Green water no mater how I filter it???

[Russell]

I have a small pond 600 litres with 10 small koi/goldfish in! This is temporary whilst I create a bigger pond (will take a while)

My issue is the water is completely green, murky and smells.

There is no electrical supply, so I am using solar power.

I am currently using a homemade filtering system that’s running 24/7 along with an air stone also running 24/7.

The filtering system runs through several different types of filter, yet still comes out green!

Is there another type of filter that will create clear water??

The water in the image is straight out of the filter and the filters are X2 in the filter itself

 

[seandelevan]

With a pond that small it might be necessary to do water changes....

 

[Russell]

Hi, I did a 75% water change last week and the water in the picture is out of the filter this morning!!

 

[Gemma]

Hi,
Do you have pics of your pond?
If you can add plants, the plants will eat the nutrients and eventually starve the algae....or you could go the quicker route and install a UV light.
I'm thinking 10 koi, even small, may be too many for your pond volume

 

[Lisak1]

I agree with @Gemma - you have too many fish in too small of a pond. The excess nutrients from all those fish is feeding the algae and you really can't filter that out with mechanical filtration. And honestly that algae is probably keeping your fish alive as it's consuming what would otherwise be harmful to their health.

I just looked at your picture of the water though -that water is perfectly fine. Pond water doesn't need to be crystal clear - a slight green or brown-ish tint to the water is A-OK. The smell would concern me, but that's not necessarily a sign of anything bad either.

 

[Russell]

I say pond but it’s actually an IBC tank, no plants!! I don’t know what to buy as they would need to float??

Is there a solar powered UV light??

I was thinking I have used the wrong type of filter inside the filter (see pictures)? Any suggestions, I’ve heard people use lava rock??

 

[seandelevan]

With that size pond and the amount of fish....you might need to do a water change every day.

 

[Russell]

Ha ha, when I say small koi I mean 2/3 inch long changing the water even weekly is irrational!

This filtering system is being used as a small scale trial for when the big pond is built!

However this isn’t working! I am more interested in the filtering system and not interested in the slightest about the amount of fish as they will be going in a bigger pond 20ft x 8ft once built!

As can be seen in the picture the water coming straight out of the filter is green, I want the water coming straight out the filter to be clear!! My question is how do I do this and what should I be using in the filter?? Hope that clears up any confusion about the amount of fish!!

 

[Lisak1]

Unless you have floating debris in the water, then your filter will not clear it. Your water appears to be stained (which is in no way a bad thing). Do you have organic material in the pond? Leaves or dead plant matter?

And again - crystal clear water isn't always possible in an outdoor pond because of the potential for organics to enter the pond. I would consider your water to be clear, pond style. If you want what many in the dedicated koi pond world call "gin clear water" you'll need some extensive filtering on your pond - especially given the size you plan to build.

 

[Russell]

There is nothing in the pond other than the water pump, water, fish and the air stone!!

There are still some particles that are getting through the filter even though there are 8 layers of foam the water must go through.

Am I missing something??

 

[Lisak1]

I guess my question is are you planning a fish pond or a swimming pool? Why the concern about the tiny particles making their way through the filter? I'm sure you can find a filtering medium that would remove every last bit, but how often do you want to clean your filter?

 

[mrsclem]

10 2-3" koi in 160 gallons? How long are you planning to take to build the pond?

 

[ChrisP]

I say pond but it’s actually an IBC tank, no plants!! I don’t know what to buy as they would need to float??

Is there a solar powered UV light??

I was thinking I have used the wrong type of filter inside the filter (see pictures)? Any suggestions, I’ve heard people use lava rock??

I use lave rocks, but they aren't magical. They give bacteria a nice home - bacteria that eats poop and generates nutrients.

The filters aren't going to filter out all the nutrients in the water, therefore algae is having a feast on all the waist from those fish (koi generate a lot of waste). There's plenty of examples here of DIY floating plant baskets and for a small investment, including some plants - water mint grows prolifically and the strong minty aroma can cover up any other bad smells.


Here's an Instructible I wrote: https://www.instructables.com/id/Floating-Plant-Basket/




PS - all the exclamation points make me think you're yelling at us.

 

[Lisak1]

10 2-3" koi in 160 gallons? How long are you planning to take to build the pond?

I think he meant two thirds of an inch... at least that's how I read it!

 

[mrsclem]

That's fry- that would be ok. I got a new bog installed on one pond and it cleared in a week . Now pea soup again, weather in 90s every day. You are never going to have crystal clear pond water every day if you have fish.