I have got about thirty goldfish in a plastic cold water storage tank about
4 metres long 1metre deep and about one metre high.

It's full of sludgy mud at the bottom. normally they don't disturb the mud
and the water stays clear. lately though they have been rushing and
thrashing about and the tank water now just looks black.

I'm wondering what is the easiest way to clear out the mud at the bottom of
the tank. my first instinct would be to take a small bucket and keep
spooning out the sludge. but i wondering if all the sludge got really
stirred up, and this would certainly do it; whether the fish would suffer
discomfort, and whether their gills and breathing can filter out all the mud
particles, without any trouble? any suggestions to a novice most welcome.

"john d hamilton" wrote in message
...
I have got about thirty goldfish in a plastic cold water storage tank
about 4 metres long 1metre deep and about one metre high.

It's full of sludgy mud at the bottom. normally they don't disturb the

mud and the water stays clear. lately though they have been rushing and

thrashing about and the tank water now just looks black.

I'm wondering what is the easiest way to clear out the mud at the botto
m
of the tank. my first instinct would be to take a small bucket and kee
p
spooning out the sludge. but i wondering if all the sludge got really
stirred up, and this would certainly do it; whether the fish would suff
er
discomfort, and whether their gills and breathing can filter out all th
e
mud particles, without any trouble? any suggestions to a novice most
welcome.
====================That mud can turn "sour" and start to release deadly gasses into the wate
r.

what kind of filtration do you have on there?
the easiest way to clean out muck is to put a thick wad of polyester batting in the
filter and keep replacing it or washing it off. It is less likely to harm the fish
than the biofilter as it could silt and choke off oxygen to the good bacteria. Ingrid

On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:48:45 EDT, "john d hamilton" wrote:

I have got about thirty goldfish in a plastic cold water storage tank about
4 metres long 1metre deep and about one metre high.

It's full of sludgy mud at the bottom. normally they don't disturb the mud
and the water stays clear. lately though they have been rushing and
thrashing about and the tank water now just looks black.

I'm wondering what is the easiest way to clear out the mud at the bottom of
the tank. my first instinct would be to take a small bucket and keep
spooning out the sludge. but i wondering if all the sludge got really
stirred up, and this would certainly do it; whether the fish would suffer
discomfort, and whether their gills and breathing can filter out all the mud
particles, without any trouble? any suggestions to a novice most welcome.

"john d hamilton" wrote ...
I have got about thirty goldfish in a plastic cold water storage tank
about 4 metres long 1metre deep and about one metre high. It's full of
sludgy mud at the bottom. normally they don't disturb the mud and the
water stays clear. lately though they have been rushing and thrashing about
and the tank water now just looks black. I'm wondering what is the easiest
way to clear out the mud at the bottom of the tank. any suggestions to a
novice most welcome.


but i wondering if all the sludge got really stirred up, and this would
certainly do it; whether the fish would suffer discomfort, and whether
their gills and breathing can filter out all the mud particles, without
any trouble?

I have had the water in a pond, really, REALLY!
muddy, sludgy, dirty, and gunky, and when the s*
finally settles, all the fish were ok.
((You know, like the time when during the
night a racoon while fishing, decided to disconnect
the hose from the pump sitting on the bottom
gunk, , and I, in morning, turned on pumps,
and hour later noticed that that pond pump,
instead of pumping into hose, was just jetting
the water out into the accumulated gunk.**))

my first instinct would be to take a small bucket and keep spooning out
the sludge.

That is very close to what I would do.
OK,ok, I'm a packrat, so I have a fair
number/variety of 'buckets' around
(from 5 gallon paint buckets, to 2 gal.
cleaning, to plastic 'laundry soap' pails,
to 1 gal. thin plastic milk jugs
((very easy to cut off about 1/2 of the
top portion - easy scoop with handle)) ).
I'd kinda gently fill several with the mud,
then leave sitting overnight to settle.
(advantage with this is, if a fish were unlucky
enough to get scooped up, he swiming
on top still safe and can be put back
into his school!)
Then next day pour the top clearer water
back into pond, and dump the mud into
the compost pile.
Gently fill buckets with mud again - repeat.
Repeat as needed until most of bottom
"sludgy mud" is gone.

(meanwhile, the ** footnote.
You know how in tourist sovenier shops
the world around, you can buy these
"snow globes" that have a tiny model
of the city's most famous buildings,
in the globe of water, you shake it up,
and the city is covered in a thick snowstorm?
It finally settles leaving a still & snow covered
scene. Fairly popular items.
((Really, think about it! How gullible, silly, and
mislead we are. How stuck in our ways.
How often is Monaco covered in a snow storm??!
But, if silly tourists buy them, and we do!?,
shops will certainly stock them, and manufactures
will make them.))
Do you think there would be any market for
a globe with a little model of our ponds,
and pond life, and instead of the white 'snow',
black 'mud gunk'. Shake it up and all dirty & murky.
Let settle and our pet fish are visable again?
You think there is no market there?
OK, I'll accept that.)

"a425couple" wrote in message
...
"john d hamilton" wrote ...
I have got about thirty goldfish in a plastic cold water storage tank
about 4 metres long 1metre deep and about one metre high. It's full of
sludgy mud at the bottom. normally they don't disturb the mud and the
water stays clear. lately though they have been rushing and thrashing
about and the tank water now just looks black. I'm wondering what is the
easiest way to clear out the mud at the bottom of the tank. any
suggestions to a novice most welcome.


but i wondering if all the sludge got really stirred up, and this would
certainly do it; whether the fish would suffer discomfort, and whether
their gills and breathing can filter out all the mud particles, without
any trouble?

I have had the water in a pond, really, REALLY!
muddy, sludgy, dirty, and gunky, and when the s*
finally settles, all the fish were ok.
((You know, like the time when during the
night a racoon while fishing, decided to disconnect
the hose from the pump sitting on the bottom
gunk, , and I, in morning, turned on pumps,
and hour later noticed that that pond pump,
instead of pumping into hose, was just jetting
the water out into the accumulated gunk.**))

my first instinct would be to take a small bucket and keep spooning out
the sludge.

That is very close to what I would do.
OK,ok, I'm a packrat, so I have a fair
number/variety of 'buckets' around
(from 5 gallon paint buckets, to 2 gal.
cleaning, to plastic 'laundry soap' pails,
to 1 gal. thin plastic milk jugs
((very easy to cut off about 1/2 of the
top portion - easy scoop with handle)) ).
I'd kinda gently fill several with the mud,
then leave sitting overnight to settle.
(advantage with this is, if a fish were unlucky
enough to get scooped up, he swiming
on top still safe and can be put back
into his school!)
Then next day pour the top clearer water
back into pond, and dump the mud into
the compost pile.
Gently fill buckets with mud again - repeat.
Repeat as needed until most of bottom
"sludgy mud" is gone.

(meanwhile, the ** footnote.
You know how in tourist sovenier shops
the world around, you can buy these
"snow globes" that have a tiny model
of the city's most famous buildings,
in the globe of water, you shake it up,
and the city is covered in a thick snowstorm?
It finally settles leaving a still & snow covered
scene. Fairly popular items.
((Really, think about it! How gullible, silly, and
mislead we are. How stuck in our ways.
How often is Monaco covered in a snow storm??!
But, if silly tourists buy them, and we do!?,
shops will certainly stock them, and manufactures
will make them.))
Do you think there would be any market for
a globe with a little model of our ponds,
and pond life, and instead of the white 'snow',
black 'mud gunk'. Shake it up and all dirty & murky.
Let settle and our pet fish are visable again?
You think there is no market there?
OK, I'll accept that.)

Thanks to all. actually i dont have any filters etc. i let it occasionally
flow off into the garden and top up with fresh water from the tap. probably
being a closed system like that the dirt has nowhere to go? the only time
we seem to get baby fish is when they have got wash down the hose outlet and
flowed down into the garden and have remained in a small tank down there
where the water flows into it. we wish we could get more but don't quite
know what to do to improve the situation.

Do you think there would be any market for
a globe with a little model of our ponds,
and pond life, and instead of the white 'snow',
black 'mud gunk'.

Hmmmm. I can see green sparkly glitter to
represent a spring pond full of algae.

k :-)

thick mud is not a problem, but if the thick mud is harboring anaerobic bacteria.
IF the mud smells like sulfur or rotten eggs, then the mud has hydrogen sulfide gas,
and that is NOT GOOD for fish. it will tox their gills. also, when stirred up the
bacteria will suck up all the oxygen.

it is best to remove the muck using thick pads of polyester batting without stirring
up the muck, letting the fish rooting around gradually stir it up. OR, move the
fish, clean out the muck, refill the tank and put the fish back in. Ingrid

One of the easiest and most successful methods would be to use a syphon,
similar to the aquarium Python. This can be moved slowly into the muck
without disturbing large amounts, and if controlled, will not significant
increase clouding. The waste can be discharged into a large tank, allowed
to settle, and the clear water added back to the pond is desired, or the
waste with water can be used to water and fertilize the gardens or flower
beds.

--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
Zone 7A/B Virginia
"john d hamilton" wrote in message
...
I have got about thirty goldfish in a plastic cold water storage tank
about 4 metres long 1metre deep and about one metre high.

It's full of sludgy mud at the bottom. normally they don't disturb the
mud and the water stays clear. lately though they have been rushing and
thrashing about and the tank water now just looks black.

I'm wondering what is the easiest way to clear out the mud at the bottom
of the tank. my first instinct would be to take a small bucket and keep
spooning out the sludge. but i wondering if all the sludge got really
stirred up, and this would certainly do it; whether the fish would suffer
discomfort, and whether their gills and breathing can filter out all the
mud particles, without any trouble? any suggestions to a novice most
welcome.

wrote in ...
it is best to remove the muck using thick pads of polyester batting
without stirring up the muck, letting the fish rooting around gradually
stir it up. OR, move the
fish, clean out the muck, refill the tank and put the fish back in.
Ingrid

Just in an attempt to clear up any misunderstanding,

I clearly defer to 'dr-solo' being more expert than
I am in such matters.
The problem is probably that I am too ignorant to
understand and thus follow her advise.
What / where is "polyester batting"
- in a 'clothing' type fabric store?
- in a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes,
-- and if so in which type aisle - furnace filters etc.??
- in a normal nursery?
How exactly do I follow this advise to get the
"muck" onto the "polyester batting"?

But meanwhile, I have buckets, and I understand
'bucket technology', and I have a "wet/dry vac."
and I understand (ok - kind'a understand) it's use.

On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:53:35 EDT, "a425couple"
wrote:

What / where is "polyester batting"

It would be anywhere they carry fabric for sewing, usually. Cheapest place
probably Wally World. Use to come in big boxes for about $10. Often called
quilt batting, but since that can be made of different materials, you need
to look for 100% poly.

IME, if you have clear water, but muck on the bottom to remove, the wet vac
is the best way to go. I have a 12 gallon canister, remove the pleated
filter. Put tube in water, turn on, and you'll be surprised (as I was) how
much muck you'll pull up in the 15-30 seconds it takes to fill the
canister.

Otherwise, the poly in the bucket that drains back into the pond works for
suspended solids throughout the water. Pump out thru poly, drain back into
pond. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

"~ jan" wrote ...
"a425couple" wrote:
What / where is "polyester batting"
It would be anywhere they carry fabric for sewing, usually. Cheapest place
probably Wally World. Use to come in big boxes for about $10. Often called
quilt batting, but since that can be made of different materials, you need
to look for 100% poly.
IME, if you have clear water, but muck on the bottom to remove, the wet
vac
is the best way to go. I have a 12 gallon canister, remove the pleated
filter. Put tube in water, turn on, and you'll be surprised (as I was) how
much muck you'll pull up in the 15-30 seconds it takes to fill the
canister.
Otherwise, the poly in the bucket that drains back into the pond works for
suspended solids throughout the water. Pump out thru poly, drain back
into
pond. ~ jan

Sheesh!
Now I understand!
(as in - "now" - too late!!)
Later - today or ? tomorrow I'll report on what
I did yesterday (friday!)