First home, first pond.. water is dirty!

[lynntran]

Hello everyone! We just bought a new home with two ponds. One small goldfish pond which is in good condition and one 2600 gal pond full of koi. Both are manmade with liners. The problem pond is the koi.

I have no idea how to clear up this dark water.. We have a pump that bubbles beneath the water and a waterfall but I have no understanding how this system works. I recently added some bacteria in the water hoping they would eat the sludge on the bottom but I'm not sure that will help either. Can't tell if the water is full of algae or there's just a lot of waste that needs to be pumped out. I'm sorry I don't have much more information, I'm feeling overwhelmed. How can I get the same clarity as the small pond?

 

[johan]

Green usually means algae, but algae is usually there because of excess waste. In summary your Koi pond has a lot more waste, so goes green because the waste gives algae food to grow on. First step I'd recommend is try and understand your total system - Koi ponds usually have some sort of filtration which removes the waste, together with a UV unit that kills algae. Find those, clean and replace the filter and the UV lightbulb, and find a way of removing the accumulated waste and sludge at the bottom (ie give it a clean), that'd be a start. Not an overnight process, be prepared for several cleans and to wait some time for the water to clear I'm afraid.

 

[tbendl]

It looks like you have a skippy filter behind the waterfall. Can you get some pictures of that set-up. Might help those who have skippy filters to see if your is set up correctly. Welcome and you do have some beautiful ponds there!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Is the stock tank on the right side of the picture near the window being used as a filter for the pond?

 

[tbendl]

Is the stock tank on the right side of the picture near the window being used as a filter for the pond?

That's what I was thinking as well Maria. Hopefully it just needs to be cleaned I'm just not super familiar with skippy filters.

 

[lynntran]

There are two giant barrels behind the pond where the right barrel flows into the left barrel and pours down the waterfall. I will take more pictures once I am home.

The previous owner told me the water looked green because the fish were spawning and should clear out soon. It's been a little over a month and I don't see it getting better.

 

[Lisak1]

I would back up one step and say you really need to figure out your system before you do anything. Call the former owner if you can and ask questions. Or start poking around and find brand names, sizes, any info you can on the equipment. Then you can figure out step two.

And bacteria, by the way, won't clear up the muck on the bottom. A good net might help though - did the owner happen to leave you one of those?

 

[lynntran]

I would back up one step and say you really need to figure out your system before you do anything. Call the former owner if you can and ask questions. Or start poking around and find brand names, sizes, any info you can on the equipment. Then you can figure out step two.

And bacteria, by the way, won't clear up the muck on the bottom. A good net might help though - did the owner happen to leave you one of those?

We have a long pole with a net on the end but I've only used it to grab debris floating along the top of the water.

 

[tbendl]

I'm wondering if the filters need cleaning out as well, especially if they've been spawning.

 

[Lisak1]

We have a long pole with a net on the end but I've only used it to grab debris floating along the top of the water.

Stick it all the way to the bottom and see what you can bring up. That will tell you a lot about the condition of the pond.

 

[lynntran]

Ok I will see what is down there. The deepest part of the pond is about 4 feet.

I'm almost tempted in upgrading from this type of filtration to something newer so I can understand from scratch. Don't know where to look or start tho! Thanks for tolerating my newbieness everyone!

I really want this to work out in my new home!

Stick it all the way to the bottom and see what you can bring up. That will tell you a lot about the condition of the pond.

 

[Tula]

What do the barrels have inside them? They're probably being used as settlement chamber and then filtration. Koi produce a lot of waste, which is probably why your koi pond doesn't look like your goldfish pond.

I think the former owner should provide you with a list of all pond equipment and step by step maintenance . I can't believe they just walked away from their koi, with no thought given to their care

It'll be a bit of a learning curve, but you'll get there and enjoy ponding

 

[lynntran]

What do the barrels have inside them? They're probably being used as settlement chamber and then filtration. Koi produce a lot of waste, which is probably why your koi pond doesn't look like your goldfish pond.

I think the former owner should provide you with a list of all pond equipment and step by step maintenance . I can't believe they just walked away from their koi, with no thought given to their care

It'll be a bit of a learning curve, but you'll get there and enjoy ponding

I really, really want to get into this! I just am having trouble in where to start.

The owner gave me brief tips but nothing on how to manage this type of system. Kept saying he had never had a problem but that doesn't help with how to prevent them! They had to move quickly due to personal family health issues. I don't want to bother them unless it's an absolute emergency.

Would it be better to just start looking for a new filter and pump? I checked in the right barrel and there was a lot of thick gunk just below the water surface. He placed plants in there saying the roots capture the debris. Maybe that's what I should clean out first?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

All good advice ^^^ up there.

Like they say the filter might need to be cleaned, maybe a good water change over, they may have a uv light that needs replaced
if the original owners had it running well, then the system should work fine. I would not spend the bucks on a new system until you know that is what you need.

Yes clean out the thick gunk. Find out what kind of filtering material is in there. Plants do a great job.

Post a bunch of pictures of what you see so we can help you as much as possible.

 

[tbendl]

Take lots of pictures and post. There are a zillion types of filters/pumps. I have a bog for filtration which uses plants as a filter but it doesn't sound like a bog unless there is gravel in it. It may have had a filter media in it. Don't gut what you have until you know that it isn't working, it may just need to be "reset", ie, cleaned out or maintained.
I was the same way when I started so don't worry, ask lots of questions and we will help as much as we can.
Also, do you have a water test kit? I am anticipating some of the questions that will come your way. If you don't, you should get a quality water test kit, (not the strips) and do a water test to find out where your water is now.