newbie question about filter media and winter prep.

[dutchstar]

Just purchased a house with an awesome 3600 gal pond with 7 koi which are just over a decade old. There is a UV filter, a waterfall up top, there were a lot of water hyacinths (until I took them out for winter), and then some solid filter media in the downstream skimmer (which then pumps back up thru the UV filter to the waterfall.

My question is this - there is a small pool at the top of the waterfall, inside which is a mesh bag with a meteorite-looking piece of what may be charcoal or some other type of filter media. Anybody else have one of these? I don't know what I'd replace it with when I reopen the pond in the spring, but i'm guessing i'll need to pull it out when I shut the pond down once the water temp gets to 50 F (it is covered with algae which i'm worried will decompose and harm the fish).

Any thoughts?

 

[baeya]

Welcome to the site! You will find a lot of help here! I'm not qualified to answer most questions, but I'm going say just a little......someone will definately correct me, if needed!
I think the meteorite looking stuff might be lava rock. The stuff on it is probably good bacteria and the pond needs it to work correctly. You will learn a lot from this forum....just keep looking around the threads.

 

[dutchstar]

Thanks a lot...interesting. I hadn't yet pulled the pump at the bottom of the pond, I was going to wait until 50 degree water temp to do that, and figured i'd findout where the bio-filter was. So here's my next question: if i'm going to be doing winter preparation (I have already netted over the top of the pond to catch falling leaves), I was going to use the Microbe-Lift Autum/Winter prep. Do I leave the lava rock thingy in there and let the A/W prep bacteria repopulate the lava rock?

Thanks again for your help, i'm looking forward to learning a lot here.

 

[HARO]

Dutchstar; first welcome to the forum. The material in the bag could be almost anything; charcoal, lava rock, oyster shells, or one of the product sold to neutralize ammonia. Without knowing what it is, I would eliminate it from the pond. If it IS supposed to be a biological filter material, the fact that it is covered with algae pretty well eliminates any helpful bacteria on it, anyway. Get rid of it! John

 

[dutchstar]

Thanks John - should I replace it with something else before i start the Microbe-Lift autumn/winter prep?

 

[HARO]

Without knowing what it is or what it does, I'd have to say no, John

 

[taherrmann4]

Dutchstar welcome to the forum. Can you post some pics of your setup so we may see what this thing looks like. If it is covered in algae and you are closing your pond down for the winter try hosing it off and then take some pics of it as we may be able to tell you what it is. When you say meteorite could it be lava rock? Sissy one of our members uses this in her pond.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group! Sounds like lava rock to me, looks like it could come from outer space, full of holes, crevices etc.

 

[dutchstar]

thanks for the replies. i think i just successfully uploaded pics, and #4 shows the top of the waterfall, the collecting pool at the very top of that image is where the mesh bag with the moon rocks is. hope this helps


https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/album/181-my-pond/

Album: my pond
7 images
3 comments

 

[addy1]

Very pretty pond. Sounds like they used, most likely, lava rock to create filtration in the water fall pool. Your water looks great, a good amount of plants they also help a lot.

See if you can get a picture of the moon rock stuff.

 

[dutchstar]

thanks, i will attempt to pull it out and photograph it sometime soon. thanks again for your help.

 

[taherrmann4]

Great looking pond.

 

[j.w]

dutchstar
Very pretty pond!

 

[baeya]

See!! I told you everyone would help!! The pond is absolutely beautiful! It looks like it has been very well taken care of, too! The members are wonderful on this forum, always ready and willing to help.

 

[Tsuska]

Wow...that's a really good looking pond... wish I could make something like that