I have no idea but it sounds like it's worth investigating. I do have lots of trees dropping leaves in the pond. I've tried to use the skimmer to get them out but I end up catching so many tadpoles and small fish that it slow going picking them all out of the net. I am aboutto send ,my water off for evaluation so maybe they can do that as well. Thanks for your input!
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sissy
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That is one of the main reasons I have no skimmer and no bottom drain ,besides being scared to cut a hole in my liner and making a big boo boo .My pet supply store here gives a printout of the water test to you .They raised the price but it is worth it
Meyer Jordan
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Thank you Sissy. I'll try the pet store. We do have a koi store near us.
Wow no It didn't occur to me to have the soil tested as well as the water. Actually I haven't done either yet as I waiting for a call back from the extension service to tell me who tests water. I'll let you know the results. For the beginning 7 years our 3 ft.deep pond was crystal clear. I could see all the way to the bottom even when I had the "mermaid's hair" algae floating in it. Then I cleaned out the algae 2 years in a row by hand. The water slowly became not clear in the pond. This was before I put the koi in it. I have 10 tiny pet store goldfish only. If you notice my water photo above it certainly isn't turbid. Nothing has settled out in almost 4 weeks now. The water is translucent and pale green but in the pond I have about 2" of visibility. Last year I could see the koi pretty well. It just keeps getting more and more opaque.
Meyer Jordan
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I know that you don't want to hear this but that is normal for a stocked earthen-bottom pond and with bottom feeders like Koi, 2" does not surprise me.
A diffuser may be the answer to removing the green tint, but as long as you have Koi the water will be very turbid.
Yes, a test of the soil on the bottom of the pond is recommended as it greatly influences water quality.
sissy
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yep koi are rooters by nature and just love digging in everything .I had to take all plants in pots out of my pond because of that .They are just catfish in a pretty outfit 
I hear what you're saying Meyer (first name or last?) but 2 things don't fit. #1 My problem started about 2 years before I got the fish. #2 The 1/2 gallon water sample I pulled from the pond has no sediment in it after almost 4 weeks. If it were just a matter of turbidity where they are rooting around, in a 3 foot deep pond I should be able to see them when they surface. I have only about 2" of visibility in a pond which used to be clear to the bottom. I have 10 species of frogs and toads which dig into the mud during the winter and still had a clear pond for about 7 years. Although I never had a pond before, I grew up in Japan and saw lots of Koi in natural bottom ponds. Somehow we are missing a piece of information in this pond. I live on the Chesapeake and the water is the same color and turbidity in the bay as my pond. Is it possible that tannin from the oak leaves is my culprit? What's a diffuser?
Lynda
LOL Love the "catfish in a pretty outfit". Oddly none of my water plants were eaten last year that I could tell but then I was feeding the fish koi food every other day until it got below 50 degrees. Maybe they just don't like the plants I chose.yep koi are rooters by nature and just love digging in everything .I had to take all plants in pots out of my pond because of that .They are just catfish in a pretty outfit
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A diffuser is a membrane aerator that is placed on the bottom of the pond.
There IS a remote chance that some of the turbidity that you are seeing is a bacterial bloom, but these are rare and usually only occur in new aquariums. They can be caused by excess organic matter and/or high ammonia levels. This turbidity may be caused by something else completely. Again, this is why the tests, both soil and water quality, are so important. The results of these tests will point us in the right direction. Until then, the fish seem to be doing OK. Any action that you take now would just be a guess and could do more harm than good.
Japanese Koi ponds are constructed in a more exacting way than the average earthen-bottom pond so one really can't compare the two.
Thanks Meyer. 18" of relatively clear water is fine. I could at least see the koi when they feed.Water test pending. Do you know of a website which will tell me how to start and what I need: pump. UV filter, mechanical filter etc.?
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Let's not forget that we are dealing with an earth-bottom pond.
The water will never be clear, nor should it be. 18" visibility is considered good in the typical earth-bottom pond. With the addition of bottom feeding fish such as Koi or catfish, visibility will be considerably less.
By nature, a healthy earth-bottom pond will support sizable population of both benthic (bottom dwelling) and planktonic (floating) microorgainism...algal and animal. This rich diversity of life, especially planktonic, in sufficient numbers greatly affect the turbidity (clarity) of the water column. Bottom feeding fish add to this turbidity by stirring up very small particles of silt and detritus that remain in suspension for a considerable period of time.
Filtration will not improve the clarity of the water. A pump is not necessary. A diffuser or bottom-fed fountain will create all of the water movement needed.
Since it appears that you have considerable aquatic plantings, a 'bog' filter would offer no advantages, but would prove to be just one more maintenance item as, over time, it would fill with the suspended silt and require complete dismantling and cleaning.
In truth, what you are experiencing is a mature earth-bottom aquatic eco-system.
One thing that I could find no mention of in this thread was...... feeding the fish.
If you are feeding them, stop. The pond is brimming with all of the natural food the they require. Feeding will only increase the organic load of the pond.
In conclusion, you appear to have a fairly healthy earth-bottom pond.
The water will never be clear, nor should it be. 18" visibility is considered good in the typical earth-bottom pond. With the addition of bottom feeding fish such as Koi or catfish, visibility will be considerably less.
By nature, a healthy earth-bottom pond will support sizable population of both benthic (bottom dwelling) and planktonic (floating) microorgainism...algal and animal. This rich diversity of life, especially planktonic, in sufficient numbers greatly affect the turbidity (clarity) of the water column. Bottom feeding fish add to this turbidity by stirring up very small particles of silt and detritus that remain in suspension for a considerable period of time.
Filtration will not improve the clarity of the water. A pump is not necessary. A diffuser or bottom-fed fountain will create all of the water movement needed.
Since it appears that you have considerable aquatic plantings, a 'bog' filter would offer no advantages, but would prove to be just one more maintenance item as, over time, it would fill with the suspended silt and require complete dismantling and cleaning.
In truth, what you are experiencing is a mature earth-bottom aquatic eco-system.
One thing that I could find no mention of in this thread was...... feeding the fish.
If you are feeding them, stop. The pond is brimming with all of the natural food the they require. Feeding will only increase the organic load of the pond.
In conclusion, you appear to have a fairly healthy earth-bottom pond.