Losing water

[anthony21078]

6 week old Pond roughly 1,000 gallons. I have one pump connected to the skimmer and waterfall and a second pump connected to a flat box filter that exits through a fountain and a spitting frog. It's safe to say that I'm losing approximately 75gallons every 7-10 days.

I topped off the pond this evening and turned off all the pumps. I marked the water level on the skimmer box and plan to wait a few days to see if the water level drops. I hope to isolate the problem to the tubing running to the waterfall or the excessive splash out coming from the fountain when the wind blows as opposed to a hole in the liner.

The water parameters look good with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and between 40 and 50 PPM nitrates. I also have roughly 30 2inch goldfish.

So my question is, how long can I safely keep the pumps off?

 

[Lisak1]

Goldfish can actually live in a pond without any filtration, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. You are going to lose the bacteria in your filter though.

But mainly I wanted to say 75 gallons in that amount of time is really not that unexpected - evaporation, splashing, heat, plants taking up water, wind, plants up taking water... all contribute to water loss. I honestly don't think you have anything to be concerned about. With that amount of water loss you MAY have a low edge somewhere, but it's not losing much water. If you said 75 gallons a day, that would be a different story. But you're talking 7 to 10 gallons a day - that's really nothing.

Every new pond owner thinks they have a leak, so you're not alone in that!

 

[Relic]

I add an inch of water TWICE a day here in hot Texas. I've got a stacked-flagstone waterfall where water wicks away through the moss covered rocks, plus wind & sunshine, etc. I figure losing water a bit at a time is good - in essence a slow water-exchange...so slow I don't even add de-chlorinizer to the fresh water.

 

[Ronfire]

I thought I had a leak as well but then relised I only lost water durring the day. The water loss was from the large amount of evaporation from the 5 water falls in my system. Check to see if you have less loss at night to determine if it is evaporation. Shutting off the pump/water flow will reduce water loss but make you think it is in the system and not evaporation.
Replacing water loss from evaporation is not a problem for me with a well and float valve but remember that evaporation will tend to build up all the other things in the water that do not evaporate.

 

[addy1]

We have had a horrible hot September and dry, low humidity. My hot tub pond is losing around 4-5 inches every 4ish days.

 

[anthony21078]

Well these replies definitely put me at ease. During the first 2 weeks I was losing water where the hose connects to the waterfall. 2 clamps was not enough so I had to silicone the connection. I'm hoping it's still sealed and not dripping.

I think most of the water loss comes from the fountain. Every time the wind blows I see the water getting thrown out of the pond. I'll have to try and move the fountain further into the pond instead of near the edge.

In regards to evaporation....filled the pond last night at 6pm and marked the spot. Water level is the same at 1pm the next day. Pumps were also off. No water loss over night.

There hasn't been any rain for almost 2 weeks either. I guess topping off your pond from the hose is just a part of normal maintenance huh

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. You have to expect water loss, especially when it's hot, dry, and/or windy.

 

[cas]

I am also losing about an 1" of water every 4-5 days in my 1000 gallon pond. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't have such a tall waterfall. In the morning before the sun has time to dry the rocks, you can see how much over spray I am losing in the waterfall. To look at the waterfall during the day, you wouldn't think it is splashing much. I don't know how tall your waterfall is, but just something to consider.