall pump draws leaves in constantly. You need hose to connect all the filters too. Filter pump (external to filter, it sits in the water) is similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YT6D1HK/ref=sspa_dk_detail_7?psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWATER-800-Test-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B0002DJNN0/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1543380798&sr=8-8&keywords=water%2Btest%2Bkit&th=1 works, but also look for a test kit with gH and kH
Is there a way you could use a cable pipe heater like this? You can also use a livestock trough heater to maintain an open area of water so the fish can breathe. Placing the heater near the intake for the waterfalls might be enough to keep them going. (Just get a pipe heater soon before they’re sold out.)
Well, as it turns out the koi were just hiding for a day or two. I came back from a week vacation and all the koi were there.
I bought a test kit and the water actually appears to be healthy despite no filtration (for now). Perhaps the plants are putting in some work.
In terms of building my own, it seems like making something like this would serve, but to avoid fluidizing the sand I'd need 3 as the stated max load is 2000 gph and my pump is delivering ~5000gph to where I would be placing these.
Would I also need additional barrels/bins before or after these to act as vortex/brush/bio ball media chambers?
I don't want to screw this up though so I was also thinking about buying two of these:
http://www.amazon.com/OASE-BioTec-18000-Pond-Filter/dp/B003QILJTY
...and splitting the flow between the two units. Are these any good? Are there any other systems that can service my size pond at this price point ~$1500?
hit up a local hydroponic store and buy digital pH meter along with calibration fluid, it will make adjusting the pH much easier.