another H20 quality question

[mr.spooky]

hi all!!!
ok, heres another water quality question..... first let me state that iv spent all morning using the search feature,, and picked up a ton of info,,, but im starting to think that each pond,, and its working apperatus, has its own little persionality. so let me start from the begining.
pond size-- 3200 / 3500 gal (roughly)
pump size-- tetra DHP4200 debris handling pump 4000gph
filter------ tetra BP-4000 large bead pressure filter
UV----- tetra Green Free UV3 w/ss insert ( 36watt)
Koi---- 6
our pond ran for a few weeks before adding fish, and it was after that when we started checking water quality,,,,, i know,, the cart before the horse,, but we live and learn right:lol:
about 3 weeks ago we had a terrible "alge overload" and that promped us to use "microbe lift" and test the water quality weekly. for the past 4 weeks, the amonia level has gradually increased from 0 to 1.5.. the nirtite, and nitrate has been 0 up until today,, but today the nitrite is at 1.
we havent done a "true" water change, but let the water level drop about 5 inches (about 300 gals) and added laguna water prep then refilled.
we feed the fish 1/4 cup of food 3 times a day and they eat all within 5/10 minuets.
so,,, to make a long question short,,,,,,,, what are we doing wrong, or is this just the nitrogen cycle starting?????
thanks for listening to my ramblings!
jason

 

[stroppy]

i would do bigger water changes until things settle down a bit about 20% if you have nitrites then your ammonia reading should be 0 also cut down on the amount you are feeding untill your readings are 0 does seem like its just starting to cycle

 

[mr.spooky]

could i do a water change via the "backflush" feature on my filter,, or would that be concitered too much "backflushing" ??
thanks
spooky

 

[koiguy1969]

thats the way i do all my waterchanges...usually 1 filter drain (pump off) and replace the water. if a bigger one is called for i do it with the pump running.mine is gravity fed not pressurized tho. the pump running helps keep the sump area debris in suspension so they can flush out easier.

 

[fishin4cars]

Backflush your filter and do a 20% water change, The bacteria by now have already colonized, need to get anything extra out and the backflush will help with that. By letting the water drop and then refilling is NOT helping at all. Your not removing anything, your making it more concentrated. The only way to get nitrates and Nitrites out of the water is 1- water changes 2- plants use them. Option 2 takes a lot of plants and must be very actively growing. Option 1 will remove some out of the system but still leave some for the plants to use. Water changes to me are a must, use the water to water your plants, great fertilizer! make sure and refill slowly so not to temp, shock the fish. Add declorintaor in the amount that is being changed out, Not to the total amount your pond holds, So if you do a 20% water change on a 4000 gallon pond you will need to treat 800 gallons of water not 4000. To make maintance much easier, 10% changes weekly are less time consuming, less stress on your fish and will keep all your levels a lot more stable.
Oh and cut back some on your feeding! 1/4 cup a feeding for six Koi? They are either very large koi or you are overfeeding. I feed aprox. 1/3 -1/2 cup of food per day, divided by 2-5 feedings a day,Feeding 30 fish ranging from 4" to 18" all are fat and healthy. To me it seems like even though they are eating it all you still may be overfeeding them and the system. Be sure and watch the three video's posted that show Hot to grow a large Koi. great info! Pay attention about not feeding the fish and it's benefits.

 

[mr.spooky]

Backflush your filter and do a 20% water change, The bacteria by now have already colonized, need to get anything extra out and the backflush will help with that. By letting the water drop and then refilling is NOT helping at all. Your not removing anything, your making it more concentrated. The only way to get nitrates and Nitrites out of the water is 1- water changes 2- plants use them. Option 2 takes a lot of plants and must be very actively growing. Option 1 will remove some out of the system but still leave some for the plants to use. Water changes to me are a must, use the water to water your plants, great fertilizer! make sure and refill slowly so not to temp, shock the fish. Add declorintaor in the amount that is being changed out, Not to the total amount your pond holds, So if you do a 20% water change on a 4000 gallon pond you will need to treat 800 gallons of water not 4000. To make maintance much easier, 10% changes weekly are less time consuming, less stress on your fish and will keep all your levels a lot more stable.
Oh and cut back some on your feeding! 1/4 cup a feeding for six Koi? They are either very large koi or you are overfeeding. I feed aprox. 1/3 -1/2 cup of food per day, divided by 2-5 feedings a day,Feeding 30 fish ranging from 4" to 18" all are fat and healthy. To me it seems like even though they are eating it all you still may be overfeeding them and the system. Be sure and watch the three video's posted that show Hot to grow a large Koi. great info! Pay attention about not feeding the fish and it's benefits.

thats why were feeding so much.. at 4:35 in the first video he says to feed minium 3% body weight daily. we have 6 fish about 1lb each,, thats 6 lbs. 3% of 6 lbs is about 2.8 oz. 2.8oz is about 2/3 of a cup. 2/3 of a cup is about the same as 3/4 of a cup give or take a few pellets. doing this 3 times a day @ (about) 1/4 cup at a time turns into about 3% of total body weight... is this not what hees saying,,, or did i miss something?
am using the word "about" alot because the fishes size is approximate.
thanks
spooky

 

[mr.spooky]

im off to do a 20% water change.... hope this helps.!!!!!

 

[koiguy1969]

I've been tapering my feeding down now...I'd like 2 - 3 weeks with no feeding before i move them outside. shooting for a Mid May transfer

 

[fishin4cars]

I went back and watched it too, From what he says and what you calculated yes you seem to be right. To me that seems like a LOT of food, For a fairly new pond it sounds like you may be giving them a little to much kindness. Trust me, Cutting back will not harm your fish for now, let the pond stabilize a little more before feeding that heavy, he never does show what or how big his filter is, The bigger the filter the more waste it can handle, the more waste the more you can get away with feeding heavy. I'm not trying to grow big fast, they are doing that just fine without heavy feedings, although I do feed several times a day, I give treats, veggies, fruits, cheerios etc. My filter is fairly large, I do weekly water changes and back flush my filter weekly.
It's not uncommon for a big rain, or water change to see some elevation of ammonia and nitrite, During this time I will cut back and monitor VERY closely. I've not feed for 24-48 hours many times and no ill effects on the koi and the pond settles back down very quickly. PLEASE NOTE: I do say I see elevated ammonia, I use a digital ammonia reader, (NOT CHEAP!) I bought this item many years ago for my reef tank. It will pick up readings that are not visible on a test strip. when using test strips/drop solutions, you should not be reading much if any at all. If your reading any ammonia at all, water changes really need to be done Then!!!

 

[mr.spooky]

thanks for helpin out!!!!!!! weve decided to cut some of the food out for now,,, and im curentaly doin a water change..
well see what hapens... thanks for yalls help and input!
jason

 

[mr.spooky]

oh,, almost forgot... after a water change, how long should you wait to monitor the water for proper readings?
thanks

 

[fishin4cars]

I would check it again this afternoon (2-3 hours after the new water has been added to allow for everything to mix and get a more accurate reading), See how the pond reacted to the change. When there is something for sure your monitoring twice daily is not a bad idea, when all is running smooth and everything is good and stable, 2-3 of times a week may be all you need to test. Your key is you want to check before a water change and after, this lets you know how much the ammonia reduction helped and gives you a reading to use later to know how much water change it takes to reduce those levels.