sick fish!

[Fishylove]

Personally, I don't touch my bio filter, except to do water changes. I have a 55 gal up flow filter with a ball valve on the bottom for back washing setiment ( but if you do regular water changing and have a pre- filter you should never have sediment in that type of filter)

 

[babyblue86]

yeah i have alot to learn. i've only been doing the hobby for about a year now. so with the mechanical filter i would pads and after that run another pvc pipe to my bio filter with a shut off valve inbtween so it will not disturb my bio filter?

 

[Fishylove]

They can get paricites like flukes that can get in their gills, but I'm not too experienced in that, others on here would be better at that. How many fish do you have in the pond? And if you can, take a look at his gills, they should be pink and meaty, and not pale.

 

[babyblue86]

i have about ten fish in my basement pond. it measures about 9'x6'x 2' deep i have a few that are around a foot maybe a little better but the majority are about nine in or so.

 

[Fishylove]

Well my pond is outside, I made my mechanical filter out of a rubbermaid tube just big enough to hold my pump. I cut three rows of holes in the lid. Then you cut a heavy pad to fit the top of the lid. Then I put screen material over that and secure to the lid so it doesn't slide. Then cut a hole in the side where the pump "out" attachment comes out, put the pump in and secure the lid. That pump will pump cleaned water to your bio and then from there to your water feature or what ever you are using to disturb the water for oxygen.

 

[Fishylove]

Are they all koi?

 

[babyblue86]

ok i see what you did. you have your water falling down over your filter media befor it gets to your pump entirely. so do you clean that media often? and do you have a second pump to pump the pond or just let if overflow out of your bio filter?

 

[babyblue86]

yes they are all koi except one goldfish i have a soft spot for. he was part of the first testing trio when i got my pond. and the little sucker was fearless when it came to eating so i had to keep him

 

[Fishylove]

I'm not sure what type of filter it is your using, is it a trickle filter or pressurized? Unless it's pressurized there would be no need for a valve between the filters. Another question, are both filters going to your bio?

 

[Fishylove]

Awww. I have two goodies too, my daughter won them at a fair lol. No It's the opposite the up flow is fed first from the pre filter then to the water fall and then an overflow pipe directly into the pond. So pre filter - bio filter - waterfall/ pond I clean the pad and screen on the pre filter about once a week, sometimes a bit longer. But my water is always clear.

 

[Fishylove]

My waterfall has an urn on the top where the water comes out and it also has bio material in it.

 

[Fishylove]

I'm afraid that with a 1000 gal pond, you probably have too many koi Koi are ammonia factories lol. Much more than goodies. Now there are some that will keep that many in that size pond, but I'm afraid that the mantainance will be a lot more than a normal established pond.

 

[CometKeith]

Babyblue, The biggest problem for fish in the summer is lack of oxygen. I think you hit the problem on the head when you guessed it was a lack of O2. Typically large fish have the biggest need for oxygen and will show ill affects before smaller fish do. Also dissolved oxygen tends to dip in the pond at night because your plants will use it up at night. Hence this is why people find dead fish in the morning in the summer. Things you can do: Try to shade the pond so it doesn't get hot. Warmer water holds less oxygen. Floating plants can help a lot or even a screen or anything to block the sun. Also try adding oxygenator plants if you don't have any. I have hornwort and there is a steady stream of bubbles coming up from it on hot summer days. I don't know if you have a waterfall but that is a great way to oxygenate the water. I have two water sources going to my waterfall. One from my biofilter and another pump just splashing water into the water in the pond. Another way you can add O2 is using an air pump. There are a lot of attachments you can get. I use a round ball that releases a lot of air. I use my air pump year round and it keeps a hole in the ice in the winter. Also if your fish have gotten larger the last few years they may all be competing for O2 and you may want to look into giving a few fish away to reduce the bio-load. I hope some of this helps you and good luck!

 

[Fishylove]

Babyblue, I must go to bed, but it was great meeting you. I'd do a water change right away, add your salt and then seed your bio again. Do water changes weekly. And add plants! Even if you have to use a growing light and get some oxygen in the pond like you would put in an aquarium
Good luck and again welcome!

 

[babyblue86]

yeah the pressure going into my filter is is gravity fed. then it passes threw three chambers. two are 1.5" filter pads and the third is a column of bio balls im going to attach a couple of pics

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/2289-picture-825/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/2288-picture-824/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/2287-picture-823/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/2286-picture-822/