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#1
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Pond odor
My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our
fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#2
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Pond odor
There was supposed to be a question in there...
Is the odor normal? Thanks, Jacky |
#3
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Pond odor
somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead
of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#4
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Pond odor
I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change.
... right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#5
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Pond odor
Yes, gravel on the bottom. You can see the gravel, not too much muck down
there. I have a waterfall - river - waterfall for aeration. I have noticed the fish sucking around the rocks. Jacky wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#6
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Pond odor
I also noticed today that the pump was a little choked up with debris and I
was only getting maybe 30% flow. I fixed this which dropped the water level about an inch because of the added inflow. The auto filler kicked in providing maybe 5-7% fresh water to the pond. When the pump gets choked up I do get some muck on my riverbed. I cleaned the filter today (very dirty) and will clean it again tomorrow and the next day if necessary. I've learned one lesson... clean every week! Thank you both for your replies. Where is the hydrogen sulfide coming from? Rotting debris? Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change. .. right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#7
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Pond odor
Jacky, a 7% input of water isn't nearly enough. You need to
do a 15 to 20% water change. To do this drop a submersible pump to the bottom of the pond. Be sure to pump out the required amount. Add tap water slowly. Add Dechlor to treat the chlorine ... if you have chloramine then add Amquel. Also where is the debris? You shouldn't have any debris collecting anywhere in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I also noticed today that the pump was a little choked up with debris and I was only getting maybe 30% flow. I fixed this which dropped the water level about an inch because of the added inflow. The auto filler kicked in providing maybe 5-7% fresh water to the pond. When the pump gets choked up I do get some muck on my riverbed. I cleaned the filter today (very dirty) and will clean it again tomorrow and the next day if necessary. I've learned one lesson... clean every week! Thank you both for your replies. Where is the hydrogen sulfide coming from? Rotting debris? Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change. .. right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#8
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Pond odor
I don't see any debris, except what I cleaned out of the skimmer net.
Where did the hydrogen sulfide come from? And what purpose does a 10-15% water change serve other than to dilute the pond water? Not doubting your advice... I'm pumping the pond at this moment. Just curious about the rationale behind this and, most importantly, how to prevent this from happing again. Thanks, Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... Jacky, a 7% input of water isn't nearly enough. You need to do a 15 to 20% water change. To do this drop a submersible pump to the bottom of the pond. Be sure to pump out the required amount. Add tap water slowly. Add Dechlor to treat the chlorine .... if you have chloramine then add Amquel. Also where is the debris? You shouldn't have any debris collecting anywhere in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I also noticed today that the pump was a little choked up with debris and I was only getting maybe 30% flow. I fixed this which dropped the water level about an inch because of the added inflow. The auto filler kicked in providing maybe 5-7% fresh water to the pond. When the pump gets choked up I do get some muck on my riverbed. I cleaned the filter today (very dirty) and will clean it again tomorrow and the next day if necessary. I've learned one lesson... clean every week! Thank you both for your replies. Where is the hydrogen sulfide coming from? Rotting debris? Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change. .. right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#9
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Pond odor
But you just said you had debris in the pond ...??
Since I can't make a trip out to your pond I would guess that the hydrogen sulfide is coming from a plant that is in dirt... or perhaps from under the gravel?? The water changes dilute pond water... takes the 'older' water from the bottom of the pond and empties it on a garden or lawn where ever you wish. Fresher water is pumped in ... You can check with www.koivet.com to get the scientific rationale for doing water changes. I'm sure Doc Johnson has water changes noted. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I don't see any debris, except what I cleaned out of the skimmer net. Where did the hydrogen sulfide come from? And what purpose does a 10-15% water change serve other than to dilute the pond water? Not doubting your advice... I'm pumping the pond at this moment. Just curious about the rationale behind this and, most importantly, how to prevent this from happing again. Thanks, Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... Jacky, a 7% input of water isn't nearly enough. You need to do a 15 to 20% water change. To do this drop a submersible pump to the bottom of the pond. Be sure to pump out the required amount. Add tap water slowly. Add Dechlor to treat the chlorine ... if you have chloramine then add Amquel. Also where is the debris? You shouldn't have any debris collecting anywhere in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I also noticed today that the pump was a little choked up with debris and I was only getting maybe 30% flow. I fixed this which dropped the water level about an inch because of the added inflow. The auto filler kicked in providing maybe 5-7% fresh water to the pond. When the pump gets choked up I do get some muck on my riverbed. I cleaned the filter today (very dirty) and will clean it again tomorrow and the next day if necessary. I've learned one lesson... clean every week! Thank you both for your replies. Where is the hydrogen sulfide coming from? Rotting debris? Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change. .. right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#10
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Pond odor
Anaerobic breakdown of organic debris causes most of the odor you
describe. Aeration should solve the problem. Get air to the deepest parts of the pond to ensure circulation of oxygenated water at the bottom, where the source of the stench exists. Your waterfall is not doing this for you. "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#11
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Pond odor
The pond has many plants in and around it so there is always *some* debris,
but none that you would find in concentrated amounts. Thanks for the excellent link... there was an article there on water changes, with a rationale to boot, though not directly related to my current problem. The Koivet recommends a 10% water change every week. We bought this house with pond up and running last October. I had a girl from one of the local nurseries come to my home to teach me about my pond and upkeep. One thing I clearly remember her saying was not to change the water... something about disturbing a delicate balance. Oh well... who knew? The Koivet also recommends to do a 60-70% water change 3-4 times a year! This actually makes more sense to me. Thanks for your help... Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message news But you just said you had debris in the pond ...?? Since I can't make a trip out to your pond I would guess that the hydrogen sulfide is coming from a plant that is in dirt... or perhaps from under the gravel?? The water changes dilute pond water... takes the 'older' water from the bottom of the pond and empties it on a garden or lawn where ever you wish. Fresher water is pumped in ... You can check with www.koivet.com to get the scientific rationale for doing water changes. I'm sure Doc Johnson has water changes noted. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I don't see any debris, except what I cleaned out of the skimmer net. Where did the hydrogen sulfide come from? And what purpose does a 10-15% water change serve other than to dilute the pond water? Not doubting your advice... I'm pumping the pond at this moment. Just curious about the rationale behind this and, most importantly, how to prevent this from happing again. Thanks, Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... Jacky, a 7% input of water isn't nearly enough. You need to do a 15 to 20% water change. To do this drop a submersible pump to the bottom of the pond. Be sure to pump out the required amount. Add tap water slowly. Add Dechlor to treat the chlorine ... if you have chloramine then add Amquel. Also where is the debris? You shouldn't have any debris collecting anywhere in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I also noticed today that the pump was a little choked up with debris and I was only getting maybe 30% flow. I fixed this which dropped the water level about an inch because of the added inflow. The auto filler kicked in providing maybe 5-7% fresh water to the pond. When the pump gets choked up I do get some muck on my riverbed. I cleaned the filter today (very dirty) and will clean it again tomorrow and the next day if necessary. I've learned one lesson... clean every week! Thank you both for your replies. Where is the hydrogen sulfide coming from? Rotting debris? Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change. .. right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#12
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Pond odor
Interesting... but it begs the question... how is this aeration achieved?
I'm guessing there is a device like you would find in a fish tank? Or would my newfound belief in water changes be enough. Thanks, Jacky. "GD" wrote in message ... Anaerobic breakdown of organic debris causes most of the odor you describe. Aeration should solve the problem. Get air to the deepest parts of the pond to ensure circulation of oxygenated water at the bottom, where the source of the stench exists. Your waterfall is not doing this for you. "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky |
#13
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Pond odor
when you drop an airstone into the water (I got the smallest
Swee****er® Regenerative blower) http://www.aquaticeco.com/aquatic1v1...ystems&eflag=2 with a foot long airstone. other people use smaller air pumps with smaller air stones. when it is dropped into the water it blows air into the water, this creates lift that pulls water from below as well and creates circulation from bottom to top. they actually sell air lifts that do this even better. but with bare bottom ponds (no gravel), the combination of the air stones, the pumps pulling water (pumps always must be at least a foot off the bottom) and the fish moving along the bottom stirring things up leads to the mulm and organic stuff getting moved into the filter. combine this with BZT that eats up organics and the bottom stays clean (I net my pond and so there is no more than 1/4 inch of mulm on the bottom after 3 years. now... the breakdown of organic matter occurs with and without oxygen. it is slow and incomplete and makes toxic gases if there isnt enough oxygen (this is where oil comes from). but add good aeration and those little biobugs chomp down and convert to clean CO2 and H2O. I would highly recommend you get the gravel outta there. it is just loading up with organics and once covered in goo there isnt any biobugs doing their thing down there anyway. Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: Interesting... but it begs the question... how is this aeration achieved? I'm guessing there is a device like you would find in a fish tank? Or would my newfound belief in water changes be enough. Thanks, Jacky. |
#14
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Pond odor
There was supposed to be a question in there... Is the odor normal? Thanks, Jacky What kind of odor. bad or just a odor? If its a bad odor, than something isn't right. Our pond kind of smells like a mountain stream, fishy and clean. LOL Jan |
#15
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Pond odor
did you say you have rocks on the bottom of your pond? some have found that
plant matter gets caught between the rocks and rots there. then when the fish nose around in it, they get big whiffs of gas. the gas rises to the surface and you smell it, too. if it was me i'd get rid of the rocks little by little. i don't have any in my pond. its true that they do look nice for a while, but then algae grows over them and you can't see them anyway. mad -- "I try to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brains fall out." Judge Harry Stone, Night Court From: "Jackytar" Organization: Cox Communications Newsgroups: rec.ponds Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 03:44:28 GMT Subject: Pond odor The pond has many plants in and around it so there is always *some* debris, but none that you would find in concentrated amounts. Thanks for the excellent link... there was an article there on water changes, with a rationale to boot, though not directly related to my current problem. The Koivet recommends a 10% water change every week. We bought this house with pond up and running last October. I had a girl from one of the local nurseries come to my home to teach me about my pond and upkeep. One thing I clearly remember her saying was not to change the water... something about disturbing a delicate balance. Oh well... who knew? The Koivet also recommends to do a 60-70% water change 3-4 times a year! This actually makes more sense to me. Thanks for your help... Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message news But you just said you had debris in the pond ...?? Since I can't make a trip out to your pond I would guess that the hydrogen sulfide is coming from a plant that is in dirt... or perhaps from under the gravel?? The water changes dilute pond water... takes the 'older' water from the bottom of the pond and empties it on a garden or lawn where ever you wish. Fresher water is pumped in ... You can check with www.koivet.com to get the scientific rationale for doing water changes. I'm sure Doc Johnson has water changes noted. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I don't see any debris, except what I cleaned out of the skimmer net. Where did the hydrogen sulfide come from? And what purpose does a 10-15% water change serve other than to dilute the pond water? Not doubting your advice... I'm pumping the pond at this moment. Just curious about the rationale behind this and, most importantly, how to prevent this from happing again. Thanks, Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... Jacky, a 7% input of water isn't nearly enough. You need to do a 15 to 20% water change. To do this drop a submersible pump to the bottom of the pond. Be sure to pump out the required amount. Add tap water slowly. Add Dechlor to treat the chlorine ... if you have chloramine then add Amquel. Also where is the debris? You shouldn't have any debris collecting anywhere in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 "Jackytar" wrote in message ... I also noticed today that the pump was a little choked up with debris and I was only getting maybe 30% flow. I fixed this which dropped the water level about an inch because of the added inflow. The auto filler kicked in providing maybe 5-7% fresh water to the pond. When the pump gets choked up I do get some muck on my riverbed. I cleaned the filter today (very dirty) and will clean it again tomorrow and the next day if necessary. I've learned one lesson... clean every week! Thank you both for your replies. Where is the hydrogen sulfide coming from? Rotting debris? Jacky "Nedra" wrote in message thlink.net... I suggest a clean out of the filter and a 10% to 15% water change. .. right now! You should not have a sewer smell in the pond. Nedra http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836 http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118 wrote in message ... somewhere there is hydrogen sulfide escaping, and that could be the cause of the dead of a single fish. they are sucking around rocks or something and got a big gill full. do you have gravel on the bottom? have you mucked the bottom out? It should not smell like a sewer, not good for the fish. ahhh.. do you have aeration in there? Ingrid "Jackytar" wrote: My wife and I notice a sewer smell when we get close to the water in our fish pond... as in bend over with our noses just over the water or when we get in there and stir things up. The plants and fish seem healthy, and the water is clear, although we found one dead fish today (out of about 20). The pond is about 1000 gallons (my estimate) and 3 yrs old with a skimmer/pump/filter/auto filler set up. I must admit we haven't been adding the "aquaclear" bacteria powder or cleaning the filter very often (about once every 2 weeks). We have an overabundance of water hyacinth right now that we are thinning out. Thanks, Jacky -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =----- |
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