Was this a bad idea?!

[AngelaM]

Bring home her filter media and as much of her pond water as you can .It is healthier for the fish .The test kits are easy and most pet stores will test your water also for a small fee .My ph is always around the same also .Get crushed oyster shells to stabilize ph .You can even buy it at walmart now .Put it in a fine mesh bag View attachment 103747

Thank you! Her pond is drained except for the stock pond she has them in now. I actually have oyster shells on hand as we have chickens also. How much oyster shells would you suggest in a 2000 gallon pond? When I moved everything from her place I tried to keep as much good algae as I could on everything. I didn't clean the liner so there is some algae growing on it already.

 

[AngelaM]

@AngelaM [You are using well water, is that correct? If you add any city water, please add some dechlorinator.].



BTW, what size is this pond? Is it a preformed plastic pond? And how big are the fish? These will be factors to consider, but for now, let's just get you started.

Yes we are strictly using well water. It's a pond liner, not a preformed. It's 20 feet long by 9 feet wide. 2,100 gallons total. The fish are 12-14" long and 5 years old.

 

[Angel]

Thank you! Her pond is drained except for the stock pond she has them in now. I actually have oyster shells on hand as we have chickens also. How much oyster shells would you suggest in a 2000 gallon pond? When I moved everything from her place I tried to keep as much good algae as I could on everything. I didn't clean the liner so there is some algae growing on it already.

Clean the liner down that algae is dead just hose it down good prior to fill and drain it out. Keep the filter material wet in the old pond water.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Whatis the size of the pond and how big are the fish?

This is the most vital information needed at this point. You do not need to be confused with the optional and myriad possibilities for water quality control. That can come as you learn the basics.
The recommended pH range advocated by nearly everyone who is anyone is 6.5 - 8.5, so your pH is OK. You can shelve that subject and look at it more closely at a future date.
Quit wasting your money on 'beneficial bacteria'. What you are using is not going to provide any help in establishing a new pond. Its the wrong bacteria for this.



Edit; You posted the needed information as I was typing this post.
Since this is a new filter in a new pond, a Nitrogen cycle needs to be established. there are a couple of ways that this can be done, with fish or without fish. In your case the standard method using the fish would be recommended. For this cycle to establish, Ammonia must be present in the water column. Fish excrete Ammonia through respiration, but, here is the Catch-22, Ammonia at relatively low levels is toxic to fish if exposed long enough. To work around this fish should be slowly added to the pond. Since these are large Koi, I would recommend adding no more than one of these fish per week. This allows the bacteria that converts this Ammonia time to colonize in sufficient numbers/
This is where testing the water plays a part. Typically it will take 4 - 6 weeks for a pond to develop a fully functional Nitrogen cycle. Only through water testing can it be determined when this cycle is complete and also how it is progressing. Ammonia (toxic at a certain level) is converted to Nitrite (also toxic at a certain level) which is then converted to Nitrate which is not toxic at levels normally encountered.
Koi can tolerate Ammonia and Nitrite levels of 1.0 mg/L without any lasting ill effects. The levels in your pond should not exceed this 1.0 mg/L if only one fish is added per week.
Given the size of your pond, other parameters like GH, KH, Dissolved Oxygen can be addressed at a later date.
The only other admonition is to try to match the temperatures of the Two (2) ponds as best you can. A variance of 5 degrees Fahrenheit is acceptable.
You will likely have more questions later. We are here.

 

[sissy]

The stress will be in the move and the new pond home .How deep is the pond or how deep did you make it .If there is water on the liner the algae in it is good and adding water from her temporary pond may help also .Her filter media if good yet will help .How do you plan on moving them and how far do you have to transport them .

 

[Gemma]

@AngelaM when You get all situated, I would love pics of your koi

 

[AngelaM]

Clean the liner down that algae is dead just hose it down good prior to fill and drain it out. Keep the filter material wet in the old pond water.

They did powerwash the liner before we picked it up. It stills has some green algae on it though. We did keep the filter material wet at all times and the bags are new. She had just bought them a few weeks before we got the pond.

 

[AngelaM]

The stress will be in the move and the new pond home .How deep is the pond or how deep did you make it .If there is water on the liner the algae in it is good and adding water from her temporary pond may help also .Her filter media if good yet will help .How do you plan on moving them and how far do you have to transport them .

The pond starts out shallow and goes to 4 1/2 feet on one end. We are transporting the fish about 4 miles. They live really close to us.

 

[AngelaM]

@AngelaM when You get all situated, I would love pics of your koi

For sure Gemma! I'm excited to get all the rocks in place.

 

[IPA]

@AngelaM Welcome to the forum and seems like disaster averted but I wouldn't go so far as to say you are completely out of the woods. As @sissy said get as much water and whatever else like filter media as you can. If you can follow @Meyer Jordan 's advice to add one a week that's great, if you can't then please say so.

 

[sissy]

do you have an aerator koi need lots of oxygen in the water and it helps them with health problems .I always keep 12 airstones going 1 foot 2 foot and 3 foot down in the pond and 1 in each filter .I like a 1 level in my pond ,it is easier to net and easier to deter predators

 

[AngelaM]

do you have an aerator koi need lots of oxygen in the water and it helps them with health problems .I always keep 12 airstones going 1 foot 2 foot and 3 foot down in the pond and 1 in each filter .I like a 1 level in my pond ,it is easier to net and easier to deter predators

I wasn't really sure how I wanted the pond when we started digging. After my two chocolate labs started eyeing up the hole, I decided to have a shallow end so they can easily get out if they decide to go for a swim. I am going to add a little bridge across the center eventually. I do not have an aerator, just the filter and waterfall at this point. The lady who owner the pond didn't have one either. Is this something I need to buy?

 

[AngelaM]

@AngelaM Welcome to the forum and seems like disaster averted but I wouldn't go so far as to say you are completely out of the woods. As @sissy said get as much water and whatever else like filter media as you can. If you can follow @Meyer Jordan 's advice to add one a week that's great, if you can't then please say so.

I'm not sure if I can do that. She's pretty anxious for me to get the fish out of the stock tank. They are leaving for vacation this weekend and wants me to get them before they leave.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I wasn't really sure how I wanted the pond when we started digging. After my two chocolate labs started eyeing up the hole, I decided to have a shallow end so they can easily get out if they decide to go for a swim. I am going to add a little bridge across the center eventually. I do not have an aerator, just the filter and waterfall at this point. The lady who owner the pond didn't have one either. Is this something I need to buy?

An aerator is something you may consider adding at a future date. Do you need one at the moment? Probably not, since these fish have apparently done quite well for several years without one, they should be OK for a while longer. Koi are comfortable at quite low Oxygen levels, Goldfish even lower.

I'm not sure if I can do that. She's pretty anxious for me to get the fish out of the stock tank. They are leaving for vacation this weekend and wants me to get them before they leave.

If this is the case, I strongly recommend that you purchase at least a couple of bottles of 'Prime'.

This will neutralize any excess Ammonia in the water thus protecting the fish, until the Nitrogen cycle is fully established. This should be used according to the manufacturer's directions.

 

[AngelaM]

An aerator is something you may consider adding at a future date. Do you need one at the moment? Probably not, since these fish have apparently done quite well for several years without one, they should be OK for a while longer. Koi are comfortable at quite low Oxygen levels, Goldfish even lower.



If this is the case, I strongly recommend that you purchase at least a couple of bottles of 'Prime'.
View attachment 103779




This will neutralize any excess Ammonia in the water thus protecting the fish, until the Nitrogen cycle is fully established. This should be used according to the manufacturer's directions.

I guess the most frustrating part of all this is that we don't have a local pond store anywhere near here. I'm going to order this online but before I do, is there anything else you recommend I have on hand for emergencies? I'd hate to have something happen and have to wait a week to get it through the mail.