Green, green pea soup

[MajorDan]

Well, my pond must have been on a knife edge since adding 5 shubunkins put it into protect the fish mode. My fan club is not happy as they can barely see the fish. I have explained how nature is protecting the fish by creating an algae bloom. That the fish probably like it and are finding lots of goodies to eat. The hard part is tempering their enthusiasm and teaching how this is a good thing. No feeding until we can see them all again and maybe they will have grown a little too. It was a good time to explain why we can not add any more fish right now. Those who did not get to name a fish will have to wait until the pond gets more stable...as in never. If babies survive at some point they can name one of those. Anyway, they probable won’t be visiting so much. :-(.

I now understand why folks use all kinds of methods to remove the algae. It tries your patience especially when the wife reminds you that you should have gotten the U-VERSE thing.

The lily pads have grown and all have reached the surface after I moved them to deeper water. The bog is still developing as the plants have just started growing. Probably part of the reason for the algae bloom.

I will be doing water tests this evening to see how the water quality has changed.

Based on all my years of aquarium experience I can tell by looking at the bubbles created by the falls that there is protein in the water from fish wastes that is not getting gobbled up by bacteria...yet. Does anyone use a protein skimmer on their pond?

 

[Lisak1]

Boy, did I call this one or what?

I've heard of protein skimmers being used in ponds, but honestly I don't see the point. Your pond WILL stabilize, you WILL be able to see your fish, you WILL have clear water... so why mess around? But I'm the quintessential lazy ponder - if my pond can take care of itself, then I'm gonna let it take care of itself. I've never been a big fan of a UV filter - I wonder what all else dies after being exposed. And dead organic matter in your pond is going to lead to - you guessed it - more algae. Plus those bulbs are kind of expensive.

I love hearing how you're teaching the young ones about pond keeping and nature working to balance things out. All in good time!

 

[MajorDan]

Problem is that the young ones are used to instant satisfaction. Having to wait is a good but hard lesson for them. Hard to look at those lower lips sticking out with those sad eyes.

 

[mrsclem]

It's a good lesson in patience for all of you. Your water will clear, time is the best pond additive.

 

[MajorDan]

Completed tests. Expected worse results. NH3 still 0. All the test results were my pond normal except NO2 bumped up to max...5 ppm. Is it time to worry or is this normal, just wait for nature to clean this up. Ignore note on paper towel as it was from a previous test. Today, NO2 was 5 ppm

 

[MitchM]

That high nitrite reading is not good. I wonder if those midges that were in your pond contributed to too much organic matter decomposing at once and overloaded your new pond.
The addition of Prime every 48 hours will keep your fish safe from that until the algae/biological filter catches up.

 

[MajorDan]

Drove an hour to closest Petsmart. Bought all they had. Just added it and nitrites are back to 0. That stuff is amazing.

 

[addy1]

Good for you! That drive may have saved your fish, a good dedicated ponder!

 

[MajorDan]

Added 3 boxes of Clearmax to skimmer and biofalls

 

[MajorDan]

Nitrites back to zero. Amazing stuff.

 

[MajorDan]

I forgot to add that it was the Prime that reduced the nitrites.

 

[Kris P Bacon]

It's a good lesson in patience for all of you. Your water will clear, time is the best pond additive.

I'm going thru the same thing with my new preformed pond, not yet two weeks old. Been just netting the strand algae out and waiting, was pleased to see it a bit clearer, today.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

My suspicion, since your nitrites spiked so quickly, is that it was from fertilizers in your plant pots. The small size and number of your lovely fishies wouldn't have caused that...a waste overload would have read high ammonia first, and so on. Adding Pond Prime, as Mitch suggested, was exactly the right thing to do because the product will neutralize the toxins. However, it does not remove them. Most likely your algae and bacteria caught up with the buffet.

Your water will clear up once everything balances out and the plants grow in. No need for UV sterilizers (those kill good bacteria as well as algae).