"Inherited" a pond

[Daveo]

Hello all. I bought a house back in November that had a pond, with Koi fish. By some miracle and many a worrying day they survived the winter, and actually there appears to be more fish than I was told there should be.

I have never had a pond before so was out of my depth and very naive as to the challenge of pond maintenance. The home owner before me I have since learnt was in a similar position.

I am extremely concerned for the fishes well being as not only has the pond become overwhelmed by tadpoles but also now algae and other gunk. Unless they are near the top of the pond I can't see them. It's that bad.

The plants around the pond are all dying and my attempts to remove the dead vegetation in the hopes the plants would come back have failed.

It also seems my pumps/filters are having no effect despite cleaning and replacing the filters so as I have no idea how to move forward I fear the only option I have is to start fresh.

Can anyone advise the best way forward? I am on a limited budget but what would be the best way to start fresh with water and pumps/filters and ensure I can do it as quick as possible for the health of the fish.

I have counted 16 fish, but the pond isn't massive, maybe 5m x 3m x 0.75m so relaively small.

 

[pecan]

Welcome! It may not be as bad as you think Ponds don't have to be a ton of work once you figure them out. My ponds are less maintenance than the rest of my landscaping.

Your pond sounds like a good size for a back yard pond. But may have too many fish for the size and filtration.

Can you take some pictures of the pond and filters and post them? That should help you get some good advice.

 

[sissy]

welcome and yep pics would help .Also pics of the filter and are they koi or goldfish .Ponds take awhile to get started up

 

[Faebinder]

My guess is that your koi spawned after winter and hence the bigger than expected number of fish and the green water.

 

[teeemkay]

Yep, I agree--the fish spawned at some point. However, more fish = more fish waste = more contaminants in the water, which makes the pond more prone to algae/green water.

Photos of the pond would help. You've come to the right place for advice--once we can see your pond setup, you'll get some helpful suggestions. Do you have any water features? (waterfall, etc.)

 

[MitchM]

Welcome Daveo!
We can certainly help you here.
The more pictures and information you can post, the sooner your pond will improve.

 

[Daveo]

Thanks for the help so far. I have attached the pictures as requested.

The filter I took a picture inside of doesn't seem to have anything run through it which I guess is the problem, however the otherone which I believe is a UV filter does have a decent flow through it.

To replace both of those parts I had been looking at something along the lines of this;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jebao-Pres...8&qid=1463230019&sr=8-11&keywords=pond+filter

Oh and apologies for the poor state of my garden. It needs a lot of tidying up!

 

[sissy]

uv bulbs should be replaced then .You really need more air .The more air into the pond via an aerator the better and clearer your water will be .The slower the water runs through the uv the better it works .I buy my bulbs at cll pets on ebay and I bought my twist uv from topdog sellar on ebay .Even though yoour bulb may be working does not mean it is working properly

 

[mgmine]

You have a really nice pond. I posted this article a week ago but it's worth re posting. All UV is not created equally. From your green pond it's obvious that your UV is not working. If this were my pond I would loose most of the fish and build a skipppy filter. I would also get a good UV light. Maybe you could even sell what you have on Craigslist.
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html

Spend a few hours on Youtube and you will get all your questions, and then some answered.

 

[adam9280]

Are there any plants inside the pond? Irises (marginals) and Water Hyacinth (floaters) would soak up a lot of the excess nutrients. Floaters also help cover the surface of the pond. Lots of sunlight can make algae spike. Some people even recommend covering the pond for a few days to keep the algae down.

Does the pond have a waterfall or anything to move/stir up the water?

 

[Daveo]

There are some plants both above and below water, but not a lot. I will however have a trip to the garden centre to see what they have this weekend.

I bought an aerator, new pump and filter with 11w UV light to go with my "fountain". So I hope this will start to clear things up over the next week.