Hi everybody.
Oh my, I'm so behind on reading the posts....
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a pond vac. I couldn't resist.
It was on sale and free shipping. Boy am I happy about it! 3 hours later,
two years of sludge is gone! he he
Didn't have to move the fish and only had to replace about 4 inches of
water.... less than 20%
Sheesh, remind me why I didn't get that thing 10 years ago?

Elizabeth (slightly sunburned but happy as a clam) in Baton Rouge

"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody.
Oh my, I'm so behind on reading the posts....
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a pond vac. I couldn't
resist. It was on sale and free shipping. Boy am I happy about it! 3 ho
urs
later, two years of sludge is gone! he he
Didn't have to move the fish and only had to replace about 4 inches of
water.... less than 20%
Sheesh, remind me why I didn't get that thing 10 years ago?

Elizabeth (slightly sunburned but happy as a clam) in Baton Rouge

=====================
Aren't you doing partial water changes every few weeks anyway?
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

In article ,
"Elizabeth" wrote:

Hi everybody.
Oh my, I'm so behind on reading the posts....
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a pond vac. I couldn't resist.
It was on sale and free shipping. Boy am I happy about it! 3 hours later,
two years of sludge is gone! he he
Didn't have to move the fish and only had to replace about 4 inches of
water.... less than 20%
Sheesh, remind me why I didn't get that thing 10 years ago?

Elizabeth (slightly sunburned but happy as a clam) in Baton Rouge

Which one did you get? Link to it?

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To reply by email, remove the word "space"

I got the Oase3 Pondovac from Labrake's Garden and Pond. I couldn't be
happier to recommend them based on the service I got.

http://www.gardenponds.com/product786.html

The pond is clear as a bell in the mornings. Clouds up a bit in the heat of
the afternoons. We found the puppy's lost ball under one of the pump baskets
this morning!

Elizabeth, Baton Rouge


"Kurt" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Elizabeth" wrote:

Hi everybody.
Oh my, I'm so behind on reading the posts....
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a pond vac. I couldn't
resist.
It was on sale and free shipping. Boy am I happy about it! 3 hours later,
two years of sludge is gone! he he
Didn't have to move the fish and only had to replace about 4 inches of
water.... less than 20%
Sheesh, remind me why I didn't get that thing 10 years ago?

Elizabeth (slightly sunburned but happy as a clam) in Baton Rouge

Which one did you get? Link to it?

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

ReelMcKoi wrote:
"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody.
Oh my, I'm so behind on reading the posts....
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a pond vac. I couldn't
resist. It was on sale and free shipping. Boy am I happy about it! 3
ho urs later, two years of sludge is gone! he he
Didn't have to move the fish and only had to replace about 4 inches
of water.... less than 20%
Sheesh, remind me why I didn't get that thing 10 years ago?

Elizabeth (slightly sunburned but happy as a clam) in Baton Rouge

=======
Aren't you doing partial water changes every few weeks anyway?
I've never done a partial change. Top ups for evaporation, that's all.
Proper filtration is the answer.
--
Pete C
London UK

Elizabeth wrote:
I got the Oase3 Pondovac from Labrake's Garden and Pond. I couldn't be
happier to recommend them based on the service I got.

http://www.gardenponds.com/product786.html

The pond is clear as a bell in the mornings. Clouds up a bit in the
heat of the afternoons. We found the puppy's lost ball under one of
the pump baskets this morning!

Elizabeth, Baton Rouge
snippy

Wow!! That's expensive. Mine was only GBP 99 from Ebay.
--
Pete C
London UK

In article ,
"Elizabeth" wrote:

I got the Oase3 Pondovac from Labrake's Garden and Pond. I couldn't be
happier to recommend them based on the service I got.

http://www.gardenponds.com/product786.html

The pond is clear as a bell in the mornings. Clouds up a bit in the heat of
the afternoons. We found the puppy's lost ball under one of the pump baskets
this morning!

Elizabeth, Baton Rouge

Expensive, but a good brand.
I've used a modified shop vac on occasion (built a drain plug in the
side of it).

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To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Elizabeth!!
Good to see you! And glad the pond vac worked out.
My 'pond vac' (as in a shovel and a bucket)
took off for college.... He is(was) the painter, the
floor layer, the moving man.

kathy :-)

Pete C wrote:



ReelMcKoi wrote:
"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody.
Oh my, I'm so behind on reading the posts....
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a pond vac. I couldn't
resist. It was on sale and free shipping. Boy am I happy about it! 3
ho urs later, two years of sludge is gone! he he
Didn't have to move the fish and only had to replace about 4 inches
of water.... less than 20%
Sheesh, remind me why I didn't get that thing 10 years ago?

Elizabeth (slightly sunburned but happy as a clam) in Baton Rouge

=======
Aren't you doing partial water changes every few weeks anyway?
I've never done a partial change. Top ups for evaporation, that's all.
Proper filtration is the answer.


Except filtration won't reduce the stuff that builds up. Nitrates and salt
for example.

San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Koi, Goldfish, and RES named Colombo.

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:31:55 EDT, info wrote:

I've never done a partial change. Top ups for evaporation, that's all.
Proper filtration is the answer.

Except filtration won't reduce the stuff that builds up. Nitrates and salt
for example. San Diego Joe

And I'll add, hormones, parasites, bad bacteria. Plus the fish need more
than an occassional top off to replace the minerals in fresh water. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

~ jan wrote:
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:31:55 EDT, info wrote:

I've never done a partial change. Top ups for evaporation, that's
all. Proper filtration is the answer.

Except filtration won't reduce the stuff that builds up. Nitrates
and salt for example. San Diego Joe

And I'll add, hormones, parasites, bad bacteria. Plus the fish need
more than an occassional top off to replace the minerals in fresh
water. ~ jan ------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us
Jan, I can't argue what you and Joe say. My pond is 4 years old, water
parameters are fine. Fish are healthy, increase each year, and I've never
lost one. I do use a vac maybe twice a year, but that doesn't remove that
much water,
--
Pete C
London UK

On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:29:39 EDT, "Pete C" wrote:

Jan, I can't argue what you and Joe say. My pond is 4 years old, water
parameters are fine. Fish are healthy, increase each year, and I've never
lost one. I do use a vac maybe twice a year, but that doesn't remove that
much water,

Well.... and I hate to say this... but I've had other people tell me the
same thing on usenet and then trouble starts about year 5.

Course they weren't always vaccing the mulm off the bottom...

All I can say is what I recommend is what fishvets taught us in the KHA
program and what people who have had koi longer than I have learned over
their years. Just keep it in mind if you do start to have any problems.
Check your parameters... and even if good, do a water change. They do
remove parasites, if for no other reason. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

~ jan wrote:
On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:29:39 EDT, "Pete C"
wrote:

Jan, I can't argue what you and Joe say. My pond is 4 years old,
water parameters are fine. Fish are healthy, increase each year, and
I've never lost one. I do use a vac maybe twice a year, but that
doesn't remove that much water,

Well.... and I hate to say this... but I've had other people tell me
the same thing on usenet and then trouble starts about year 5.

Noted

Course they weren't always vaccing the mulm off the bottom...

All I can say is what I recommend is what fishvets taught us in the
KHA program and what people who have had koi longer than I have
learned over their years. Just keep it in mind if you do start to
have any problems. Check your parameters... and even if good, do a
water change. They do remove parasites, if for no other reason. ~ jan

I'll take the advice, and start to do occasional 10% changes. Thanks
--
Pete C
London UK

I dont do weekly 10%. I change maybe 25% in spring and fall. Because I use a veggie
filter the plants are sucking out all kinds of minerals. Hormones are organic and
good bacteria break them down. No nitrates of course. And my water from the lake is
naturally low in minerals so I need to add calcium and salt. My fish are now 9 years
in the pond and I have had no loss or disease for 7 years, mostly after I even netted
the veggie filter to keep birds from "bathing" and crapping in the water. Last fish
to die died of infected eggs. I think the biggest reason for stability is I have
added no fish in those 10 years. No fish bringing in disease of any kind.
I use the color of the water as a gauge to when to do water changes. When my white
koi are quite yellow I change until they are light yellow as they swim under the
water down to the bottom. I have been sucking the water out, then adding, but it
takes too long. Since I use the removed water to water my plants in the future I am
going to suck out one side (deep) and add at the other end shallow. Ingrid


On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:17:31 EDT, ~ jan wrote:
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:31:55 EDT, info wrote:
I've never done a partial change. Top ups for evaporation, that's all.
Proper filtration is the answer.
Except filtration won't reduce the stuff that builds up. Nitrates and salt
for example. San Diego Joe
And I'll add, hormones, parasites, bad bacteria. Plus the fish need more
than an occassional top off to replace the minerals in fresh water. ~ jan
Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan
on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

In article ,
wrote:

I dont do weekly 10%. I change maybe 25% in spring and fall. Because I use
a veggie
filter the plants are sucking out all kinds of minerals. Hormones are
organic and
good bacteria break them down. No nitrates of course. And my water from the
lake is
naturally low in minerals so I need to add calcium and salt. My fish are now
9 years
in the pond and I have had no loss or disease for 7 years, mostly after I
even netted
the veggie filter to keep birds from "bathing" and crapping in the water.
Last fish
to die died of infected eggs. I think the biggest reason for stability is I
have
added no fish in those 10 years. No fish bringing in disease of any kind.
I use the color of the water as a gauge to when to do water changes. When my
white
koi are quite yellow I change until they are light yellow as they swim under
the
water down to the bottom. I have been sucking the water out, then adding,
but it
takes too long. Since I use the removed water to water my plants in the
future I am
going to suck out one side (deep) and add at the other end shallow. Ingrid

I've got a pretty strong pump on my pond bottom, and its intake area is
made up of large holes to let in more debris.
When I drain the 10%, I usually first stir up the pond bottom. I've got
a valve that pretty much instantly drains my waterfall filter, so I'm
able to not only change the water, but clear a lot of muck at the same
time.

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