Greetings from another new pond builder

[Nick83]

First off I would like to thank all the great people on this forum with all of their knowledge.

About me, I the past month I decided to put in a deck pond on my raised front porch for my wife. The pond dimensions are a tad over two cubic yards and holds roughly 370 gallons.
This is my second pond after caring for a small garden pond in my yard that gets full Florida sun and has been a nice frog, snail and hornwort breeder. I put some goldfish in it a few years ago but it just turned out to be a buffet for the birds so I never replaced livestock.
As for my new deck pond it is under a roof that only gets direct sun in the morning but I do have a shade I can roll down at night to combat full exposure in the mornings.
I've added five fantail goldfish and a pleco bottom feeder. Since this pond is fairly new it is becoming cloudy and I have have been adding pond zyme sludge destroyer to help with the algea bloom and start building up beneficial bacteria. After reading numerous posts on here I really learned a lot about how the ponds ecosystem goes through cycles as it is a new Pond and certain things have to take course to help even itself out to create a healthy environment. I'm greatly appreciated to have found this forum and gain more knowledge before I started doing things that would cause a devastating effect because it is unnerving to watch a pond go from crystal clear to very cloudy with algea even though the water is being filtered, which I have come to learn filtration is only a part to a healthy pond.

The filtration I'm using is a tetra pond filter box inline with a pump that is feeding my secondary 4 layer pressure filter to removed the fine algae particles which is then fed to my waterfall that returns the water back in the pond. I've alee set up an air diffuser at the opposite end.

As of right now I only have planted hornwort some floating fleely and some planted on the bottom. I do plan on adding more surface plants In the coming days before I add anymore livestock. Even though the fish in the pond are doing well right now, I rather not take that risk.

Thank you for taking the time to read my long drawn out introduction.
Nick G.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group! Post some pictures of your ponds when you can!

Go slow on adding fish, let your pond cycle.

 

[j.w]

@Nick83 We love pictures

 

[Gemma]

and welcome to the group, Nick!

 

[Nick83]

Thank you @addy1 and @j.w , yes my wife has been wrangling me in about moving too fast. No more fish until it is ready!

 

[IPA]

Welcome @Nick83 . I am not familiar with sludge remover as far as beneficial nitrifying bacteria though I know it states beneficial bacteria. If your canister filter has a UV light in it, can it be turned off as the UV will kill the beneficial bacteria and prolong the nitrogen cycle. Keep testing the water for ammonia and nitrite daily to monitor the progress of the cycle and ensure ammonia and nitrite don't get too high. Look forward to seeing pictures.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Do not overshade the pond. 3 - 4 hours, preferable morning, sun each day will keep it healthy.

 

[Nick83]

Welcome @Nick83 . I am not familiar with sludge remover as far as beneficial nitrifying bacteria though I know it states beneficial bacteria. If your canister filter has a UV light in it, can it be turned off as the UV will kill the beneficial bacteria and prolong the nitrogen cycle. Keep testing the water for ammonia and nitrite daily to monitor the progress of the cycle and ensure ammonia and nitrite don't get too high. Look forward to seeing pictures.

Thank you, its the API Pond enzyme sludge destroyer. From what I understand it helps create beneficial bacteria. I'm currently not using a UV sterilizer. I'm trying the natural way until everything is in proper order if I need to go down that road in the future. My wife ordered a pond test kit but its taking forever to arrive so right now I'm just at the mercy of the wind when it comes to testing but I might go get a sample tested at the pet store to see where the levels are at.

 

[Nick83]

Do not overshade the pond. 3 - 4 hours, preferable morning, sun each day will keep it healthy.

I won't over shade here's a picture of the shade I'm using. Its not a 100% coverage so some direct sunlight will get through throughout the course of the day.

 

[cas]

Welcome @Nick83 . Cute pond and I like your sun shade.

 

[Nick83]

Here's the full layout. I am still in the early stages of configuration of everything. I'm going to move the waterfall and make it more aesthetically pleasing and hide the filter for a more serene atmosphere.
The water is ugly right now so hopefully I can reign in the algea. My water temps fluctuate from 77°F at night to 81°F during the day.

This picture was taken today.

 

[IPA]

Thank you, its the API Pond enzyme sludge destroyer. From what I understand it helps create beneficial bacteria. I'm currently not using a UV sterilizer. I'm trying the natural way until everything is in proper order if I need to go down that road in the future. My wife ordered a pond test kit but its taking forever to arrive so right now I'm just at the mercy of the wind when it comes to testing but I might go get a sample tested at the pet store to see where the levels are at.

I do not know any as facts here (see rant below) but as far as I can tell Pond-Zyme Sludge Destroyer does not carry live nitrifying bacteria. API's product for that is Pond Quick Start. How long has the pond been going? I don't know that Sludge Destroyer is hurting anything but it isn't doing anything to help with the nitrogen cycle. I highly recommend bringing in a sample and getting your water tested; hopefully there will be no major issue and it will naturally cycle on it's own. (begin rant) I wanted to contact API by email today as a matter of fact, regarding another one of their products (pond master test kit) but in order to do that they require your first and last name, address, telephone. There is already too many companies not protecting my personal information very well or outright selling it and I am very disappointed that I simply cannot send them an email without providing all of this information. (end rant)

Sludge Destroyer
"Specially selected bacterial strains in POND-ZYME SLUDGE DESTROYER immediately begin breaking down fish waste [ED: SOLID WASTE] and dead algae that cause cloudy water, sludge build-up, and debris that clogs pumps and filters"
http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?p=details&id=763#.WcvURaoUnxg

Quick Start
"Live nitrifying bacteria to immediately start the pond cycle and support the biological filter. "
http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?sectionid=2&catid=23&subcatid=0&id=707#.WcvVGqoUnxg

In fact there is an MSDS for sludge destroyer.
http://www.apifishcare.com/pdf/146_...SVendors_2014_February_06_01-55-19-689_AM.pdf

 

[Nick83]

I do not know any as facts here (see rant below) but as far as I can tell Pond-Zyme Sludge Destroyer does not carry live nitrifying bacteria. API's product for that is Pond Quick Start. How long has the pond been going? I don't know that Sludge Destroyer is hurting anything but it isn't doing anything to help with the nitrogen cycle. I highly recommend bringing in a sample and getting your water tested; hopefully there will be no major issue and it will naturally cycle on it's own. (begin rant) I wanted to contact API by email today as a matter of fact, regarding another one of their products (pond master test kit) but in order to do that they require your first and last name, address, telephone. There is already too many companies not protecting my personal information very well or outright selling it and I am very disappointed that I simply cannot send them an email without providing all of this information. (end rant)

Sludge Destroyer
"Specially selected bacterial strains in POND-ZYME SLUDGE DESTROYER immediately begin breaking down fish waste [ED: SOLID WASTE] and dead algae that cause cloudy water, sludge build-up, and debris that clogs pumps and filters"
http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?p=details&id=763#.WcvURaoUnxg

Quick Start
"Live nitrifying bacteria to immediately start the pond cycle and support the biological filter. "
http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?sectionid=2&catid=23&subcatid=0&id=707#.WcvVGqoUnxg

In fact there is an MSDS for sludge destroyer.
http://www.apifishcare.com/pdf/146_...SVendors_2014_February_06_01-55-19-689_AM.pdf

Thank you for that information and links. I feel the same way about giving out personal information to sources online. There's simply no need to to give it to a company to ask questions. The pond is fairly new, about two months old. It took me a while to get filtration up and running due to hurricane Maria. If I need to move my fish into an aquarium I have set up for growing plants I have no problem with moving them for temporary purposes.

 

[IPA]

I'd think if you've had it going for 2 months the nitrogen cycle is near to or complete, especially in your heat and humidity.
I guess maturing a pond just takes time; I've read 6 months, 1 year, 2 years to fully mature. Hang in there. I was having some health issues in my small pond and put several bare root iris in it. What a difference it made. The iris never bloomed and never looked spectacular but the roots looked amazingly healthy. I believe it made all the difference in the world and the really kick myself part was they were struggling to survive in a 5 gallon bucket for more than half of a year because my pond was too small if that makes any sense. 5 gal. bucket vs. 50 gallon pond

 

[Nick83]

I'd think if you've had it going for 2 months the nitrogen cycle is near to or complete, especially in your heat and humidity.
I guess maturing a pond just takes time; I've read 6 months, 1 year, 2 years to fully mature. Hang in there. I was having some health issues in my small pond and put several bare root iris in it. What a difference it made. The iris never bloomed and never looked spectacular but the roots looked amazingly healthy. I believe it made all the difference in the world and the really kick myself part was they were struggling to survive in a 5 gallon bucket for more than half of a year because my pond was too small if that makes any sense. 5 gal. bucket vs. 50 gallon pond

I sure hope so, I know that the temps here are wreaking havoc on other garden ponds in my area.

On another note; I just brought some water from the bottom of my pond to the pet store to have it tested and it is all within normal/balanced ranges according to their test strips. I know that test strips are not the most accurate but it gave me some peace of mind.