Flexible pump hose solution.

Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Weymouth
Country
United Kingdom
We've got a 4000 litre pond with about 13 fish, two of which are quite large carp. Recently I've had to lift the pump out several times as it was getting blocked with algae. Not sure why this has happened this year as the pond has been working for many years with just a yearly clean out. External filter gets cleaned more frequently.

Having to pull the pump out several times I have found the hose extremely hard to bend and acts virtually like a steel rod. It now comes diagonally up to the side of the pond and out to the filter which looks very unsightly. The in pond length of the hose is about 2 metres and the pond depth is 1 metre.

Is there an alternative solution for the hose which is much more flexible and easy to position?

Richard
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2020
Messages
148
Reaction score
127
Location
North West New Jersey
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
Lets look at this one step at a time.

Filter clogging more frequently and algae load has increased. lets look at the nitrate and nitrite load. fish are getting larger and the bio load is getting larger but the filtration is staying the same. do you have good plant growth? you might have to increase your plant load. algae and plants feed on the same food. its a seesaw effect more plants less algae. if you are using a wetland filter you might want to think about doing a clean out or increasing its size.

Hose becoming too stiff to work with. I haven't found anything on the market that would not become tempered or brittle over time. replacement is required. For items that need frequent service look into using unions.
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Weymouth
Country
United Kingdom
Filter is an Oase FiltoClear 12000 which should be ample for my size of pond and the number of fish. Filter is one you can clean regularly by pump action and then a few times a year I remove the sponge filters and wash out. Plants grow well and are dispersed around the pond.

The fish have not been feeding for the last few months since I've noticed the problem so I would have expected the nitrate load to have diminished and also the lack of sunlight.
 

Jhn

Joined
Jul 3, 2017
Messages
2,213
Reaction score
2,254
Location
Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
7b
Country
United States
Are the fish not feeding because it’s cold I assume. If so your biofilter capacity is also diminished at this time, as beneficial bacteria pop. drop and are less active, and plants are dorman. Also, fish don’t stop feeding and go into torpor until water temps drop below 40 F consistently. Otherwise your fish are still feeding just at a much slower rate, so they are still producing waste. As @Beercan31 mentioned it may be time to increase filter capacity or reduce fish load. Your pond isn’t very large aand if any of the 13 fish are koi you are pushing the limits of the bio load of what your pond can handle.
 

j.w

I Love my Goldies
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
32,946
Reaction score
20,252
Location
Arlington, Washington
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
USDA 8a
Country
United States
Welcome584.gif
@RichD1
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2020
Messages
148
Reaction score
127
Location
North West New Jersey
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
OK, you have to bare with me, I have the attention span of a gold fish.
Your pond is in transition, it's coming out of dormancy the nitrate and nitrite is always there, it can NOT be filtered out not even with a diatom filter. if memory serves correct it can be removed by "Ion exchange- Reverse osmosis and Distillation" all are more expensive than plant life. Your fish might not be feeding but if they are alive and moving they are producing waste and urine. accumulated matter ie. leaves, dead plants uneaten fish food all produce nitrates. like stated before nitrate and nitrite the basics of plant food and algae is a plant. it is very common for a algae bloom way before your plants show any signs of coming out of dormancy. bio filtration works between the temperatures of 32-120 the sweet spot would be??? 76deg. So if your pond is near the 40deg point your bio filter is only working at or around 30%.

If you have a algae problem all year round you have 2 choices decrease the load or increase the filtration.

If your fish are not eating DON'T FEED. if your pond is aged there will be enough for them to nibble on.... like algae.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,380
Reaction score
10,481
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
We've got a 4000 litre pond with about 13 fish, two of which are quite large carp. Recently I've had to lift the pump out several times as it was getting blocked with algae. Not sure why this has happened this year as the pond has been working for many years with just a yearly clean out. External filter gets cleaned more frequently.

Having to pull the pump out several times I have found the hose extremely hard to bend and acts virtually like a steel rod. It now comes diagonally up to the side of the pond and out to the filter which looks very unsightly. The in pond length of the hose is about 2 metres and the pond depth is 1 metre.

Is there an alternative solution for the hose which is much more flexible and easy to position?

Richard
pictures please
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,380
Reaction score
10,481
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
With a very warm winter by far this past winter. My fish have been coming up begging for food for weeks now. The point i'm trying to make is this is not the average winter. This along can mean extra algae growth with no changes in bio load. But the lack of cold water will not kill off as much as the average. And to be honest i look at the hair algae as the winter life blood to the pond. as other plants go dormant it continues toe warmest I can remember. Even my fish are extremely active right now and I'd guess the water is in the 40's . But my point is this the hair algae is green and grows slowly. Thus helping to keep levels stable while all the other plants have gone dormant. I know once my plants start growing and the fish start grazing there wont be much left.
But as mentioned the less the load the easier it is to maintain. And Most filters could never do what they claim they are capable of .
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Weymouth
Country
United Kingdom
I took the Oase Filtoclear apart today and the foams were clogged with mud so replaced them with new one's. Also the UV lamp had seen better days. Once all cleaned I've got a much better flow back into the pond.

I think the lesson is; I must be more disciplined and clean the filter at least once a month.
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2020
Messages
148
Reaction score
127
Location
North West New Jersey
Hardiness Zone
6a
Country
United States
I took the Oase Filtoclear apart today and the foams were clogged with mud so replaced them with new one's.
I'm glad you found a somewhat quick fix. Not sure of the time line when the filter has had a complete deep cleaning but you might want to think about a doing thorough bottom cleaning to eliminate accumulated mud/ waste/ debris. preferable not through the new filter elements, maybe a siphon system of some sorts.
Also the UV lamp had seen better days. Once all cleaned I've got a much better flow back into the pond.
UV and GROW LIGHTS all have a life span even though they light up they loose effectiveness over time. It's been years since I've used them but I had to replace the lamps every 2-3 years
I think the lesson is; I must be more disciplined and clean the filter at least once a month.
it's better to be proactive than reactive.
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Weymouth
Country
United Kingdom
I did a through deep clean of the filter and pump back at the end of October. The pond itself has been gradually cleaned out when the pump got blocked up over the ensuing months. It's now completely clean on the bottom so I'm hoping I can keep it like that now.

Thanks for all the advice guys.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,780
Messages
508,556
Members
13,042
Latest member
lucaryan

Latest Threads

Top