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Old 07-07-2009, 01:28 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

Came home late from Independence Day festivities to discover pond
pumps sucking air! Thanks to the good advice of Jan and others from
many years ago, pumps were not on the bottom. Nevertheless, fish had
little more than enough to be wet.
Added just enough water Saturday night to cover the pumps. Had no
Stress coat or dechlor on hand. Sunday morning I got the water
conditioner and set the sprinkler over the pond to begin a slow fill.
Despite radical temperature difference and huge water quality
difference, the fish seem healthy and happy tonight.
I still need to adjust general hardness,, currently 0ppm.. Luckily we
are expecting several inches of rain this week which will help with
alkalinity, currently 300ppm and pH currently 9.0.
Is there anything specific I should be prepared for as far as the fish
are concerned?
Any good ideas how to raise GH when KH is so high?

Thanks,
elizabeth in Baton Rouge

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Old 07-07-2009, 02:00 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

Others will have advice on the hardness.

Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom! Sounds
like the fish made it through a hard place.

Jim

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Old 08-07-2009, 11:58 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 07:28:45 EDT, Elizabeth wrote:

Came home late from Independence Day festivities to discover pond
pumps sucking air! Thanks to the good advice of Jan and others from
many years ago, pumps were not on the bottom. Nevertheless, fish had
little more than enough to be wet.


That had to be scary to come home too. Good thing you took a look and
didn't go straight to bed.

Added just enough water Saturday night to cover the pumps. Had no
Stress coat or dechlor on hand. Sunday morning I got the water
conditioner and set the sprinkler over the pond to begin a slow fill.


Bet you'll always have this on hand from now on. ;-) That's another thing
we preach, always have enough dechlor to water change your whole pond.

Despite radical temperature difference and huge water quality
difference, the fish seem healthy and happy tonight.
I still need to adjust general hardness,, currently 0ppm.. Luckily we
are expecting several inches of rain this week which will help with
alkalinity, currently 300ppm and pH currently 9.0.
Is there anything specific I should be prepared for as far as the fish
are concerned?
Any good ideas how to raise GH when KH is so high?


So your KH is 300ppm but your GH is 0 ppm? I didn't know that was possible.
I been trying for a couple days to locate some info... and my reply here
has been sitting. One of the people said something about chalk? Another
Epsom Salts, you might want to ask in Koiphen or another favorite forum if
no chemistry person shows up to verify those suggestions. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

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Old 09-07-2009, 01:57 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

I wish I were up on the chemistry!

I like the koiphen suggestion. Those folks will be up on the
chemistry. Do report back here what you learn, please.

Jim

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Old 09-07-2009, 01:58 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

On 7 July, 13:00, Jim Hurley wrote:
Others will have advice on the hardness.

Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom!


I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.

Matt



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Old 09-07-2009, 09:24 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

matthelliwell wrote:

On 7 July, 13:00, Jim Hurley wrote:
Others will have advice on the hardness.

Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom!


I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.


Somebody who knows will correct me if I'm wrong- but I thought that
was the point. Leave the dirt/sand/muck, and clean it out with a
proper tool [rake, shovel, vacuum] when it is needed.

My pump is in a skimmer- but my puddle/pond has a bowl shape in the
'deep' end & I am hoping that I will only need to clean it out every
few years. Meanwhile my pump is spared the ravages of abrasives in
its bearings & I'm not re-circulating muck.

Jim
[and BTW- to the OP-- Have you figured out what caused the water
loss?]

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Old 10-07-2009, 03:41 AM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

Our pump is about 6" off the bottom of the 3 x 6 deep well (Old spetic
tank). The pump is in a 5 gal bucket with as many 1/2" holes as i
could drill. That way water and muck go easily in but stuff that
would clog the pump does not; The heavy and big stuff does collect
down there. I pull it annually with a pool net. The water is there
so that the fish would have a bit to sit in if somehow the pump
drained the pond.

Jim

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Old 10-07-2009, 11:28 AM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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You can buy separate float switches. Not sure how well it would work with
the pump in the pond, but works great in a pump chamber.
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

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Old 10-07-2009, 06:13 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

On 9 July, 20:24, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
matthelliwell wrote:
On 7 July, 13:00, Jim Hurley wrote:
Others will have advice on the hardness.


Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom!


I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.


Somebody who knows will correct me if I'm wrong- but I thought that
was the point. Leave the dirt/sand/muck, and clean it out with a
proper tool [rake, shovel, vacuum] when it is needed.

My pump is in a skimmer- but my puddle/pond has a bowl shape in the
'deep' end & I am hoping that I will only need to clean it out every
few years. Meanwhile my pump is spared the ravages of abrasives in
its bearings & I'm not re-circulating muck.


Interesting. I'd be worried about having areas of dead water in the
pump wasn't on/near the bottom. I don't think sucking up the muck is a
particular problem, pond pumps cope well enough with dirty water (and
have a cage around them to filter out the big bits).

OTOH if it works for you, who am I to criticise.

Matt


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Old 12-07-2009, 04:26 AM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

In article
,
matthelliwell wrote:

On 7 July, 13:00, Jim Hurley wrote:
Others will have advice on the hardness.

Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom!


I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.

Matt


+1

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"



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Old 12-07-2009, 03:40 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

On Thu, 9 Jul 2009 07:58:03 EDT, matthelliwell
wrote:

On 7 July, 13:00, Jim Hurley wrote:
Others will have advice on the hardness.

Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom!


I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.


I meant to ask last time. . . Is there some reason that isn't
feasible? Float switches start at $35 or so and can be as easy as
plugging the pump in and plugging the switch in.

It is probably a good idea for me too- as I can't pump my pond dry,
but I *can* pump the pump dry and that would ruin my day.

Jim

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Old 12-07-2009, 03:40 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

my pump hangs from its hose well off the bottom. I have no "stuff" on the bottom
except the pea gravel the koi took out of the lily pot. they even carry it by
mouthfuls and dump it into the winter filter bucket. Koi "sweep" the bottom of the
pond by picking and the action of their tails. this puts the stuff up into the water
which gets dumped in the veggie filter and removed each fall from there. It has
now been 9 years and have never had to clean the pond. of course, my pond is netted
and so no leaves or other detritus blows in there. Ingrid

On Thu, 9 Jul 2009 15:24:13 EDT, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.

Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan
on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

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Old 12-07-2009, 09:20 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

a good summary of how to change water parameters.
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/waterchemistry.htm

"Ways to increase gH
Adding limestone to the aquarium (this will also increase kH which in turn will
increase pH)
Adding calcium carbonate will raise gH and kH"

To lower the pH use hydrochloric acid, aka muriatic acid at your hardware store. Mix
the acid into water (not the other way around) to dilute and then use a gallon milk
jug with a bare pin prick of a hole to drip drop by drop into the pond. slowly
change the pH over a couple days.

HOWEVER, it could be with no calcium/magnesium ions your pH is fragile and will
change quickly sorta like distilled water will. I have quite soft water since it
comes out of Lake Michigan, just a bit of carbonate too. Need to put in organic
dolomitic limestone to bring up the hardness. However, limestone pavers can also be
set in the pond to moderate the pH. They will dissolve as needed. Ingrid

On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 07:28:45 EDT, Elizabeth wrote:
I still need to adjust general hardness,, currently 0ppm.. Luckily we
are expecting several inches of rain this week which will help with
alkalinity, currently 300ppm and pH currently 9.0.


Any good ideas how to raise GH when KH is so high?

Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan
on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

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Old 12-07-2009, 09:30 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

Our pond has pine needles falling into it, so we have to pull them out
(annually, I see, after leaving it for two years and clogging the
pump). Our koi sweep the needles and everything else along the bottom
of the pond into the deep well (old septic tank), so we do not have to
clean the bottom of the pond itself. We only scoop the bottom of the
deep well. The pump itself is up on two sideways bricks and a cinder
block. That makes it about 12" off the bottom. That would be the
last haven for the fish if the pond got drained. We never have to
pull out the muck as it is stirred sufficiently that the pump easily
gets it at its 12" height.

We don't have a float switch to shut the pump off. We do do have a
toilet float valve that regulates the new water into the pond. It has
worked easily and well for the 13 years we have had the pond. It tops
the pond up when it has evaporated some. The only thing we have to
remember is to drain the pond down some from time to time so that we
are not always adding for evaporation but never draining.

Jim

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Old 13-07-2009, 01:32 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated
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Default Disaster averted!

On Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:40:33 EDT, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

On Thu, 9 Jul 2009 07:58:03 EDT, matthelliwell
wrote:

On 7 July, 13:00, Jim Hurley wrote:
Others will have advice on the hardness.

Let me congratulate you on having your pump off the bottom!


I think if I did that in my pond, I'd have all the dirt collecting at
the bottom and not being sucked up by the pump. What I'd really like
is a pond pump with a float switch fitted.


I meant to ask last time. . . Is there some reason that isn't
feasible? Float switches start at $35 or so and can be as easy as
plugging the pump in and plugging the switch in.

It is probably a good idea for me too- as I can't pump my pond dry,
but I *can* pump the pump dry and that would ruin my day.
Jim


I think it would depend on where your electrical connection is in
relationship to the pond. As long as the cord on the float switch is long
enough, one should be good to go... unless things in the pond could
impede the float from going down with the water (like plants or shelves,
etc.). ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

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