Oh NO, afraid to look in the Pond!

[baeya]

Oh Geezzzzz........My husband and I have been trying to clear up our green pond and he has been rinsing out the filter in the waterfall, when the waterfall slows down, with the garden hose.

I told him not to use the garden hose cause the tap water will kill the good bacteria. So, this morning when I got out of bed, he was so proud to tell me that he rinsed the filter out in the kiddie pool that we have in our yard. I don't have the heart to tell him that I put pool shock in it a few weeks ago

I jumped on the internet to see if the stuff dissipitates (sp).... don't know for sure....

I hope my Koi don't die!! Anyone have any thoughts???

 

[taherrmann4]

I found this info on the net and since you added it several weeks ago it probably does not have much effectiveness left so I don't the small amount that was left on the filter pad will hurt the fish you may have difficulty growing any bacteria on it for a while.

LIQUID CHLORINE:Water is combined with the chlorine gas to produce liquid chlorine. The advantages of liquid chlorine are that it is inexpensive upfront and it is easy to use - simply read the instructions to determine if the liquid chlorine should either be first diluted in a bucket of water or broadcast straight from the bottle, then pour the liquid chlorine into the pool water, and it will work immediately. There are a few significant disadvantages to grade liquid chlorine as only marginally effective. The main disadvantage is that liquid chlorine is so unstable that by the time it is in your hands, there is only about 12%-15% available chlorine and this minimal amount can be further exhausted by both the sun's ultraviolet rays and a relatively short shelf life. Typically, liquid chlorine will lose its effectiveness in as little as 30 days. Another disadvantage is that although it seems inexpensive upfront, the lack of available chlorine causes pool owners to use more of the product to keep up with sanitizing, disinfecting, and oxidizing needs. Yet another disadvantage is that chlorine gas uses a saline solution, which elicits a salt by-product to the pool water.

 

[baeya]

Just the answer I was hoping for.....Whew!!!
Thank you for the information.......I was very nervous for a little while...

 

[sissy]

I think you need to tie your husband up when you can't keep an eye on him LOL .I have one of those large tubs out by my pond and keep water in it with solar salt added and a little peroxide in it too .Give them a quick dip when I have too and when the waters dirty the lawn loves it .I have well water so no problems there .

 

[baeya]

LOL.....so glad my fish are okay! Hubby is just too funny sometimes.... I brought home the Rubbermaid 100 gallon tank a few days ago. When I got home from work the next day, he surprised me with already burying the tank halfway into the ground (just where I wanted it). So now 1) It will be more difficult to put the waterfall weir in and 2) I can't get to the plug in the back to drain the dirty water..... Yes, he is so helpful!!

 

[addy1]

laughing, get a sump pump, pulls the dirty water right out.

 

[sissy]

thats what I used for mine but it is called a dirty water pump and is almost the size of a submersible pump .Real small but a work horse and all I do is plug it in and pull the hose out and put it in a bucket to dump in my flower gardens .They love that yukky water .I got my mini one at harbor freight

 

[jneg]

If you have to rinse out your biological media just use water from the pond in a clean bucket and rinse it off in there. I do this only in extreme moments where the media might be covered by gunk. This will help get more aerobic filtration if the media is in a bag plus the minimal bacteria loss is replenished very quickly without any fluctuation of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.

 

[baeya]

Thanks for all the great advice!
Wishing I could stay home today, but I have to go to work......I took the last three days off and now I pay the price!

 

[baeya]

Sissy;
I will need to get some kind of pump to get the dirty water out from the bottom of the stock tank. I've done a search for a dirty water pump, but it is confusing. We have a pump that we use, but when we drained our pond and it got to the thick pea soup the last 12" or so, it wouldn't work anymore. Would a dirty pump have worked for that situation? Is that the kind of water I can expect in the bottom of my tank? My water is very green right now.
I'm waiting for my bio media to come in the mail, should be a couple more days....then my whole new system will be up and running!
Can you give me a namebrand or some more information on the pump you have, please

 

[sissy]

dirty water pumps can pick up stuff around 2 inches around I know I had a couple of stray lava rock and it just shot the right out .I got mine at harbor freight since we have a store right here in Danville VA and they also have a websight .But dirty water pumps you can pick up anywhere /Even at lowes and home depot and most hardware stores carry them .Some call them sump pumps but a sump pump usually has a float switch which turns it on when the sump hole gets water in it .A dirty water pump you have to plug it in when you need it and unplug it when you don;t need it .I got a smaller dirty water pump so it would not take up to much room in my tank .

 

[sissy]

you can also check out northern tool company online

 

[addy1]

thats what I used for mine but it is called a dirty water pump and is almost the size of a submersible pump .Real small but a work horse and all I do is plug it in and pull the hose out and put it in a bucket to dump in my flower gardens .They love that yukky water .I got my mini one at harbor freight

Yeah mine is a dirty water pump, used the wrong name..............thanks sissy.............. It works great for sucking out muck.

 

[koiguy1969]

baeya..
just my thoughts o a few things...**media bags may make it easier to lift out your media , but they also dont always allow your media to settle in fully and leave gaps, where water can "channel" thru the filter. this can decrease a filters efficiency, by lessening the waters contact with the media.. i started with media bags. but wont use them anymore....
**the drain plugs on stocktanks arent quite big enough to allow for a "quick drain".. 2" pipe (or bigger) and a ballvalve is highly reccomended. the faster the flush the more suction is created, so the more debris are pulled from the bottom (sump area) of the filter. they make water canges easier as well. the pump idea for cleaning your filter is fine but you'd want a powerful one to do an effective job...and the ball valve (flush asssembly) setup is just as easy, just as effective and cheaper than buying an additional pump. and why eat up space and obstruct the swirl flow in the filter?.....if its not too much trouble to dig up and add one to your filter, i would. if possible, seal up the drain plug and install the flush valve assembly on the opposite side of the tank from your weir, or the bottom... just my thoughts!!

 

[baeya]

Koiguy;
Thank you for the information, you are so right about the drain.... my husband will have a fit if I want to change it now. Maybe I will do it while he is golfing on Sunday...LOL. Where he dug the tank down, we have some pond plumbing buried behind it, I'm not sure exactly where until I start digging. Can I drill out the drain plug that is already on the tank?

He went ahead and buried the darn stock tank while I was at work and even though I knew there was still a lot to do on it, I said, "Thank you Honey".....Grrrrr

Thank you, as well, Sissy and Addy! If I don't fit the stock tank with a drain, I will make sure I get the right 'sump' pump.