Newbie with Inherited Pond

[mcluva]

Hi there,

I bought a house with a raised pond home to about 30 fish ranging in size from 3cm to 15/20cm. The is a functioning Hozelock Bioforce filter and pump also.

First off, the fish seem quite happy and eat the food I give them. They’re active now that it’s warming up.

I was hoping someone could help with a few questions I have:

There’s a lot of fine dark sludge/silt like stuff that accumulates on the pond floor and submerged plants. I bought a product produced by Velda called Bio-oxydator (pics attached) but it doesn’t seem to be having an effect because this stuff (sludge/silt) settles right on top of it. It’s quite fine and doesn’t take much movement to disturb it.

What is it? Is the product I bought the correct solution?

I also purchased a vacuum and have used it enough to remove approximately half the water but I’m reluctant to keep going with that until I know it’s the correct course of action.

The pond hasn’t been attended to for a while I think because the plants that were in it had completely outgrown the small pots they were in and were quite rotten. I have purchased new plants for it but I don’t want to put them in until this silt issue is sorted.

The water itself comes out of the filter quite clear.

Thanks in advance,
Deb

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum! The grey particles are decayed vegetation and waste, and in my experience the best way to get rid of it is a fine net.

It would be useful to know more about your pond... How big is it? What do you have in the way of plants? Any fish? Do you have any filtration etc?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

You can try to net it out, also just stir it up, let it get in the water column to be removed by the filter. A aerator will help keep the water stirred up. If you have one.

 

[mcluva]

Welcome to the forum! The grey particles are decayed vegetation and waste, and in my experience the best way to get rid of it is a fine net.

It would be useful to know more about your pond... How big is it? What do you have in the way of plants? Any fish? Do you have any filtration etc?

Hi Becky and Addy,

Thanks for your reply. I just tried a fine net but a lot of it still goes through. I put the pump in a shallow spot to see what it’s doing but there’s no obvious movement of these particles towards it. Are pond pumps supposed to work that way?
There’s only very fine particles in the water coming out of the filter though.

I think perhaps I may need to keep vacuuming?

In regards to the pond and equipment:

Size: 6m long x 1.5m wide x 0.5m-1m deep (there’s different levels).

Equipment
Pump: Hozelock Cyprio Aquaforce 4000
Filter: Hozelock Cyprio Bioforce 9000 UVC filter (with new uv lamp).

Plants:
Nymphaea Water Lillies x 2
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides variegated ‘Striped Pennywort’
Scirpus cernuus ‘Slender club rush’
Myriophyllum brasiliensis ‘parrots feather’
Rotala rotundifolia green ‘green rotala’
Iris laevigata Bleu ‘water iris’

Plus a variety of shallow water perimeter plants.

Fish:
(I don’t know what they are):
10 x slender orange ones
10 x orange/silver
6 x small black
3 x small orange/silver

 

[Jhn]

Looks like you have some shubunkins and the slender orange ones are orfes.

Nice looking fish, I agree with the others can add an aerator to keep the silt suspended in the water column longer to be removed by your filter or just vacuum it out.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

 

[j.w]

@mcluva
If you have lots of patience you can use a plastic tub w/holes in it to strain the fine crud out of your pond. You add the white quilt batting to the tub and then run a hose from a pump in your pond to the tub which will collect the crud. When full and water is running over the brim you take out tub and clean off batting and do it over and over till the pond is clear. It does help to have lots of spare batting. You can put the batting in a tub of water when dirty and swish it around and hose it off while doing that and it will rinse that way too. Then hang it and hose it more and stick it back in the pond tub.
Sometimes take a long time.

See pump attached to an old hose and going into tub w/quilt batting. Sink pump down on bottom of pond and plug in and start cleaning. You can use a net to churn up the pond water on the bottom to get things really moving to the pump that will suck it all up. Pump might get clogged now and then so you will have to unclog it when water slows down to tub:

Milk crate will work also:

Cleaning it off w/hose:

 

[RobAmy]

Welcome, you have some very nice looking fish

 

[Panzer13]

View attachment 109422@mcluva
If you have lots of patience you can use a plastic tub w/holes in it to strain the fine crud out of your pond. You add the white quilt batting to the tub and then run a hose from a pump in your pond to the tub which will collect the crud. When full and water is running over the brim you take out tub and clean off batting and do it over and over till the pond is clear. It does help to have lots of spare batting. You can put the batting in a tub of water when dirty and swish it around and hose it off while doing that and it will rinse that way too. Then hang it and hose it more and stick it back in the pond tub.
Sometimes take a long time.
j.w, I should be getting my water lily soon. I was wandering how yours are doing, any sign of life yet?
See pump attached to an old hose and going into tub w/quilt batting. Sink pump down on bottom of pond and plug in and start cleaning. You can use a net to churn up the pond water on the bottom to get things really moving to the pump that will suck it all up. Pump might get clogged now and then so you will have to unclog it when water slows down to tub:
View attachment 109428

View attachment 109423
Milk crate will work also:
View attachment 109425
Cleaning it off w/hose:
View attachment 109426

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

Welcome @mcluva You've inherited some nice looking shubunkins there!! The folks here are pretty knowledgeable so you definitely came to the right place and we all hope you stick around share more of your pond experience with us.

 

[j.w]

@Panzer13 Will be awhile before my Water lilies start to bloom but I am seeing some pads start to peek upwards.

 

[addy1]

@Panzer13 Will be awhile before my Water lilies start to bloom but I am seeing some pads start to peek upwards.

I have two lily leaves hit the surface, the rest have not even started.

 

[mcluva]

Looks like you have some shubunkins and the slender orange ones are orfes.

Nice looking fish, I agree with the others can add an aerator to keep the silt suspended in the water column longer to be removed by your filter or just vacuum it out.

Thanks for your reply. The pump doesn't really do the job but I have been vacuuming it. Just been worried about the water wastage and quality.

View attachment 109422@mcluva
If you have lots of patience you can use a plastic tub w/holes in it to strain the fine crud out of your pond. You add the white quilt batting to the tub and then run a hose from a pump in your pond to the tub which will collect the crud. When full and water is running over the brim you take out tub and clean off batting and do it over and over till the pond is clear. It does help to have lots of spare batting. You can put the batting in a tub of water when dirty and swish it around and hose it off while doing that and it will rinse that way too. Then hang it and hose it more and stick it back in the pond tub.
Sometimes take a long time.

See pump attached to an old hose and going into tub w/quilt batting. Sink pump down on bottom of pond and plug in and start cleaning. You can use a net to churn up the pond water on the bottom to get things really moving to the pump that will suck it all up. Pump might get clogged now and then so you will have to unclog it when water slows down to tub:
View attachment 109428

View attachment 109423
Milk crate will work also:
View attachment 109425
Cleaning it off w/hose:
View attachment 109426

This really helped thank you. I tried it with fine filter mesh and it works a treat.

 

[mcluva]

Welcome @mcluva You've inherited some nice looking shubunkins there!! The folks here are pretty knowledgeable so you definitely came to the right place and we all hope you stick around share more of your pond experience with us.

Thank you. Its all new to me, but I feel I owe it to these fish to give them a good environment.