Added Fish To New Pond, Now What.....

[qclabrat]

If you opened the canister filter now, how loaded with collected detritus or "dirty" would you consider it to be?
You should have a sufficient SSA (Specific Surface Area) in the canister filter to handle your present fish load, so I'm wondering if the canister filter contains an excess amount of decaying organic matter that is contributing to the rise in the ammonia level.

And to clarify, you are not performing any water changes, correct?

.

no water changes
I would say the it's conservatively a 3, being 10 the worst
here's a pic, do you agree?

 

[Mmathis]

do you need to take the shells out after the desired kH is achieved?

No. The KH level will stabilize. The crushed oyster shells slowly dissolve. I mix mine in with the gravel in my bog (thanks to @addy1 for that suggestion) and just periodically renew them. They're "crushed" to about the size of kitty litter, and they're sold to feed chickens (for the calcium). Most people put them in a mesh bag and place them in their filters -- they need active water flow around and through them). Initially, the water gets milky white, but that's OK. BTW, except for a quick rinse (I don't rinse mine, though), no need to try and rinse the white powder away. All you're doing is dissolving the particles and sending the good stuff (calcium carbonate) down the drain (so to speak).

 

[qclabrat]

also curious why using bacteria in a bottle is not recommended. It does seem unnatural and it's a habit my koi neighbor has followed for years, every two weeks. But that didn't make sense to me, so I've since stopped going to him for advice

 

[qclabrat]

No. The KH level will stabilize. The crushed oyster shells slowly dissolve. I mix mine in with the gravel in my bog (thanks to @addy1 for that suggestion) and just periodically renew them. They're "crushed" to about the size of kitty litter, and they're sold to feed chickens (for the calcium). Most people put them in a mesh bag and place them in their filters -- they need active water flow around and through them). Initially, the water gets milky white, but that's OK. BTW, except for a quick rinse (I don't rinse mine, though), no need to try and rinse the white powder away. All you're doing is dissolving the particles and sending the good stuff (calcium carbonate) down the drain (so to speak).

no feed store nearby, but their a tractor supply shop by my work. Will get a few bags tomorrow

 

[Jhn]

Many use bacteria in a bottle to speed up the cycling process, when establishing a new pond or indoor fish tank.
IMO, waste of money in an established pond.

 

[qclabrat]

Many use bacteria in a bottle to speed up the cycling process, when establishing a new pond or indoor fish tank.
IMO, waste of money in an established pond.

that's why I wonder why he's been using it for years. Says it keeps his water clear. Told him about this website and to get help here, but he said he's happy with the results so didn't push it any further.

 

[qclabrat]

holding off on more pond work till I get back from vacation.
For the next week, I'm going to focus more on water quality.
Besides my veggie garden is suffering from neglect. Going to put up the squash canopy I wanted to make this summer.

Pond aesthetics lacking but fish seem happy

and they seem to have taken a liking to the homemade floating tunnels. Hoping it gives them some coverage and more surface area for bacteria growth. Getting some foam later today for even better coverage and will sink the tunnels to the bottom.

 

[Jhn]

Got ya... I don't like putting much of anything in my ponds, besides water, plants, fish. I come at from being in the reefing hobby for 30 years or so, and use some of the same husbandry techniques I learned there.

To each their own.

 

[Jhn]

You could also

holding off on more pond work till I get back from vacation.
For the next week, I'm going to focus more on water quality.
Besides my veggie garden is suffering from neglect. Going to put up the squash canopy I wanted to make this summer.

Pond aesthetics lacking but fish seem happy
View attachment 101699

and they seem to have taken a liking to the homemade floating tunnels. Hoping it gives them some coverage and more surface area for bacteria growth. Getting some foam later today for even better coverage and will sink the tunnels to the bottom.
View attachment 101700

Pond looks like it will be nice one done.

I used black corrugated drain pipe for tunnels in my pond, had some left over from work and figured it would give the fish places to hide when herons come by. Plus side they are black so they are really hard to see at the pond bottom.

 

[qclabrat]

just noticed this white dots forming on all my floating tunnels
what are they?

 

[sissy]

I know the green one I had had a U.V. protector on it or in it ,not sure which but that is what it said on the package when I bought it at lowes .I used it around my garden

 

[Meyer Jordan]

just noticed this white dots forming on all my floating tunnels
what are they?

View attachment 101705

Snail eggs.

 

[qclabrat]

Snail eggs.

is that good or bad? Where did they come from?
will I get infested by them? There's a few hundred between the four tunnels

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Snails are generally beneficial to a pond as they are scavengers, Once the eggs hatch the fish should keep the population under control.

 

[Lisak1]

Says it keeps his water clear

That's the old "causation/correlation" trope. "I do this and that happens so therefore doing this causes that." He's keeping the people who sell the BIB happy anyway!