New house, new pond!

[j.w]

@Joseph_Family
#'s all look good to me. 7.0 to 8.6 is fine for ph. Higher than that would be too alkaline. When you get your long handled net you can check how much muck is on the bottom and start scooping it out. Is there a pump and filter running? If so keep it running while you are scooping as the water is going to get all cloudy while you are scooping. Check the net for signs of life so you can put baby fish, tadpoles or what have you back in the water. Your ph will prolly go down when the debris in the pond is lessened. Will take awhile for the cloudiness to clear after you are done scooping and filtering. You'll prolly have to clean the filter now and then while doing the whole process. I don't know what kind of filter you have tho.

 

[Mmathis]

It's more important for your pH to be STABLE (not wildly swinging up & down)
So don't worry too much about the numbers. My pH runs around 8.2-8.4-ish. Another test you'll want to do is KH (carbonate hardness). It shows you the buffering capability of your water. When the KH is low, your pond is in danger of crashing. If your KH is high (which is what you want) you have that "buffer" to help keep the pH stable. I have a low KH, so to bring that up, I use crushed oyster shells (mixed in with the bog gravel). As they slowly dissolve, they raise the KH level.

 

[Joseph_Family]

Here is the filter, and the pump. I'm Pretty sure this is the only filter.. does it look good? We are cleaning the filter twice a day.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group! That looks like a skimmer box with a pump in it. Is there filter material?

 

[Joseph_Family]

Welcome to our group! That looks like a skimmer box with a pump in it. Is there filter material?

Only the netting. What should we buy?

 

[addy1]

There is no other filter box?

Matala filter pads work great. I am helping someone with a skimmer set up real similar to yours. They have a bunch of the green matala pads in the skimmer box surrounding the pump.

http://pond-supplies.thepondguy.com/garden/Matala-Filter-Pads

I don't do filters or submersible pumps in skimmer boxes. There are others on here that do. Let them chime in also before you buy stuff. All of my ponds have been filtered with bogs and plants.

 

[Mmathis]

What lovely lily pads!

 

[Joseph_Family]

@addy1 I don't think there's another filter box, unless there is one at the waterfall. Im gonna check it tomorrow morning to be sure. Thanks for the link, and the advice! I'll definitely wait on buying anything until I hear from a few others, then.

@Mmathis, thank you! I enjoy looking at them!

 

[cas]

When buying the filter pad keep in mind that the more dense the pad, the finer the material it will catch. However the more it will need cleaned, especially while you are cleaning the pond. I tried the green Matala filter in my skimmer this year, but it is not dense enough to pick up the finer material and I am noticing sediment in my pond water. I love that it does not clog, though. I have just changed to a pad that is a little more dense until the sediment is removed.

 

[addy1]

The people I am helping have a huge filter box that then flows down a water fall. In it they have white pads and bagged lava rock. You may have a filter box at the water fall.

 

[tbendl]

You can mix up the media in there as well. I'd be curious to see what's in the waterfall. Hopefully you've got some type of filter in there.
Did you dig in the pond and see what all was lurking down there and how deep it is?

 

[budgenator]

I tried the green Matala filter in my skimmer this year, but it is not dense enough to pick up the finer material and I am noticing sediment in my pond water. I love that it does not clog, though. I have just changed to a pad that is a little more dense until the sediment is removed.

Matala comes in 4 grades,
Low Density Black Matala media can be used as a support grate for
other layers of media due to its very sturdy and open design. The Black
Matala is used widely as a large particle size solids filter. A single layer
1.5 inch thick can filter out things like leaves, large clumps of algae,
cigarette butts, seed pods, etc.
Medium Density Green Matala media can follow by trapping a medium
size particle. Both Green and Black clean out very easily by simply
shaking the pieces out before draining the sump.
High Density Blue Matala filter media will filter out a much smaller
particle and yet still maintain good flow distribution. In larger systems
all four types can be used in sequence to essentially remove all solids.
Super High Density Grey Matala Filter mats will filter out a even
smaller particles while maintaining good flow distribution. In larger
systems all four types can be used in sequence to essentially polishing
the water.
The manufacterer recomends that the water flow be directed through the long axis of the mat,but I've never seen it done that way.

 

[cas]

Thanks @budgenator . I had investigated the different Matala filters when I bought mine and went with the green because I didn't want it to clog.

 

[Joseph_Family]

Update:
There is a lot of dead plant matter on the bottom... Lilly pads, rose pedals, etc. We haven't gotten in it, but my husband stuck his hand in it, and he saw all the stuff. Still no real filter, just a netting to catch the larger stuff before it gets into the pump.
We plan on buying a pool scooper to scoop some stuff out.
We will get a filter eventually also, but would we have to rebuild the skimmer box for a proper filter? Thanks again, everyone who has given me all of this information! It's really a huge help!

 

[Joseph_Family]

Also, is there anything I can buy that's safe for the koi and the other fish, and safe for the plants that will kill mosquitoes??? They're getting bad.