I admit, I am very much a newbie at the whole pond thing but trying my best to learn as much as possible as quick as possible.
My pond is about 500 gallons, with a waterfall pushed by a 2200GPH pump. I have a combination of Koi and Goldfish in the pond. As the subject states, the pond is new - about 3 weeks old. Water tested perfect before adding the fish but after 2 days it got cloudy and had the water tested at the pond shop. At that time, ammonia and nitrites were high and they recommended changing the water, which I did a number of times and the water clarity did improve but was still reading high in ammonia and nitrites and high phosphates. So ... I cut back on feeding and ramped up my education. I was cleaning my filter media too aggressively with tap water and nothing was able to take hold. I bought some microbe-lift bacteria to apply to the media and decided not to clean the filter any more except maybe in a bucket of pond water to get the surface gunk off. I also decided to hold off on any more water changes for a while since adding fresh water constantly would be the same as washing the filter with tap water, more or less.
A week or so later, fish seem very happy, almost eating out of my hand but my water is still out of whack. Lots of algae growing on the rocks and water fall. Ammonia is now zero. Nitrites down to .25 (it was at .5 previously). PH is off the charts at 9.0 (or higher - that's as high as the card shows). And Phosphates are also quite high, though I can't recall the number. The water is still clearish. Not as clear as fresh tap water but I can see the fish quite easily even at the bottom.
So, I hope someone here can give me some advice on what to do with this young pond. Should I just wait a while and
things will align properly once the good bacteria multiply enough? Or do I need to address the PH and Phosphates?
Cheers,
Larry
My pond is about 500 gallons, with a waterfall pushed by a 2200GPH pump. I have a combination of Koi and Goldfish in the pond. As the subject states, the pond is new - about 3 weeks old. Water tested perfect before adding the fish but after 2 days it got cloudy and had the water tested at the pond shop. At that time, ammonia and nitrites were high and they recommended changing the water, which I did a number of times and the water clarity did improve but was still reading high in ammonia and nitrites and high phosphates. So ... I cut back on feeding and ramped up my education. I was cleaning my filter media too aggressively with tap water and nothing was able to take hold. I bought some microbe-lift bacteria to apply to the media and decided not to clean the filter any more except maybe in a bucket of pond water to get the surface gunk off. I also decided to hold off on any more water changes for a while since adding fresh water constantly would be the same as washing the filter with tap water, more or less.
A week or so later, fish seem very happy, almost eating out of my hand but my water is still out of whack. Lots of algae growing on the rocks and water fall. Ammonia is now zero. Nitrites down to .25 (it was at .5 previously). PH is off the charts at 9.0 (or higher - that's as high as the card shows). And Phosphates are also quite high, though I can't recall the number. The water is still clearish. Not as clear as fresh tap water but I can see the fish quite easily even at the bottom.
So, I hope someone here can give me some advice on what to do with this young pond. Should I just wait a while and
things will align properly once the good bacteria multiply enough? Or do I need to address the PH and Phosphates?
Cheers,
Larry
I could put Eco-Blast on the stream and it will go away but I do what works and looks good to me. With your pond being new I would hold off on feeding your fish for awhile as it will create more fish waste. You need lots of patience while the pond becomes balanced.Also I do not see any mention of plants,plants help out tremendously. Would love to see a picture. Have a great day. Amber
