Dirty Water! What to do?

[texmaster]

So some of you read my thread on how to install a pressure filter the wrong way. Well now that I've finally got it up and running its got a large job ahead. The water is really dirty. I mean REALLY dirty up to the point I'm thinking about draining the top pond where there are no fish and introducing new water to help the cleaning process.

I've already added new bacteria but I am a little concerned about how black the water is after the old filter just couldn't cut it anymore.

Appreciate anyone's thoughts.

 

[morewater]

You didn't state the total volume of your combined ponds, nor the make/model and capacity of the pressure filter that you installed.

The pressure filter may need to be cleaned daily for a period of time, depending on how "dirty" your water is (I know, don't end a sentence with "is"), so I didn't.

 

[moby]

Yes that post about the pressure filter really made me chuckle!
If you add new water you will make it cleaner, but not for long! The nutrients in the new water will only add to those already there and feed the algae even more. The pond needs time to adjust and for the filter to mature and keep it clean. I assume it's got a UV light in it, mine has? It will take at least a week and maybe longer for the filter to start to do its job so patience is of the essence here. I changed from a filter box with foam pads to a pressurised system with foam cubes, bio media and a UV....I am personally very pleased with the results, but I'm aware that lots of people don't favour them. It has a backwash function that is easy and clean to operate that I try to use once a week. You may find you need to backwash twice a week possibly as it should collect more dirt in the early days. Once things settle down You may be able to reduce the frequency of cleaning.

 

[Tula]

Is there sediment on the bottom of the pond?

 

[texmaster]

I don't see any sediment but haven't really reached down there to check.

And yes the new filter does have a UV light.

And thanks for the tip about the water!

 

[Mmathis]

That water did look pretty yucky!

 

[CometKeith]

The easiest way to clean pond water is to do partial water changes of 10-15%. If you do 3 or 4 a week for a few weeks you will see a big improvement. I would also continue to properly backwash your filter. Do you have a little red marker on it that tells you when the filter is dirty? The good thing is probably none of this will hurt your fish. I would avoid adding chemicals of any kind because it seems like sometimes that makes things even worse.

 

[moby]

When the backwash is done you will need to top up the pond anyway as you will obviously lose a certain amount of water during the process. Little and often is best.

 

[mgmine]

The dirt will most likely settle to the bottom unless you are pumping from the bottom.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Water changes are not the answer. It would take 7 10% water changes to remove only 50% of the suspended matter.

 

[Mmathis]

I'm confused.....and an having trouble following the logic. I'm not trying to sound difficult, but I honestly don't know the process. With the backwash, where did the dirt come from? Is the yuck still in the filter or just in the water column? But there's no sediment....? Can't you just change the water to get rid of the yuck......? Or if there is sediment, can't it be shop-vac'd out.....?

 

[texmaster]

Well bad news. The UV light isn't working. Grrrrr. Going to have to call the company tomorrow.

 

[mgmine]

Maybe you are pumping the water too fast through the light.

 

[morewater]

You never did state the make, model and capacity of the pressure filter used. You never did state the UV light wattage, the total pond volume, the GPH rating of your pump, feet of head, etc.

Your post in essence is akin to calling a mechanic and saying "my car is making a funny noise, what is it?".

 

[texmaster]

You never did state the make, model and capacity of the pressure filter used. You never did state the UV light wattage, the total pond volume, the GPH rating of your pump, feet of head, etc.

Your post in essence is akin to calling a mechanic and saying "my car is making a funny noise, what is it?".

lol rowr easy killer. I have in other threads and I just forgot here sorry.

Its 1000 gallons. The pump at best is 1500gph. The filter is AllClear PLUS 3600 with a 17 watt ub filter