Need help with water clarity - not sure what to use...

[Mmathis]

@ellie_pd Wondering where you live. Those look like plecos in your pond. Do you take them inside during winter? Why not go over to our “introductions” area and tell us about yourself and your pond.

 

[sissy]

my koi are way over 2 feet long and that is since I got them in 2005 and II do not feed them much and I don't give them growth food

 

[poconojoe]

Quilt batting seems like a good idea. The results from Ellie_pd's video are impressive.

 

[sissy]

I use quilt batting all the time in both filters .A crate on top with quilt batting and then blue reusable furnace filter on top to catch the bigger stuff

 

[MaryC]

What finally got my wee pond under control (after trying all the organic treatments etc.) was the quilt batting/ milk crate method. Shock & awe. Once the water was clear (after years of murkiness, long story...) discovered 2 HUGE plecos & a baby pleco. Been reconstructing and anytime the water gets 'mucked-up' I use that method to clear it. I cut the batting into smaller pieces-easier to clean afterward- & filled the milk crate with it. put the pump into an old pillowcase to keep the batting out. Submerged it & placed rocks over top to stabilize.
Check it out...

View attachment 112323

Thanks so much. Sounds simple and I'm going to give it a try.

 

[MaryC]

What finally got my wee pond under control (after trying all the organic treatments etc.) was the quilt batting/ milk crate method. Shock & awe. Once the water was clear (after years of murkiness, long story...) discovered 2 HUGE plecos & a baby pleco. Been reconstructing and anytime the water gets 'mucked-up' I use that method to clear it. I cut the batting into smaller pieces-easier to clean afterward- & filled the milk crate with it. put the pump into an old pillowcase to keep the batting out. Submerged it & placed rocks over top to stabilize.
Check it out...

View attachment 112323

Looks like a great idea, but I'm not sure how I would do it. My pump set up is very different. It's much bigger and is in a pump box that would not fit a milk crate. I wonder if there are other set ups that I could use. I saw a video with a kind of screen made from quilt batting. I'm going to continue to investigate.

 

[MaryC]

my koi are way over 2 feet long and that is since I got them in 2005 and II do not feed them much and I don't give them growth food

How many koi and in what size pond? I'm curious because of the feedback on fish load I've gotten. Do most folks really follow the 1 fish to 1000 gallon rule?

 

[sissy]

my pond is over 5000 gallons and right now I have 26 fish .Fancy tails and my bigger koi .All the babies will soon have a new home .There are 9 babies leaving for new homes

 

[EricV]

How many koi and in what size pond? I'm curious because of the feedback on fish load I've gotten. Do most folks really follow the 1 fish to 1000 gallon rule?

The general rule for koi as I've heard it here is 1000 gallons for the first, 500 for each additional. What I think we all think here but no one has out right said is that with a 700 gallon pond you'd be better off re-homing all the koi and sticking with the goldfish.

 

[Mmathis]

The general rule for koi as I've heard it here is 1000 gallons for the first, 500 for each additional. What I think we all think here but no one has out right said is that with a 700 gallon pond you'd be better off re-homing all the koi and sticking with the goldfish.

That’s the elephant in the room.....

 

[sissy]

Fat fantails are the best for a small pond