On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:52:39 EDT, wibble
wrote:


I have just got a 3ft deep paddling pool off of ebay and will transfer
the pond water into it - luckily in the UK we dont have raccoons, but
knowing my two collies they will have a go at jumping in the paddling
pool. That will give the koi something to think about. I think the
water quality is more down to the debris - once the pond floor gets
agitated - all the muck rises up. I have had a go at water vacuums but
they just dont get rid of enough. Good tip about using pond water to
clean the filter - thanks. Silly question - when cleaning the filter
how do you keep some of the microbes - do you basically only do a
partial clean (never cleaned one before) so that you leave some of the
filter pads, muck untouched.

Remove the muck, good bacteria is unseen, so what you clean off with pond
water will be dirt/muck that has suffocated good bacteria.

I have pads in two separate bio-chambers once/year I power wash one chamber
before winter, as I only use one chamber (the one I don't clean) in the
winter months w/slower flow. ~ jan
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Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us