New pond, did I do this right?

[Maral]

Hi All,
I have a new pond. It's 18'x7'x3'. After a couple of days of filling the water, ( and throwing in some copper pennies) the pond water was crystal clear. Last Saturday I added the declorinator, and was told to add beneficial bacteria. Same day I added 10 small Koi. The water started clouding up and a week later it is still cloudy. I can't see the bottom. Is this because of the bacteria? I was told to add a scoop and a half every day for the first 2 weeks. I have been doing that, but I'm worried it might be too much since the water is not clearing up. Is this normal and do I just keep adding the bacteria and be patient?
thanks for the help.

 

[sissy]

welcome and to be totally honest you added the fish to early and way to many .Copper pennies are not copper anymore and copper is not good for koi .Get an api liquid test kit .My koi are over 2 feet long ..Places that sell chemicals are not good places if they do not help you do the pond correctly from the start

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Stop adding bacteria. Under certain conditions, what is called a 'bacteria bloom' will occur giving the water a milky appearance similar to what is seen in your photos. Do not add anything else. Let Nature do its work and the pond will achieve a biochemical equilibrium and clear on its own.

 

[Usman]

just keep it running cycling thru any filter , it may turn green 1st then clear eventually as pond matures and to b honest this clarity isnt bad for fish , its foot clear

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Is any of the surrounding mulch migrating to the pond's water?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!
Like said above time is what helps the pond needs to mature. And make sure no run off is getting into the pond, i.e. the edge of the pond is higher than the ground around it.

 

[MoonShadows]

Be patient...not one of my virtues...

 

[bagsmom]

Welcome! I have a new-ish pond (about a month and a half old). It looked yucky for a long time! Once the sun started shining, the algae took off. The water was cloudy for a while, then very dark and green. I've been gradually adding small fish and as many plants as I can afford. I think it is finally starting to get balanced.

 

[Usman]

View attachment 98803

Be patient...not one of my virtues...

u always win the welcome contest , most colorful

 

[Usman]

Hi All,
I have a new pond. It's 18'x7'x3'. After a couple of days of filling the water, ( and throwing in some copper pennies) the pond water was crystal clear. Last Saturday I added the declorinator, and was told to add beneficial bacteria. Same day I added 10 small Koi. The water started clouding up and a week later it is still cloudy. I can't see the bottom. Is this because of the bacteria? I was told to add a scoop and a half every day for the first 2 weeks. I have been doing that, but I'm worried it might be too much since the water is not clearing up. Is this normal and do I just keep adding the bacteria and be patient?
thanks for the help.

what type of filter media u have ? if u see particles floating of muddy water then uil need to add some fine mesh for mechanical filtering and if ur current is strong it may b not letting it settle and no plants roots are trapping it

 

[Tula]

Welcome Maral

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! Pretty much agree with the previous comments. Time and patience are your friends, but I think you did add too many fish, too soon. Koi are going to grow fast, too, so you might end up being "over-stocked" before you're aware of it.

What kind of filtration do you have, and what size pump? Yes, please get a [liquid] water test kit and start checking your water. At this point, and with that many fish, keep a close watch on your ammonia levels and be prepared to do partial water changes if the level rises [a small amt of ammonia is OK at first and that's what will kick-start your biological filtration system -- but too much is toxic to the fish!].

And what are the pennies for?

 

[tbendl]

My pond took months to stabilize.
It pretty much waited until I was resigned to having a junk pond forever and then cleared.
Patience. Or Beer. Whatever allows you to wait it out.
Good luck.

 

[Maral]

Is any of the surrounding mulch migrating to the pond's water?

No the mulch is not getting in.

 

[Maral]

Hello and welcome! Pretty much agree with the previous comments. Time and patience are your friends, but I think you did add too many fish, too soon. Koi are going to grow fast, too, so you might end up being "over-stocked" before you're aware of it.

What kind of filtration do you have, and what size pump? Yes, please get a [liquid] water test kit and start checking your water. At this point, and with that many fish, keep a close watch on your ammonia levels and be prepared to do partial water changes if the level rises [a small amt of ammonia is OK at first and that's what will kick-start your biological filtration system -- but too much is toxic to the fish!].

And what are the pennies for?

Thank you. I did buy the water test kit, and the levels were pretty good. The water has cleared up some in the last few days. I can see the fish and the bottom now.
The pennies are the old pennies that used to be copper. Copper is to purify the water. When the water was first added before the fish were in, it was cloudy so we threw the copper pennies in and within a day the water was crystal clear.