Koi pond without filtration for a day or two

[max384]

I have a water loss problem with my pond, and I want to turn off my main pump and biofilter for a day to try and isolate my water loss, since I think the waterfall or stream may be the culprit. I don't want to harm the fish though. It's a 2000 gallon pond with a 4200gph pump, 55gal DIY biofilter, and a 800gph skimmer with prefilter and UV filter. The skimmer/UV filter would still be running, but the larger pump and biofilter would not be. I have five 5-6" koi, one 6" Shubunkin, and four <1" shubunkins. This is also not an established pond yet. I've been chemically controlling ammonia while the biofilter is being established.





I already asked this question in my build thread, but I wanted to also ask it here for both a wider audience and to have it in the appropriate subforum.

Here's the post from my build thread:

Ugh. My pond is losing about an inch of water a day. I calculated that out to losing about 60 gallons daily... Which sounds quite excessive to me. There is some splash around the waterfall, which I'm sure is contributing, but I can't imagine that much water loss just from that. There isn't any muddy or wet areas around the pond that would signify significant water loss. I don't want to have to keep adding that much of my chlorinated tap water to the pond each day...

I'm thinking about turning the main pump/biofilter off for one day and seeing if the water loss stops. Would my fish be okay with only the skimmer running for a day? The skimmer is an 800gph with only a prefilter. I have five 5-6" kois, one 6" shubunkin, and four other small <1" shubunkins.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/thr...o-2000-gallons-with-bottom-drain.14141/page-3

 

[Dave 54]

In summer some ponds can loose one heck of alott of water to evaporation make sure its not this personally I wouldnt turn off my filters I'd re-route them so that they are still taking in water but not supplying your problem area once a bio filter is knocked out , it takes time for them to mature and start up again giving you all sorts of water quality issues which are detrimental to your fishes health and welbeing

Dave

 

[max384]

Rerouting the water so that it goes through my biofilter but misses the waterfall/stream area (where I think the losses are coming from) would be pretty difficult and would require me partially disassembling my waterfall, which is sealed together with pond foam. I would still keep water in the biofilter, if I turn the pump off, so hopefully this would not set the biofilter back???

 

[Dave 54]

Rerouting the water so that it goes through my biofilter but misses the waterfall/stream area (where I think the losses are coming from) would be pretty difficult and would require me partially disassembling my waterfall, which is sealed together with pond foam. I would still keep water in the biofilter, if I turn the pump off, so hopefully this would not set the biofilter back???

Have you got an air supply in your bio filter if so this would keep it things going but if your going to switch it off completely then you'll loose all the helpful bacteria the bio filter holds which is a no brainer so if you haventt put a number of airstones in with it (I acctually run a total of six airstones in ours

Dave

 

[max384]

Have you got an air supply in your bio filter if so this would keep it things going but if your going to switch it off completely then you'll loose all the helpful bacteria the bio filter holds which is a no brainer so if you haventt put a number of airstones in with it (I acctually run a total of six airstones in ours

Dave

I don't have any air supply. I just have the water inlet at the bottom of the barrel, and the water travels up through the filter material and out the outlet at the top.

 

[Dave 54]

I don't have any air supply. I just have the water inlet at the bottom of the barrel, and the water travels up through the filter material and out the outlet at the top.

Get an airstone or two in your bio filter at least then you can keep things ticking over whilst you do your repairs, I once had to isolate them from the pond for three days the airstones kept them working .
Being a fio filter it should have an air supply to help I cant understand why you havent done that before now it makes good sense I have three in no 2 and 3 filters which are full of Jap matting and six as I previously said in our bio filter that is full of k1 bio balls and bio chips which may be an idea for you to adopt all you need do is add another barrel filter .
You put an L shaped pipe connected to your pump drill lots of small holes in the verticle pipe and cap it this stops the k1 from clogging up your pump the K1 bio balls and bio chips act like hundereds of little bio factories creating new bactria on every surface , the movement caused by the airstones causes this to be knocked of and more is created .
Its just an idea and for a 2,000 gallon pond will help imensly even adding yet another filter if you with but the K1 bio filter must always be last in line before your pipes return to the pond give it a go and see how your pond responds

Dave

 

[max384]

Thanks for the advice. I'll add some air.

I hadn't actually considered the biofilter health when I asked this question. I was actually concerned about the fish. Will the fish be okay with the main pump and filter off for a day or two, assuming I add air to the biofilter to keep it active while everything is off?

 

[Dave 54]

Yes it should keep your filter active , what you didnt want to do was to let it die off and when you started it up again all the bad crud would be released back into the pond whilst your at it I'd also add a few extra airstones to the pond whilst its all off line .
This way your getting air into the pond which you know is important

Dave

 

[Tula]

Someone just posted a thread where they lost 11 or 12 fish, then they had their pumps off? Dave, I know you were communicating with them. Does this have any bearing on this situation?

 

[Dave 54]

Someone just posted a thread where they lost 11 or 12 fish, then they had their pumps off? Dave, I know you were communicating with them. Does this have any bearing on this situation?

Huh which post is that Tula I've been helping Andy with a problem , he has lost a fish and it was discovered he turned the filters of 10 hrs a day because someone complained about the noixe the bubbler and filter made ?
I've been helping identify problems with two goldfish but I cant remember that thread could you link it please but no it doesnt have anything to do with this if I knew what it was that is
This is more about keeping the bacteria in the filters alive whilst they are off line by use of air stones

Dave

 

[Tula]

Yes Dave, it was Andy's post I was thinking of. His neighbors complained of noise, so he turned them off each night. I thought he had some kind of gas build up that killed his fish when he turned his pumps back on.

 

[Dave 54]

Yes Dave, it was Andy's post I was thinking of. His neighbors complained of noise, so he turned them off each night. I thought he had some kind of gas build up that killed his fish when he turned his pumps back on.

No he was in effect killing off his good bacteria which is something you dont want to do Filters when on are designed to work 34/7 365 days a year only switching them off to clean and maintain them

Dave

 

[JohnHuff]

I've been chemically controlling ammonia while the biofilter is being established.

This just caught my eye. The biofilter needs ammonia to get established. If you chemically control ammonia, it will take forever for the biofilter to mature.

 

[max384]

This just caught my eye. The biofilter needs ammonia to get established. If you chemically control ammonia, it will take forever for the biofilter to mature.

I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place here. If I don't control the ammonia than the biofilter matures faster, but my fish are living in toxic ammonia. If I treat it, the ammonia levels will be better for the fish, but it'll take longer for my filter to mature...

 

[JohnHuff]

I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place here. If I don't control the ammonia than the biofilter matures faster, but my fish are living in toxic ammonia. If I treat it, the ammonia levels will be better for the fish, but it'll take longer for my filter to mature...

Your biofilter won't get established until it gets ammonia. Some people establish their filter without fish by pouring ammonia into the pond, or they put feeder fish in it first. Can you feed your fish less for now?