Koi Inside Pond HELP!

[Brian]

Hi all,

Im new to the forums, and Im glad I found it! Anwyays, we recently moved into our new house 2 weeks ago. The house has a HUGE pond out back, after examining it, theres 2 waterfalls. One has about a 4' drop, and the other about 2' on each side of the pond, theres also a bridge. I stuck a rod in the middle, and It seems its about 5' deep, and at least 2000 gallons. Theres water to the top, and its VERY green, dirty, and a little smelly. I thought it might be a hazard since Im seeing many masquiots flying over it. I personally thought there was no fish inside because the water seemed too dirty for anything to live inside of, and the pump has been off for quite a while I heard. I went to Home Depot and rented a Pump to drain out the water, I was planning on cleaning it down, then adding water and fish down the road. I had it on almost all day yesterday, and all day today. In the evening I went to check and the water was down to about 100 gallons left, and when I looked closely I saw some koi swimming in the bottom. I managed to see 4 in the merky water, but there may be more, there all VERY big around 20" maybe. I was shocked because I wasn't expecting fish so I added a little water with the hose. I cant see them but every once, and a while I will and I'll see the water moving. Theres only about 1' of water left in the middle of the pond, and a few inches on the sides.


I would like to keep these fish, and I guess I'll have to start up the koi pond a little earlier then I expected :icon_redface: I thought about taking the fish out with a net, and putting fresh water, but I was afraid of shocking them with the different water quality (Im no expert, I never owned a pond but I did have goldfish 2 years ago in a tank) Theres a thick layer of algae on the walls of the pond where the water is gone, and as soon as you touch the water, you see a bunch of that stuff moving around.

Heres a list of questions I have:

Can I start feeding them now?I read on a few websites it's best to feed in the spring. I do live in SoCal so its never really too cold, it was pretty warm today.

How would I go about taking the rest of the water out, and cleaning it? Would I just clean it, add fresh water, and place the fish in there?

I the pump looks fairly new, anything I have to do to it (filter change etc?) Its a big pump as well, and next to it theres a UV sterilizer.

Any food recommendations? There is a koi pond store, a couple minutes from here, I should be able to pick up everything I may need.

Im not sure If I covered everything, just whatever I can think of, If you need anymore info on the pond or anything please post it here, and I'll try to reply right away. If you can give me a list of what to take care of in steps that would be a lot of help! Any advice is really appreciated!

Thanks,

Brian

 

[koiguy1969]

you can feed when the water temp hits 50* small amounts at first slowly adding. as far as the pond goes... get some dechlorinator, and follow its directions and start refilling the pond, with a slow flow from the hose. your gonna need some bemeficial bacteria, liquid and/or dry, and some filter innoculant from MICROBELIFT which is good bacteria that you brush directly on your filter media. just net out the debris from the bottom of pond for now,when the water level is safe for your pumps start running your filtration system. and definately run the u.v clarifier. this should, under most circumstances... have your pond up, and running with clear water within a week or so. take a sample to a pond supply store and have them test it, they should be able to tell you if theres anything else that may help you. the green water is an algae bloom, and fairly normal, dont panic. just net out any debris and refill,start the filtration as soon as possible as you refill...you may want to rinse out the filter, no soap or chemicals, just clean water. let us know what you have for filtration. and keep us updated so we may continue to help.

 

[koiguy1969]

when your filling the pond let the water fall from the hose dont put it in the water this will add oxygen to the water and and let out toxic gas build up out. and the oxygen will help your bacteria thrive and do its business. after you clean your filter media, (only if needed) float it around in the pond water for a few minutes before applying the filter innoculant. the filter innoculant works way faster than ordinary bacteria at colonizing your filter, GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Brian]

Thanks for the reply Koiguy1969 :icon_smile: I checked what filteration system, and pump I have. The pump is called "The Wave 2 1/2 Hp" it also says specially designed for koi ponds, the manufacterer is W.LIM Corporation. The filter (Im guessing its the filter its big, tall, and round) says Cristal-flo Hi-Rate Sand filter. The UV sterlizer is a Zapp Pure. Im not sure how I would open the filter, but I might have to play with it. Everything is currenty unplugged. Also I found everything I needed that you mentioned on the Mystic koi and Water Gardens website. Thats the place thats pretty local. I just couldn't find the filter innoculant from Microbelift, would there be any substitutes for it in that store? Thanks, any more recommendations anybody?

Thanks!

Brian

 

[koiguy1969]

check the waterfalls, the top rock (flat) may be fake. lift it off and you may find that there are biofilter in the falls, thats where your bio media will be... i would suggest if thats not the case, build a biofilter. there is plans for one right on this forum,"55 gallon bio filter" or google "skippy filter" these filters will outdo any store bought filter out there almost. the innoculant isnt manditory but works so much faster than the regular. sand filters clog easily and just dont do the biological work that needs doing. i would suggest loosing it. but run it for now till you get something else. do frequent backflushes.

 

[asudavew]

I would suggest filling it up. But you are going to need dechlorinator, and from the sound of it... A bunch of it.

I would then make sure your filter is up and running.

Then maybe get a vacuum or something to get the gunk out of the bottom. They sell vacuums for that purpose.

The gunk has to go, and isn't good for you fish.

That should get your far enough along to do some research.
And to work on getting the pond in good condition... running properly and clear.

You need to look into the nitrification cycle and proper maintenance.

Good luck,

Would love to see pics and posts of your progress.

 

[koiguy1969]

is there plants in this pond or is it a dedicated koi pond, and is there bottom drains? is it a liner pond, or concrete? what are its measurments?

 

[c2c7390]

where abouts in socal are you..
the best thing to do would probably net the fish out into a container and drain the pond all the way...and rinse it out...and then fill it back up and dechlorinate the water and circulate the water with a pump and then put the koi back in...you will definitly have to look into the nitrogen cycle as stated above...i wouldnt feed to much maybe everyother day...you probably should see if there is a filter set up to the pond too

 

[Brian]

check the waterfalls, the top rock (flat) may be fake. lift it off and you may find that there are biofilter in the falls, thats where your bio media will be... i would suggest if thats not the case, build a biofilter. there is plans for one right on this forum,"55 gallon bio filter" or google "skippy filter" these filters will outdo any store bought filter out there almost. the innoculant isnt manditory but works so much faster than the regular. sand filters clog easily and just dont do the biological work that needs doing. i would suggest loosing it. but run it for now till you get something else. do frequent backflushes.

I checked, the top rocks, and there all real. I looked inside, and the only thing I see is the hose for the waterfall. On the side of the pond there is a little plastic hole, and on the flap it has some sort of filter. Im not really sure what thats for. I was told by the neighbor that, the previous owner had some service care for the pond for them, I would think they had a bio filter.

Thanks,

Brian

I would suggest filling it up. But you are going to need dechlorinator, and from the sound of it... A bunch of it.

I would then make sure your filter is up and running.

Then maybe get a vacuum or something to get the gunk out of the bottom. They sell vacuums for that purpose.

The gunk has to go, and isn't good for you fish.

That should get your far enough along to do some research.
And to work on getting the pond in good condition... running properly and clear.

You need to look into the nitrification cycle and proper maintenance.

Good luck,

Would love to see pics and posts of your progress.

Thank you! Im still trying to settle in, cant find my camera, so Im trying to do my best explaining every detail. Do you know of any good websites that explain the nitrification cycle and its proper maintenance?

Thanks,

Brian

is there plants in this pond or is it a dedicated koi pond, and is there bottom drains? is it a liner pond, or concrete? what are its measurments?

There isn't any plants in the pond, Im guessing it was dedicated to koi. Im not sure if theres a bottom drain because theres still a little water at the bottom of the pond for the fish to stay in. The whole pond is concrete, and I took measurements this morning. Its 20' long, and 8' wide at the middle (a little wider at the right side)

Thanks,

Brian

where abouts in socal are you..
the best thing to do would probably net the fish out into a container and drain the pond all the way...and rinse it out...and then fill it back up and dechlorinate the water and circulate the water with a pump and then put the koi back in...you will definitly have to look into the nitrogen cycle as stated above...i wouldnt feed to much maybe everyother day...you probably should see if there is a filter set up to the pond too

Im in Rancho, the problem is I dont know how to use the pump or filter. I'll grab a bottle of dechlorinater today, so I can at least fill up the pond. Then I'll plug in the pump, and filter. I have a filter; a cristal-flo, is that the one your talking about?


I also wanted to mention would it be REALLY expensive to run this pond since its big?

Thanks,

Brian

 

[koiguy1969]

well get filling the pond, if that little hole and flap is at full water surface level, it may be a skimmer, does it have an access from the top, maybe a removable basket? if you can access it look inside and let us know what you see. your pond at 8' by 20' is so much more than 2000 gallons at 5' deep. i would bet my bottom dollar you have bottom drains. is the floor concave to the center,with smooth straight down walls? get a pool skimmer net and move slowly thru the remaining water on the bottom there to remove as much debris as possible. if you vaccuum in water you cant see thru you dont know what you may vaccuum up. you already removed 80% of your water, so you cant wait too long to get started. you may have a few dead fish in there already.

 

[c2c7390]

usually the initial setup is the most expensive...but maintaining it isnt to costly...by the sounds of it the most expensive part of the setup is already done for you...including the fish

 

[bunnymp]

In addition to all the good advice you've already received, I'd like to add that the bulb in the UV Sterilizer is probably no longer working effectively. Those bulbs have to be replaced yearly. It may light up, but it may not be actually working.

If after, refilling the pond, vacuuming and adding bacteria, you still have green water, you may want to do some small water changes just to help flush out the green algae. It may take a week to clear up completely.

If you do have a skimmer basket, lift it up and wash out any pads or brushes that may be in there.

Until the water temp is consistently at 55 and the water is clear, I would only feed lightly.

I recommend getting an aerator to help add O2 to water and test kits. As a previous goldfish owner, I am sure you know the importance of water testing.

Good luck.

 

[Brian]

well get filling the pond, if that little hole and flap is at full water surface level, it may be a skimmer, does it have an access from the top, maybe a removable basket? if you can access it look inside and let us know what you see. your pond at 8' by 20' is so much more than 2000 gallons at 5' deep. i would bet my bottom dollar you have bottom drains. is the floor concave to the center,with smooth straight down walls? get a pool skimmer net and move slowly thru the remaining water on the bottom there to remove as much debris as possible. if you vaccuum in water you cant see thru you dont know what you may vaccuum up. you already removed 80% of your water, so you cant wait too long to get started. you may have a few dead fish in there already.

I took the plunge, and went ahead and took out the remaining fish;5. I also drained out the rest of the water. I then went down to the pond supply store, and purchased some water conditioner for ammonia, chlorine etc. I forgot about the bacteria, I'll try and get that tomorrow. The hole has no lid, but inside there is a basket, and theres some tiny rocks inside of it, on the flap theres a sponge thing. When the pond was full it was at water level. I gave the guy at the pond shop the measurments, he estimated my pond to be over 4000 gallons :eek2: I cleaned out the debris the best I can, and added the water, I then added the conditioner. I didn't add water to the top, yet, I'll add water daily until I fill it up. When I drained the water, there were 2 vent things, on the left side, and right bottom of the pond, Im guessing those are for the pump of filter? There was no drain.

Thanks!

Brian

In addition to all the good advice you've already received, I'd like to add that the bulb in the UV Sterilizer is probably no longer working effectively. Those bulbs have to be replaced yearly. It may light up, but it may not be actually working.

If after, refilling the pond, vacuuming and adding bacteria, you still have green water, you may want to do some small water changes just to help flush out the green algae. It may take a week to clear up completely.

If you do have a skimmer basket, lift it up and wash out any pads or brushes that may be in there.

Until the water temp is consistently at 55 and the water is clear, I would only feed lightly.

I recommend getting an aerator to help add O2 to water and test kits. As a previous goldfish owner, I am sure you know the importance of water testing.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, I'll get a new bulb for the UV sterlizer, I just dont know how to replace the bulb. Theres a basket in the skimmer, and theres only a pad, on the flap lid. I think I may have an aerator, there was a small pump next te the pond, and it had a line going inside the pond. They had those at the koi store, and they gave off bubbles. Would that be the aerator? As for the test kits, is there a recommended PH, ammonia level etc?

Thanks,

Brian

 

[koiguy1969]

those are the inlets to the pump, the floor one is called a drain, im sorry, i should of been more specific, i didnt mean drains for draining the pond. i was talking like you knew. you may not need the u.v bulb but there is no way to know, so replace it anyway. dont touch the new bulb with your fingers. the bottom drain draws debris in by suction and gravity.yes, you are correct, that bubbler is an aerator, big plus. like i said their test recommendations are right. put the aerator in whatever you have the fish in.now if all you have is the sand filter i would look into building a bio filter as soon as possible. keep us posted. and good luck to ya!!!!

 

[bunnymp]

Make sure whatever temporary container you have them in now is large enough to handle the bio load. If not they will suffocate. Put the aerator in it for them now.

The proper results for all the tests will be right on the box. But, I can tell you that ammonia should be 0. You should also test for pH, nitrates, and nitrites.

I like to use salt as a preventive treatment. In the warm weather I keep my level at .18. But in times of spring and winter prep I raise to .30. There is a lot of info out there about salt treatment that you can pick up later, right now you need to just concern yourself with getting the drains and pads cleaned, refilling it and getting the dechlor and bacteria in there so the fish can go back home.