Lots of water chemistry parameters to change. Where to start...

[max384]

I stopped by my local pond store to pick up some pond bacteria solution, and got what sounds like great advice! This guy isn't just an idiot employee, as he has a couple of ponds of his own, and is really passionate about ponding, so he seems more knowledgeable than your average employee.

When I went to buy the bacteria, he asked me how my pond was coming along. I told him I was having trouble getting the pond cycled, and that I was going to buy bacteria. He asked me if I had a UV filter, which I do. He told me to turn it off until the pond cycles, since green water looks ugly, but won't harm the fish. Duh!!! I can't believe I didn't think of that! He said that the pond would cycle regardless, but the UV filter was slowing things down since any bacteria not suck to the filter media was killed by the UV light. He told me I didn't even need to buy the bacteria, but that it would certainly help speed things up.

I bought the bacteria and followed his advice to turn off the UV filter. I'm really hoping this will get things rolling so I can stop worrying about the ammonia so much and get everything else fixed too.

 

[dieselplower]

That is a highly debated topic. The bacteria are not free floating and most people say turning off the uv won't matter. Some think it will.

 

[max384]

Oh boy... well I certainly don't want to turn this thread into some sort of argument or pissing match. So regardless of whether it helps or not, I figure it can't hurt, so why not? Plus if I'm adding liquid bacteria to the pond, it makes sense to me to turn it off, since they're free floating at first when they come from a bottle.

 

[max384]

Good news! The ammonia levels dropped, the nitrite is high, and the nitrate is just starting to show up... So it's finally starting to cycle! I left the UV filter off last night, and turned it back on this morning. Because I unwisely have the UV light and skimmer pump wired together, I can't turn off the UV without also turning off the pump. Although it doesn't affect my main pump and biofiltration, I don't want to leave the skimmer off too long. This morning at about 6, ammonia levels were still high, and no nitrite. Then by noon is when I did my latest test.

 

[max384]

I'm leaving for a week-long vacation tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping the ammonia will be under control when I get back, and then I can tackle the pH and KH.

 

[Priscilla]

Have a fun vacay!

 

[max384]

Thanks!

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I stopped by my local pond store to pick up some pond bacteria solution, and got what sounds like great advice! This guy isn't just an idiot employee, as he has a couple of ponds of his own, and is really passionate about ponding, so he seems more knowledgeable than your average employee.

When I went to buy the bacteria, he asked me how my pond was coming along. I told him I was having trouble getting the pond cycled, and that I was going to buy bacteria. He asked me if I had a UV filter, which I do. He told me to turn it off until the pond cycles, since green water looks ugly, but won't harm the fish. Duh!!! I can't believe I didn't think of that! He said that the pond would cycle regardless, but the UV filter was slowing things down since any bacteria not suck to the filter media was killed by the UV light. He told me I didn't even need to buy the bacteria, but that it would certainly help speed things up.

I bought the bacteria and followed his advice to turn off the UV filter. I'm really hoping this will get things rolling so I can stop worrying about the ammonia so much and get everything else fixed too.

I think your pond store guy gave you good advice, not only about the UV unit, but that you didn't even need to buy "bacteria" in a bottle.
First of all the bacteria is certainly free floating. Sure the type of bacteria you want to grow on your bio-media generally builds in the largest colonizes on surfaces, but it must get there somehow to begin with, and for the most part it spreads by floating through the water, whether it be by spores or actual bacteria sloughing off of other surfaces. If the spores or live bacteria pass through a UV unit, there's a good chance they will be rendered inactive and thus not able to colonize any bio-filter media you have downstream of the UV. And yes, they will eventually be able to colonize on your bio-media eventually anyway because there will always be some present to begin with, and some may survive the trip through the UV, it will just might take a little longer.
Also regarding the bottled "bacteria", you can't package significant amounts of aerobic bacteria in a bottle, the reason being that if you seal aerobic bacteria in an air tight bottle they will quickly use up what ever oxygen is in the bottle and die, and the anaerobic bacteria, that will always be present, will start consuming dead aerobic bacteria. In order to transport live aerobic bacteria you would somehow have to keep the water that they are in oxygenated. So he also gave you good advice saying that you didn't need to buy "bacteria" since the bottle you bought couldn't possibly contain significant amounts of the desired bacteria anyway.

 

[max384]

Just an update on the pond. My ammonia and nitrite is now consistently reading zero. The pH is reading 8.2 and is stable between morning and evening. The KH is at about 90 ppm. I'm raising it by about 20 ppm every day our two until I get to about 150 ppm. The GH is at about 70 ppm. I'm not exactly sure what GH number I should be shooting for though...

 

[max384]

I think your pond store guy gave you good advice, not only about the UV unit, but that you didn't even need to buy "bacteria" in a bottle.
First of all the bacteria is certainly free floating. Sure the type of bacteria you want to grow on your bio-media generally builds in the largest colonizes on surfaces, but it must get there somehow to begin with, and for the most part it spreads by floating through the water, whether it be by spores or actual bacteria sloughing off of other surfaces. If the spores or live bacteria pass through a UV unit, there's a good chance they will be rendered inactive and thus not able to colonize any bio-filter media you have downstream of the UV. And yes, they will eventually be able to colonize on your bio-media eventually anyway because there will always be some present to begin with, and some may survive the trip through the UV, it will just might take a little longer.
Also regarding the bottled "bacteria", you can't package significant amounts of aerobic bacteria in a bottle, the reason being that if you seal aerobic bacteria in an air tight bottle they will quickly use up what ever oxygen is in the bottle and die, and the anaerobic bacteria, that will always be present, will start consuming dead aerobic bacteria. In order to transport live aerobic bacteria you would somehow have to keep the water that they are in oxygenated. So he also gave you good advice saying that you didn't need to buy "bacteria" since the bottle you bought couldn't possibly contain significant amounts of the desired bacteria anyway.

Within only a few of hours after adding the bottled bacteria, the ammonia dropped significantly and the nitrite and nitrate levels shot up. This was the first time I had any nitrite or nitrate readings. So, although I'm far from an expert, it seems to me that the bottled bacteria did help quite a bit...

 

[JohnHuff]

Within only a few of hours after adding the bottled bacteria, the ammonia dropped significantly and the nitrite and nitrate levels shot up. This was the first time I had any nitrite or nitrate readings. So, although I'm far from an expert, it seems to me that the bottled bacteria did help quite a bit...

I wonder if it's possible that the bottle contains an ammonia neutralizer as well.

 

[max384]

I wonder if it's possible that the bottle contains an ammonia neutralizer as well.

Maybe. I'll check when I get home. But even if it did, that wouldn't explain the nitrites and nitrates going up.

 

[JohnHuff]

Maybe. I'll check when I get home. But even if it did, that wouldn't explain the nitrites and nitrates going up.

It would if the ammonia was converted to nitrites and nitrates. The ammonia has to be converted to something. With bacteria it's a 2 step method. Ammonia to nitrites. And then nitrites to nitrates. Not at the same time.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Within only a few of hours after adding the bottled bacteria, the ammonia dropped significantly and the nitrite and nitrate levels shot up. This was the first time I had any nitrite or nitrate readings. So, although I'm far from an expert, it seems to me that the bottled bacteria did help quite a bit...

Sounds more like divine intervention then scientific possibility.
Even if you were to transplant a large quantity of living bacteria directly from an active bio-filter the possibility of those water parameters changing that quickly from a purely biological process seems unlikely. My bet is the bottle contained some chemicals that lead to those changes, as John suggests.

 

[dieselplower]

Max in one post you said "ammonia and nitrite is consistently zero" and then in the very next post you said "ammonia dropped significantly" so I am confused.