hello i have a 9000 gal koi pond we put a liner inside of a inground pool (after forming with 462 sand bags and brining up the bottom to 4' it has shelves all the way around... we just drained and cleaned it out about 2 weeks ago and wateris back to green i have 2 pressurised filters on it..... any suggestions? i love my koi and they are good sized! just want to see them! we just put up two shade sails so the sun is blocked out.....
Green water
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I know everybody is going to say to wait it out until the pond stabilizes, but I waited for 3 months, had loads of plants, good filtration and splash for oxygen, didn't overfeed, not too many fish, ect. As soon as it got warm outside, green water! It was fine through the fall and winter. The only thing that helped me was a U.V. light.............now its crystal clear.
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Your pond sounds awesome! Do you have pictures?
yes, but please ignore the water!!Your pond sounds awesome! Do you have pictures?
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the clear water was right after water change out
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What a great pond! Your water is not so bad.....mine was worse.
Welcome @stormy ! What an awesome pond! Can you tell us a bit more about it - how many fish? How old is the pond? At 9000 gallons it would take a lot to be overstocked, but it's still possible. What kind of filtration are you using? I see a waterfall - is that your only aeration? Do you have a skimmer? Lots of questions I know, but they are all important to solving the green water issue once and for all.
Green water, as I'm sure you know, is a reaction to the nutrients in the pond. I can see you have some in-pond plants, but a pond that size can require a lot. It appears you have a bit of foaming on the surface which indicates excess phosphates in the pond as well. Do you have a test kit to test the water?
Essentially any new pond will work to achieve balance - green water is completely normal at the early stage as there's nothing else in the pond to consume the nutrients that your fish are creating. Without the green, the water may become unhealthy for your fish. And yes, I would say to wait it out - it's a solution that will be permanent, rather than one that requires continued maintenance. I am not a big fan of UV - although I do understand the desire to have clear water - but remember that anything that passes by the UV is killed, not just the single celled algae. So you're losing the tiny microbial life that inhabits the pond and helps achieve balance, too. And the UV is killing the algae, which means you are left with dead algae in the pond - and there's nothing algae loves to feed on more than dead algae!
By draining and cleaning the pond you unfortunately set yourself back to ground zero. I know it's hard to resist the urge to get the pond cleaned up, but it really doesn't help in the long run. Honestly, time after time after time we tell ponders that patience is your best friend. Your pond will be green green green green green and then BOOM it's clear. Overnight. As long as you address any issues that may be contributing, you are assured to have clear water from that point forward.
Green water, as I'm sure you know, is a reaction to the nutrients in the pond. I can see you have some in-pond plants, but a pond that size can require a lot. It appears you have a bit of foaming on the surface which indicates excess phosphates in the pond as well. Do you have a test kit to test the water?
Essentially any new pond will work to achieve balance - green water is completely normal at the early stage as there's nothing else in the pond to consume the nutrients that your fish are creating. Without the green, the water may become unhealthy for your fish. And yes, I would say to wait it out - it's a solution that will be permanent, rather than one that requires continued maintenance. I am not a big fan of UV - although I do understand the desire to have clear water - but remember that anything that passes by the UV is killed, not just the single celled algae. So you're losing the tiny microbial life that inhabits the pond and helps achieve balance, too. And the UV is killing the algae, which means you are left with dead algae in the pond - and there's nothing algae loves to feed on more than dead algae!
By draining and cleaning the pond you unfortunately set yourself back to ground zero. I know it's hard to resist the urge to get the pond cleaned up, but it really doesn't help in the long run. Honestly, time after time after time we tell ponders that patience is your best friend. Your pond will be green green green green green and then BOOM it's clear. Overnight. As long as you address any issues that may be contributing, you are assured to have clear water from that point forward.
Agree with everything Lisak1 said .....also how much water is being circulated through your filter system, you want to be up around 13,000 gph in a pond your size. If you have proper circulation and enough plants your pond will stay clear all the time and you won’t need the uv light.
j.w
I Love my Goldies
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j.w
I Love my Goldies
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Pix of my pond? I was gonna say, click on my link but I just went there and I see photo bucket is where I had all those photo's and I quit photo bucket and all the photo's are gone. I have some on my computer tho.
I just took this one but all filters and waterfalls are off as I'm cleaning the filters. Have to have a net over mine as Mr Heron likes sushi bars. I don't have koi, just goldfish and too many of them!
I just took this one but all filters and waterfalls are off as I'm cleaning the filters. Have to have a net over mine as Mr Heron likes sushi bars. I don't have koi, just goldfish and too many of them!