water quality
 

hi all, i have a well established pond, had it for about 12 years now, it measures 14ft by 9ft by 4ft deep and holds about 3145 gallons i have two large filter boxes, a uv clarifier and a submersible pump which shifts about 3000 gallons an hour it also has two smaller pumps powering two waterfalls. the fish i have in it are koi, goldfish, orfe, 2 barbel and 2 catfish. we used to have really clear water but the last 2 years in late summer the water has turned very green and cloudy and has a lot of particles in it. the pump is checked twice a day for blockages. about 3 years ago the goldfish had babies, about 20 of them and when they grew to a reasonable size i gave all but 2 of them away. i dont think the pond is overstocked, all the fish seem perfectly healthy but this cloudy water is driving us nuts. has anyone any idea what might be causing it ? my partner insists each year that we empty the filter boxes out and clean the media and the water does improve but i'm sure by doing this we upset the biological balance of the filter and as i'm now suffering from arthritus it's also becoming a pain in the backside each year. if anyones got any suggetions on why this is hapening and how to stop it i'd be grateful.

water quality
 

"thorny rose" wrote in message
...

hi all, i have a well established pond, had it for about 12 years now,
it measures 14ft by 9ft by 4ft deep and holds about 3145 gallons i have
two large filter boxes, a uv clarifier and a submersible pump which
shifts about 3000 gallons an hour it also has two smaller pumps
powering two waterfalls. the fish i have in it are koi, goldfish, orfe,
2 barbel and 2 catfish. we used to have really clear water but the last
2 years in late summer the water has turned very green and cloudy and
has a lot of particles in it. the pump is checked twice a day for
blockages. about 3 years ago the goldfish had babies, about 20 of them
and when they grew to a reasonable size i gave all but 2 of them away.
i dont think the pond is overstocked, all the fish seem perfectly
healthy but this cloudy water is driving us nuts. has anyone any idea
what might be causing it ? my partner insists each year that we empty
the filter boxes out and clean the media and the water does improve but
i'm sure by doing this we upset the biological balance of the filter and
as i'm now suffering from arthritus it's also becoming a pain in the
backside each year. if anyones got any suggetions on why this is
hapening and how to stop it i'd be grateful.


You have an algae bloom caused by excessive nitrates. Do you have any
water plants planted in your pond? The more plants you have, the lower the
concentration of nitrates you will have in your pond. Also, you can add
beneficial bacteria and enzymes to the water that, once established, will
out-compete the algae for nutrients and help keep the water clear. You can
obtain this product at just about any fish dealer or garden shop. And yes,
you should clean out your filters periodically and do periodic small water
changes. This should help, but at this point in time, it will take time to
clear it up.

George

water quality
 

Have you any plants or a veggie filter?

Jim

water quality
 

On Sun, 2 Sep 2007 15:37:49 CST, thorny rose
wrote:


hi all, i have a well established pond, had it for about 12 years now,
it measures 14ft by 9ft by 4ft deep and holds about 3145 gallons i have
two large filter boxes, a uv clarifier and a submersible pump which
shifts about 3000 gallons an hour it also has two smaller pumps
powering two waterfalls. the fish i have in it are koi, goldfish, orfe,
2 barbel and 2 catfish. we used to have really clear water but the last
2 years in late summer the water has turned very green and cloudy and
has a lot of particles in it. the pump is checked twice a day for
blockages. about 3 years ago the goldfish had babies, about 20 of them
and when they grew to a reasonable size i gave all but 2 of them away.
i dont think the pond is overstocked, all the fish seem perfectly
healthy but this cloudy water is driving us nuts. has anyone any idea
what might be causing it ? my partner insists each year that we empty
the filter boxes out and clean the media and the water does improve but
i'm sure by doing this we upset the biological balance of the filter and
as i'm now suffering from arthritus it's also becoming a pain in the
backside each year. if anyones got any suggetions on why this is
hapening and how to stop it i'd be grateful.

Are you doing water changes? Like the other said, nitrates, water changes
should be done once/week 10%. In your currently state I'd do them every
other day till the water clears up.

What are your water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrites, pH & KH? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

i have quite a few plants in the pond, 4 lillies, parrots feather, canadian pondweed, various iris, mimulus and a few water soldiers. i haven't done a water test for ages and i'm due a water change soon. i will also get the filter media cleaned as soon as poss. can someone give me some info on veggie filters, what plants do you have in them and what do you do in winter when the plants die back. thanks.

water quality
 

There is some info on veggie filters in
the first site in my sig ~

k :-)
http://tinyurl.com/6bguh ~ new pond keeper info
http://tinyurl.com/yp64db ~ slide show of pond

water quality
 

"thorny rose" wrote in message
...
i have quite a few plants in the pond, 4 lillies, parrots feather,
canadian pondweed, various iris, mimulus and a few water soldiers. i
haven't done a water test for ages and i'm due a water change soon. i
will also get the filter media cleaned as soon as poss. can someone
give me some info on veggie filters, what plants do you have in them
and what do you do in winter when the plants die back. thanks.
==========================
I fill my veggie filter with fast growing plants such as pickerel weed,
iris, parrots feather and wherever there's space, a few water lettuce. My
VF acts as a settling tank also, catching a large amount of "crud" or mulm
as the water goes past the plant roots. By the time they die back in fall,
the pumps and filters are about already to be turned off for the winter.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

water quality
 

my two main plants are water celery and cyperus. in winter I drag the
cyperus into the basement and put it in a tank under a light. the
celery I start new every year by digging little plants up that
volunteer next to the pond. wash the roots, stick them in the veggie
filter. in winter I just run a bucket filter, the water lily stays
green and the algae comes back. Ingrid

On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 16:00:25 CST, thorny rose
wrote:

i have quite a few plants in the pond, 4 lillies, parrots feather,
canadian pondweed, various iris, mimulus and a few water soldiers. i
haven't done a water test for ages and i'm due a water change soon. i
will also get the filter media cleaned as soon as poss. can someone
give me some info on veggie filters, what plants do you have in them
and what do you do in winter when the plants die back. thanks.