Old pond came with new house.

[sissy]

I did not really put any thought into mine as may dad when I was growing up had the same set up .Lava rock and a stock tank and that was back in the 60's .I just remember helping with it .I have 2 stock tanks for filters .One at each end of the pond since it is a rectangle .I just know that koi seem to need a lot of filtering and aeration .It seems to work well for me ,but maybe not for some people.I like my filters because I put them in the liner so if they leak it all runs back into the pond

 

[Sur4huy1]

Here's the link! Found it! I just suggest using bulkhead fittings, nothing else and you won't have leaks. Also, those valves are terrible so I used Jandy's and added a cleanout at base and an extra return at top. Do not use P&L roofing. These work great and won't leak using just one gasket... >>> . https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079JU91A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

DIY 55 Gallon Barrel Pond Filter

Building a 55 gallon upflow barrel filter is very easy and you just need some basic skills to get the job done. The rule of thumb for filtration is that one 55 gallon filter will be able to filter up to 1,500 gallons of pond water (with a moderate fish stock level). Therefore, if you have a pond...

www.thepondforum.com

That’s perfect, the stock tank link was actually the one I was thinking of doing, just wasn’t sure on scale. So it looks like a 100gal would cover olmaost 3,000 and since the fish in this pond are pretty large , this model may be perfect! I was thinking of lava rock instead of the plastic strips, I gues the advantage to the strips is they are easier to remove when you clean it out?

I’ll have to figure out flow and pressure since there’s nonbot drain in this pond, but I think this might be the ticket for now.

 

[barryian]

That’s perfect, the stock tank link was actually the one I was thinking of doing, just wasn’t sure on scale. So it looks like a 100gal would cover olmaost 3,000 and since the fish in this pond are pretty large , this model may be perfect! I was thinking of lava rock instead of the plastic strips, I gues the advantage to the strips is they are easier to remove when you clean it out?

I’ll have to figure out flow and pressure since there’s nonbot drain in this pond, but I think this might be the ticket for now.

Good luck! Need any help, give a shout!

 

[Sur4huy1]

Good luck! Need any help, give a shout!

Thnks Barry!

 

[Sur4huy1]

Update: so while out getting bulkheads for the skippy, the local aquarium pond guy had a pond master 5500 from someone who upgraded. So for the time being we grabbed that and put a 2,000 gph pump on it. Flow isn’t all that great so I took one of the other 1,000 gph pumps and set it to create a current to keep the water flowing (the koi seem to love the current and were in and out of it the rest of the day) and added stones and sunk the air so that it creates max flow and o2 diffusion from the air pump.
Perameters still ph 7.8, ammonia , nitrite, and nitrate 0, KH went to 4, now we have loads o rain so that might not stick...
Fish all eating again, and active. The orange , whit and black guy still leans over from time to time, but doesn’t seem to go flat on his side anymore.

I think the bead filters are my favorite , and that may be next years big upgrade assuming the current set up and water changes hold the water stable , and still have one more 1,000 gph pump and could add the skippy also
If needed.

 

[barryian]

Update: so while out getting bulkheads for the skippy, the local aquarium pond guy had a pond master 5500 from someone who upgraded. So for the time being we grabbed that and put a 2,000 gph pump on it. Flow isn’t all that great so I took one of the other 1,000 gph pumps and set it to create a current to keep the water flowing (the koi seem to love the current and were in and out of it the rest of the day) and added stones and sunk the air so that it creates max flow and o2 diffusion from the air pump.
Perameters still ph 7.8, ammonia , nitrite, and nitrate 0, KH went to 4, now we have loads o rain so that might not stick...
Fish all eating again, and active. The orange , whit and black guy still leans over from time to time, but doesn’t seem to go flat on his side anymore.

I think the bead filters are my favorite , and that may be next years big upgrade assuming the current set up and water changes hold the water stable , and still have one more 1,000 gph pump and could add the skippy also
If needed.

That's why I love the Aqua One by GcTek. It's a small investment so hopefully it will hold you over. I checked my water parameters 2 days ago and my Kh was 12 or approx 225ppm. Surprising with as much rain as we had. Just get rid of the salt and get that kH up. Bio filters do need higher kH ...

 

[Sur4huy1]

I looked around on the forum and couldn't really find an answer for this so... , another update.
so to hook up the filter, i had to move the waterfall rock around, and that must have dislodged some leaves somewhere, and the pond has loads of tannin in it now, pretty much a blackwater pond after two days of rain. second item, this morning i saw some pink areas on the sides of two of the fish. they do not appear to be flashing recently, and from what i see this is not totally uncommon if they were spawning. I was thinking a treatment of Meleaix, and to hold off on water changes fro a week. Hhowever, since the tannins need carbon and water changes to clear, and the melafix cant be done with either ... what would be the priority here. I'm not aware that the tannins are particularly harmful, just not aesthetic. No ammonia, nitrite or nitrate increase from my tests. as always thanks all!

 

[barryian]

Hmm - Hard call. The pink on the 2 could be a concern. Assuming you have no scope to narrow down what is causing the pinkish, you might continue with water changes to clear that up assuming while you're do them, the pink color doesn't get worse. Melafix is quite broad spectrum. I anesthetize, then use a scope and treat specific. Haven't needed to do that for many moons. I also keep PP on hand but don't suggest it for you since you're new to this. Highly suggest reading about Potassium Permanganate as is an oxidation process that kills off everything.
As a guess, this time of year it could be Aeromonas which can turn into an ulcer and be deadly if left untreated. The pink can be a bacterial infection that even spawning can cause as you mentioned and break through the mucosa layer. If this is the case, it needs to be attended to quickly and Melafix wouldn't really be effective as would injections of Baytril etc. Even treating topically means removing the koi, anesthetizing it and then moving quickly through the steps. Topical could be iodine, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide and then a bio bandage followed by medicated food such as a Romet TC Top coating.

 

[Sur4huy1]

In anticipation of needing to do this ( either now or eventually)... so PP appears to be a hairs distance between effective and deadly... on that note. Clove oil to put the fish to sleep and then Hydrogen peroxide... or iodine... these would also be effective yes? and the bio bandage looks readily available, so that's a final topical before recovering the fish it seems. Got to admit, hesitant about putting the fish to sleep for the first time, the phases look obvious, but i believe respiration stops, so whats the safe guard to be sure the fish recovers in time ( other than read, measure, measure again, and measure one more time before adding the clove oil).

 

[barryian]

Putting them to sleep is simple and done in something like those blue recycle bins in home depot. I have Eugenol but same thing. To revive them, you would put them back in the water and moving the koi back and forth, forcing the water into the gills. They wake up & swim back as if nothing happened. You do have to time what your doing and work quickly so I usually have a table in the shade with everything I need. I'll even scope a scraping if I can do it quickly. To be honest, Using pp and using water science, I don't any problems to speak of anymore.

Well, PP used correctly will never cause a problem or kill your koi. It's an amazing preventative. I used it maybe 15-20 times. It's extremely effective and if followed correctly, no fish loss will occur. I do 3 doses at most in one day unless I can reach 6-8 hrs of deep purple( pink) in 2 doses. My pond is clean so I usually never make it to a 3rd dose. Rule of thumb: 1 gram per 1 ton equals one part per million. So if ur pond is 1000 gallons, your first dose would be 10 grams. That's a 3/ppm dose and the next dose would be 2/ppm and 3rd if needed is 1/ppm. Amazing results and is a parasite killer. Many people are frightened doing it for the first time and freak at the thought. Not sure how it got such a bad rep. Works best if you remove as much organic matter as possible. The koi will hover together at the bottom. If any look strange or on their side and panic sets in, hydrogen peroxide is an immediate neutralizer. You would want the salt gone first. That can be a killer. Bad combo, especially for an obvious compromised koi. I also throw 2 air bubble lines in. Pond volume in gallons is paramount when dosing with pp give or take a small amount. You would kill the UV's and bypass the bio if using 3/ppm. I've never gone to 4ppm. This is extremely safe. Also, when removing a koi, assuming it's anesthetized, pp can be used directly on the wound killing the parasites. I also use a gram scale rather than the 18 grams to a teaspoon of pp granular.

As I was writing, I found a very accurate article. This is something that can be done quickly, it's readily available (pp) online. I've been using the same bottle for 15 years. It's also quite cheap.

Love this guy. Funny. This is from 2001 and it's still up. Read this about 15 years ago. I have a 500 gram bottle but Amazon carries it along with pond online stores. If you have a problem with the pink becoming worse and you can't pin down the exact parasite, pp is a rather benign and effective action, though many will disagree.

Potassium Permanganate

www.jackmcneary.com

Amazon.com

 

[Sur4huy1]

Wow, that’s a very good article. You have me intrigued on the PP. kinda wish I could test it on something else first (there’s that first timer hesitancy you mentioned, lol) My salinity was at 0.132 today so it’s working out but still plenty in there. Plus my 900-1,100 gallon estiment feels a bit loose for the accuracy that seems to be needed to get the doses correct. So I’ll also need to go actually measure everything out and try to get the most accurate volume on my pond. I’ll keep reading , but he does a great job promoting it.

I think the bad rep comes from the fact that if your cavalier in applying it you kill everything, and if you don’t counter with a proper hydrogen peroxide volume you probably don’t get allot of forgiveness.

 

[barryian]

Yes, I enjoyed the article first time I read it and his accuracy was spot on. Your salinity level is low and if you decide to do a pp to clean things up, a small level isn't a problem. A .4 and a 4ppm pp isn't a good combo. Once the water loses the pink purple color and turns orange, the pp is gone and not oxidizing anymore. The H. peroxide is for an emergency and then at the end, it will clear the water and you really don't have to do a water change. The next morning, the water looks like glass. If you have used a few online sites to input ur pond dimensions, averaging depth, you should be fine. I never measured using a flow meter or anything but I work off 2000 gallons for any additives. Should I be off 200 gallons either way, pp or regardless what you do is not going to have a major effect.
I think there are people who guess at everything. That's a problem. You're obviously not one of them. I know 2 people who have ponds and wonder why they lose fish and have problems. They don't test their water, they just enjoy feeding the fish lol ... I'm saying, hey do it. But following the procedure correctly, your only disappointment might be your pinkish purple going orange in an hour because of all the oranic matter and after you 2nd 2ppm dose happening again in a few hours and never getting 6-8 hrs in. I usually hang the first hour, then come back in a couple to make sure another dose is or isn't needed. As far as it taking 5 minutes and not coming back, nope, wouldn't do that. You sound knowledgeable from your reading. Keep it up. " No Worries " ... I wonder where everyone went. Since last fall, seems as this has slowed down but there are many other topics going on. Ciao 4 now bro ...