Cloudy Water!!

[pete s]

Hi - Up until now my pond has been crystal clear. Starting about a week ago water started getting cloudy. I have a filter (at top of waterfall) running continuously even now in the winter (temps last week in 30's and 40's.
I checked the chemistry (Aqua Chem 6-Way test strips) and got these readings:
- Total Hardness = 10.0
- PH = 7.2
- Total Alkalinity = 12.0

See Photos attached

HELP!!!

Pete

 

[crsublette]

Howdy Pete !!


Was anything added to the pond about a week ago ??

Not only cloudy, but foamy as well... If not the result of something added to the pond a week ago, then it is likely the byproduct of organic decay.

My post#5 in Cloudy Water thread and post#4 in how to stop murkiness please? thread should help.

 

[crsublette]

What state or town does this pond reside?

Those test numbers do not make any sense unless you live in an area with heavy phosphorus in the water.

Test strips are not good at accuracy and only good at giving a quick snap shot that acts like an "alert". Test strips are like a fire alarm in that the fire alarm "alerts" you when there is a fire, but the alarm does not tell you anything about the fire.

I'm not for sure where you're located, but, in the US of A, you can get free pond water tests at major chain pet stores or at local fish stores. The best, cheapest pond tests are the liquid test kits, API Freshwater Master test kit and API KH test kit. Most pet stores that also sell fish or have aquarium supplies should also sell these test kits since they are quite common.

Keep the test strips since they're still good at giving quick "alerts", but I would get a second opinion about the water using a different tester as mentioned above.

 

[sissy]

use quilt batting to filter it out in a crate .

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome, and where do you live?

 

[Dave 54]

Not sure whats going on but I'd like to ask wghen was the last time you gacve your pond a good clean , it seems that maybe your filter has been by-passed or has ditched its load into your pond.
Prerhaps cleaning both may be an option I take it ou have no fish in there at present ?

Dave

 

[pete s]

Not sure whats going on but I'd like to ask wghen was the last time you gacve your pond a good clean , it seems that maybe your filter has been by-passed or has ditched its load into your pond.
Prerhaps cleaning both may be an option I take it ou have no fish in there at present ?

Dave

Hi Dave - A good cleaning is probably what I should do. There are about 8 Koi of different sizes in there now and are kind of in a dormant mode. Should I wait until things warm up and then take fish out?

I have seceral plants still in the pond which I can't tell are alive or not. Should i take them out now?

Thanks for the input...
Pete

 

[sissy]

you may need a liquid test kit and I would try the quilt batting and use a pool net to take toxins out .Not sure how big your pond is .Koi really produce a lot of waste .They also get very big and ph is a little low .I keep mine at 8 for koi .Not sure where you are at or the temp of your water

 

[Dave 54]

Pete ok lets start at the begining here I didntknow there were fih in the pond .
So you have 8 koi in there how deep is your pond and how man gallons does the pond hold?
Next given that you've done what charles has asked what eare yur water perameters ie Ammonia Nitrtite, Nitrate Ph Kh and Gh .?
Do you have both a pond filterand a filteron your waterfall ?
Now please dont take this the wrong way , did you at all clean either filters or pond in your pre winter checks on the pond ?
If yo didnt you must in furure times , I'm akoi keeper of 27 years and for the last five of those weve been outside in our own purpose built koi pond of 1,000 gallons imperial
These things must be done in the autumn late spring and mid summer t giv our koi the optimum best water conditions that we can provide
Your pond temperature is currently 30-40f which in my readings are between 3-5c tell me hav you had ice on the pond of late ? has the weater also provded rain my guess is this whatever you have had on the pond has given you a layer ofdirt mixed in with the snow as the ice has melted then this hasdroppd down into your pond causing the layer you see on the ponds bottom this hasalso most probably been chuned up by your fish making what was cyrstal clear into the condition you see now however at such low temperatures there isnt alott you can do untl the spring .
Because my pond is much deeper than yours ad is coveedall winter long with policarbonate roofin I can carry on as normal with water changes making sutre ourkoi have the best of conditions possible .
Some lessons for the future me thinks ?

Dave

 

[Lisak1]

I would agree - it looks like your pond needs a good cleaning. Not sure where all the silt-like debris is coming from? Is there run-off, perhaps?

 

[crsublette]

I would agree - it looks like your pond needs a good cleaning. Not sure where all the silt-like debris is coming from? Is there run-off, perhaps?

Yep, that or heavy winds bringing it in. In my area, when there is a week of heavy winds (40+mph), there would literally be an inch of dirt and junk blown into the water. This or some other runoff, fish disturbing the settled dirt, or with a shallow pond then wind would disturb the settled dirt. All of this is quite likely why it is cloudy.

I bet the foam is the byproduct of the stuff being blown into the water, unless something else was added to the water, or there is "stuff" decomposing in the water creating the DOC foam (dissolve organic compounds).

The pond simply just needs a good vacuuming (if one is available). Slow major water change of around 40%. Then, for a week or so, filter the water through some fines particulate filtration, that is the quilt batting as a quick, cheap, easy option.

 

[pete s]

Yep, that or heavy winds bringing it in. In my area, when there is a week of heavy winds (40+mph), there would literally be an inch of dirt and junk blown into the water. This or some other runoff, fish disturbing the settled dirt, or with a shallow pond then wind would disturb the settled dirt. All of this is quite likely why it is cloudy.

I bet the foam is the byproduct of the stuff being blown into the water, unless something else was added to the water, or there is "stuff" decomposing in the water creating the DOC foam (dissolve organic compounds).

The pond simply just needs a good vacuuming (if one is available). Slow major water change of around 40%. Then, for a week or so, filter the water through some fines particulate filtration, that is the quilt batting as a quick, cheap, easy option.

 

[pete s]

Thanks CR-
I think I am going to remove all the plants and fish and give it a good scrubbing. I will wait until the average water temperature reaches 50 degrees F.
Thanks for the reply... I appreicate it.
Pete

 

[crsublette]

Thanks CR-
I think I am going to remove all the plants and fish and give it a good scrubbing. I will wait until the average water temperature reaches 50 degrees F.
Thanks for the reply... I appreicate it.
Pete

Scrubbing is not necessary and definitely would be overkill unless you believe something was added to the pond that would require the pond to be scrubbed.

A basic "muck" vacuuming is all that is necessary. There are all sorts of cheap pond vacuums on the market. Some pond vacuums use a basic siphon with the aid of water pressure made by a garden hose and then there are others that are mechanical involving a properly built transfer pump. The cheap pond vacuums will remove much more water out of the pond than the mechanical pond vacuums, but, since you should do a slow, big water change anyways, then the cheap siphon pond vacuums will work. The dirt and muck and plant decay is all that needs to be removed. Scrubbing is not necessary.

When doing a big water change while fish are present, then be sure the new water is added slow to the pond over a period of time. If the water is added too fast, then there is a potential for a fast change in water temperature and water pH that can stress the fish and potentially make them sick or even die to very basic ailments. To know how to add water slow over a period of time, then post#31 in thread "think i'm having an algae bloom" should help.