Just another new pond worry

[bagsmom]

We have big koi - they leave our plants, including our lilies, alone. I know some people have trouble with koi and plants but for whatever reason ours have never bothered with them. We keep rocks in the pots to cover the roots, so there's not much to root around in.

One of our favorite plant store owners did tell us about a customer who was so upset because she went on a month long vacation and came back and her koi had eaten all her expensive lilies. Uh... maybe they were hungry??

I do think they learn some behaviors though and it can be impossible to stop once they do start - @sissy has a couple of koi that suck the guts out of frogs and leave the rest for her to fish out... never heard of anyone else with that kind of koi behavior!

Sissy's gut sucking frogs -- I missed that one! GROSS!

Nice pond, Jimmy!!!

 

[carolinaguy]

How deep is your pond? How much is below the soil line? The ground around and below will act as a heat sink and balance fluctuations in temperature over the day. Your stdewalls can cause a heating problem in direct sunlight. Shrubbery solves the sidewall problem, and can make these walls more of a cooling agent. Our last pond was heavily shaded and had a pergola partially protecting it from direct sunlight. The pond never got above 81 degrees through the Carolina summer. Meyer is right about collecting data. If your average temp stays below 81 degrees, no problem. At about 96 degrees of water temperature, oxygen saturation is at the threshold where fish can suffocate. high water temperature is the most common cause of fish kills. Additionally, in a deep pond in the summer, stratification can occur so that the deeper ponds have lower oxygen saturation at the bottom compared to the top layer. Air stones create the vertical mixing needed to overcome stratification. Valving bottom drains and skimmer water gives the pond keeper the ability to draw more water from the bottom to promote oxygen exchange. Plants in the pond are helpful for shading but also use oxygen at night aggravating the saturation challenge. There are five features that help oxygenate water: a large water surface relative to total volume, a waterfall, a water fountain, a vortex pipe or Japanese style filtration system, and an air pump. Air pumped both in the pond and into the filter are helpful not only for fish but also for the bacterial colony consuming ammonia and nitrites. There is a good discussion on the Purdue website in a PDF that covers the subject with references. Purdue is a major player in the development of aquaponics and aquaculture farming systems.
If you overdo anything make it oxygenation and filtration.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

How deep is your pond? How much is below the soil line? The ground around and below will act as a heat sink and balance fluctuations in temperature over the day. Your stdewalls can cause a heating problem in direct sunlight. Shrubbery solves the sidewall problem, and can make these walls more of a cooling agent. Our last pond was heavily shaded and had a pergola partially protecting it from direct sunlight. The pond never got above 81 degrees through the Carolina summer. Meyer is right about collecting data. If your average temp stays below 81 degrees, no problem. At about 96 degrees of water temperature, oxygen saturation is at the threshold where fish can suffocate. high water temperature is the most common cause of fish kills. Additionally, in a deep pond in the summer, stratification can occur so that the deeper ponds have lower oxygen saturation at the bottom compared to the top layer. Air stones create the vertical mixing needed to overcome stratification. Valving bottom drains and skimmer water gives the pond keeper the ability to draw more water from the bottom to promote oxygen exchange. Plants in the pond are helpful for shading but also use oxygen at night aggravating the saturation challenge. There are five features that help oxygenate water: a large water surface relative to total volume, a waterfall, a water fountain, a vortex pipe or Japanese style filtration system, and an air pump. Air pumped both in the pond and into the filter are helpful not only for fish but also for the bacterial colony consuming ammonia and nitrites. There is a good discussion on the Purdue website in a PDF that covers the subject with references. Purdue is a major player in the development of aquaponics and aquaculture farming systems.
If you overdo anything make it oxygenation and filtration.

50% of my pond is 48" deep and then slopes up to 12" deep at the waterfall..... Since it is built on a hillside it is an elevated pond with reinforced concrete blocks with only about 1 ft deep in the ground.... Pond is 3000 gallons with a Savio waterfall with springflow media and a Savio skimmer with filter media in it and a Ultima 6000 filter..... I have a easyflo aerated main drain.... Although I haven't bought an air pump yet but plan to before summer.... My flow rate is 90 to 100 gallons per minute over the waterfall

 

[carolinaguy]

With meyer's idea on monitoring and what you have, you should be good. A little tasteful shade should soothe your furrowed brow, that and some Tennessee moonshine.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

With meyer's idea on monitoring and what you have, you should be good. A little tasteful shade should soothe your furrowed brow, that and some Tennessee moonshine.

Definitely going to work on the shade.... And the monitoring...I tasted Tennessee moonshine one time in 1974....in my misspent youth..... Never developed a taste for it.... Burned too much.... Lol

 

[bagsmom]

I have the Savio F100 waterfall with springflow media in my new pond. I'm liking it! Putting in the springflow stuff was fun!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I have the Savio F100 waterfall with springflow media in my new pond. I'm liking it! Putting in the springflow stuff was fun!

You will discover that cleaning it is even more fun. I never like the way that Savio just packed this material loose in the filter. It creates a real mess when removing ti to clean. Placing it in large mesh bags greatly reduces this problem.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I've never cared much for the Spring Flow Media either. Basically overpriced strapping material. However, as far as cleaning it I never removed it from my tanks when I used it, I would just slosh it around and any stuff that had settled on it would just wash off and cycle into the pond water. It's not meant to be used as mechanical filter material after all, just media for nitrifying bacteria to grow on.
Anyway, I swapped the static Spring Flow Media out for a moving bed system with K1 type media which is self-cleaning and does it's own sloshing around.

Anybody interested purchasing two rolls of slightly used over priced strapping????

 

[bagsmom]

You will discover that cleaning it is even more fun. I never like the way that Savio just packed this material loose in the filter. It creates a real mess when removing ti to clean. Placing it in large mesh bags greatly reduces this problem.

Well, phooey! I didn't think about that. I hope I remember to put it in a bag when I do my first clean out! Thank you for the tip!

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

You will discover that cleaning it is even more fun. I never like the way that Savio just packed this material loose in the filter. It creates a real mess when removing ti to clean. Placing it in large mesh bags greatly reduces this problem.

Put my springflow in waterfall and my sponge media in my skimmer in poly propelene laundry bags which I got from Walmart for $2.00 each.... Waiting till fall to clean

 

[Tula]

I have a Savio Living Pond Filter, with Springflo media. It was a real PITA to clean, till I got a system. I swish it in the filter water , then lift it out, into a garden tub, while I flush the filter.

 

[moby]

Nice looking pond you have there, I really do like the idea of a raised pond giving a seat area on top to view and enjoy the fish ....but just wanted to mention something if I may...
...is the level of the water it's final level? I ask because it appears to be low compared to the height of the wall top, there's a portion of liner that will get strong sun shining directly on it. I've always read/thought/been advised not to have liner not covered by the water as it can degrade in strong sunlight. Looking at the level of the waterfall spillway, if the pond level is raised significantly to just under the wall coping stones, it would be almost virtually the same level as the spillway. Filling the pond to its maximum depth would be advantageous as it would surely help to maximise temperature stability. So basically, I was curious as to why the walls are not being used to give you max water volume?

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

Nice looking pond you have there, I really do like the idea of a raised pond giving a seat area on top to view and enjoy the fish ....but just wanted to mention something if I may...
...is the level of the water it's final level? I ask because it appears to be low compared to the height of the wall top, there's a portion of liner that will get strong sun shining directly on it. I've always read/thought/been advised not to have liner not covered by the water as it can degrade in strong sunlight. Looking at the level of the waterfall spillway, if the pond level is raised significantly to just under the wall coping stones, it would be almost virtually the same level as the spillway. Filling the pond to its maximum depth would be advantageous as it would surely help to maximise temperature stability. So basically, I was curious as to why the walls are not being used to give you max water volume?

As you can see from the pictures.... I had to position my skimmer to allow for the Capstone to go over the top of it...... The Savio skimmer has a weir in it to direct the debris to the basket..... If I raise the level over the weir everything bypass the basket.... I have thought about modifying/ raising the weir but that would only gain a couple of inches.... My final plan is to use Rock on a roll to hide and protect the liner at the top..... Waiting for the water to warm up some..... Too cold for me to get in there now.... Lol