Basic Chemicals for a Koi Pond

[gdal]

I recently purchased a house with a 5 year old koi pond. The owner was kind enough to leave me some chemicals (pond salt, jungle labs clear zyme, water testing kit, etc.). What chemicals/procedures are absolutely necessary?

He also mentioned that he never performed water changes. The water is clear, but it looks kinda brown. The pond has a UV clarifier and a good filtration system.

I'm looking for newbie advice. I'm totally clueless.

 

[sissy]

testing is the backbone of the pond I have found I sometimes test mine everyday .With the changes in weather snow sleet rain and temps from the teens to 50 and back within a couple of days really messes with a pond .I do 10 percent water changes but when pond is frozen I don't as the fish are sleeping .I do add salt and found out here that the blue bags of solar salt are cheaper than pond salt .I think that the moderaters here can give you more info because I have only been into this for 5 years and have a lot to learn .I can say so far my fish are happy and healthy ,well healthy anyway cannot tell if there happy ,but know I have 12 very healthy fish oh and babies since they came out from hiding .I use liquid barley to keep water clear and have not had any real problems and also I add stuff to help the biological filter get started up in the spring and clean the filters a little also .They will give you more info here as I use a brand I am comfortable with and works for me .

some one just posted on this site a while back a good site for info www.myownkoipond.com and I checked the site has a lot of info too

 

[Calgary_Aquaculture]

Here are a few tips about water product that will save you money and be very effective

Salt: do not buy salt from an aquarium store because the same salt that they will charge $10+ a pound for you can get at an agricultural store at a price of $7 for 50 pounds. You can use any salt that is pour NaCl that is not iodized

Barely straw extract is a slow release hydrogen peroxide and nothing else. You can buy food grade 35% hydrogen peroxide which is much more effective and in expensive

Activated Carbon is an absorbent and will absorb odor, minerals, copper and that dark tea color that some pounds have. You can buy it from a water filtration retailer for less than $2 a pound. I have had best results by filling a sand filter with activated carbon

As for bacteria I use bacta pur products and have good success with them
Sludgebuster and Klear for small ponds and bacta pur Pond for large systems. I usually apply via spray bottle. Count how many squirts it takes to make an ounce

The white powder is solid version of a product with very similar properties of hydrogen peroxide. Costly but effective for lifting organic debris off the bottom of the pond

Just a bit of info a nutshell

 

[oldmarine]

I recently purchased a house with a 5 year old koi pond. The owner was kind enough to leave me some chemicals (pond salt, jungle labs clear zyme, water testing kit, etc.). What chemicals/procedures are absolutely necessary?

He also mentioned that he never performed water changes. The water is clear, but it looks kinda brown. The pond has a UV clarifier and a good filtration system.

I'm looking for newbie advice. I'm totally clueless.

During the spring, summer, and fall my pond is well planted with live plants to the point that the PH in my pond will balance itself. If I change it it will gradually gravitate back to where it was. I noticed by not altering the PH, ammonia levels, and all that stuff that we feel a need to temper with find it's own happy medium. I think the secret is simply just finding the right balance of fish, plants, filtration, and required periodic water changes, the water and the fish will stay quite healthy.

 

[koiguy1969]

dechlorinator, beneficial bacteria (microbelift pl gel filter innoculant) and 'koi vital' by tetrapond for adiing essential trace minerals etc which is basically the same as adding koi clay are the only additives (chemicals) my pond has or will ever see!.... i maintain healthy happy fish, gin clear water, and its parameters are always good!!
i also salt my ponds 50lbs $4.50 at any Lowes or Home Depot. i use the mortons 'blue bag' solar salt.

 

[Calgary_Aquaculture]

I will have to check lowes and home depot for salt. Much closer then the place I get it now. What is it labled?

 

[koiguy1969]

MORTONS SOLAR SALT in the bue bag....in the water softener section.
isn't it a shame how prices skyrocket when a product has "POND" in the name?

 

[Calgary_Aquaculture]

Ya it is. I counldnt sleep at night and sell salt to my clients

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Does anyone have a favorite brand of dechlorinator they use? When I laid out the rubber liner for my pond, the guy gave me a sample of stuff that was rated to treat 5,000 gallons per tablespoon of powder, but I have no idea WHAT the stuff was. I'm looking around, and the best deal I can seem to find is 'Vanish Dechlorinator Granules' which has a dosage of 5 teaspoons per 5,000 gallons and is selling for only $18 for a 2-pound bottle. Nice concentration, and nice price per dosage, but it really doesn't tell me what the stuff is, or if there is something more appropriate to use during water changes.

 

[koiguy1969]

Vanish Dechlorinators (Liquid & Dry) active ingredient is sodium thiosulfate which is widely used to break down chlorine and chloramines and is considered non-toxic to fish. Sodium thiosulfate was chosen because it provides a very effective solution for use in water gardens and ponds because of its ability to break the chloramine bond and chemically remove the chlorine after a short working time. Aeration of the water will allow the ammonia, which was released from the chloramine bond, to escape as a gas over a period of one to two hours. Any remaining ammonia will be filtered out through flow through filters which most often contain activated carbon or some type of filter material

 

[sissy]

I bought activated carbon at agrecultural store here for 25lbs it was 10 dollars .It is a local farm and large pond store that is run by the county and not sure how many farming counties have such a store