parameters

[Blue]

One subject that keeps cropping up by members, inc one from Lisak1 [ 1 hr away from me on motorway ] in UK, is about HEALTH of water. 100% correct. Before i got the pond in motion last year, i had never even heard of Parameters!!!.. So i read about it, asked friends about it, and they all gave me good advice. I bought testing kits, different brands, and tried them. The one i use at the moment is the Pondlab kit. all 7 parameters. 1 did some research, and bought the
" Oase pontec pondmatic pond vacuum". what a piece of kit!!!!!. I use the vulcan shaped suction nozzle. You can slide nozzle any width you wish. I use it nearly shut
so the fish do not go somewhere they would not Like!!!!. the health of water is 100% better using this machine. Not in a my wildest dreams did i think there was
all this work involved. I take about 25 to 30% of water out, then refill, and add, King British=de-chlorinator the right amount for 480litres. thanks Blue.
"Geat Hobby".

 

[TheFishGuy]

very interesting, sort of running a pond like an aquarium, seems like far too much work to me, but will definitely help keep the pond clean and healthy!

 

[Blue]

fishguy, thanks for your comment, i respect your view. Whether i like it or not i intend to look after my fish to the best of my limited ability!!! It is certainly not hard work, it is a pleasure. I do not want to end up posting photos of floating dead fish to other members. then being asked why????. BLUE. P.S. i will always look forward to your future comments and others. Thankyou.

 

[JamieB]

Yeah, a strong suction can move fish places that aren’t good for them. I’m presuming you are vacuuming as needed to remove the mulm build up, and as part of your water changes. I know with my aquariums, I have to vacuum about once every other month or so, depending on the stocking of that tank. If you’re seeing spikes of nitrate, nitrate, your pond might not have enough beneficial bacteria yet for your stocking level. Once that’s well established, you’ll find the bacteria breaks the waste down faster till you’re seeing just traces of ammonia, nitrite, and if you add enough plants, the nitrate will go down. Then you’ll only need to top off the pond as needed, except when factors like spawning activity, autumn leaves fall in, or something else changes the pond chemistry.

 

[Blue]

Yeah, a strong suction can move fish places that aren’t good for them. I’m presuming you are vacuuming as needed to remove the mulm build up, and as part of your water changes. I know with my aquariums, I have to vacuum about once every other month or so, depending on the stocking of that tank. If you’re seeing spikes of nitrate, nitrate, your pond might not have enough beneficial bacteria yet for your stocking level. Once that’s well established, you’ll find the bacteria breaks the waste down faster till you’re seeing just traces of ammonia, nitrite, and if you add enough plants, the nitrate will go down. Then you’ll only need to top off the pond as needed, except when factors like spawning activity, autumn leaves fall in, or something else changes the pond chemistry.

Thanks Jaime, I might be giving wrong impression. I definitely do not use suction pump every week . As and when needed. The parameters are not far out, fish are at the bottom . Not a lot happening at moment. They are Healthy. That’s what it is all about. Jaimeb you mentioned your tank. A friend of mine He uses a suction tool for the gravel stone at the bottom of tank. Sucks it all up. Filters waste and drops clean gravel back down. Again as and when!!!! Great tool. My next post, I will need your advice and other’s. Thanks,
blue.

 

[JamieB]

I’m glad to help. I use a gravel siphon, basically a long hose attached to a larger cylinder. Submerge the cylinder, tip it up so water fills the hose, pinch off the end of the hose and re submerge the cylinder till it’s full of water again, then drop the hose below the water level of the aquarium so that as it drains, it creates a vacuum to pull more water and assorted fish waste from the aquarium.
I don’t use gravel in my aquariums so that I can see the mulm build up, and remove it easily, but I do keep large rock in there and potted plants, so I can easily move them if needed. However I do have some small river rock in in my mini pond, to provide more surface area for bacteria.

 

[Blue]

jaimeb, Hit the nail on the head!!!!. Bacteria. I know people with smaller ponds [preformed] changing water nearly every week, last summer ,I am no expert, but i actually mentioned this to people they will kill the fish. That is exactly what happened. They think they know better!!!. Never brought it up again. IN one of my photos, you can see rock behind the fish. i also have 3 imitation logs [pottery] with branch outlet in middle, so fish have
3 ways in + out. When it is really hot some take shade in them. Pump also has Bacteria on it. Again in photos. Jaimeb and members, In the photos can anyone please tell me, if possible, what type of goldfish you can recognise in pond. I have no idea!!!!!. People are always asking me. thanks BLUE.

 

[poconojoe]

I never do water changes. I let nature do it when it rains.

The only thing I use is a net in the Spring and in the Fall. No vacuum. I have a lot of trees and a variety of them. I'm in zone 6B, northeastern Pennsylvania.

Never any miracle chemicals either. If I do need to add water (rarely) I'll use a dechlorinizing conditioner since I'm on central (treated) water.

I've been doing this for over 12 years and have never lost a fish due to water quality.
I don't do any maintenance as far as water quality and my water is crystal clear since adding the bog filter and getting rid of two store bought pressure filters and UV light.

You do what you like. You are the boss of your pond. I prefer to sit back and enjoy it rather than constantly working on it.

In 2020 I didn't use my api test kit once.

I have a very overpopulated pond due to the fish reproducing, yet my water is perfect.

Again, do what you like. If you enjoy it, than that's all that matters. It gives you pleasure and exercise.

 

[Blue]

I never do water changes. I let nature do it when it rains.

The only thing I use is a net in the Spring and in the Fall. No vacuum. I have a lot of trees and a variety of them. I'm in zone 6B, northeastern Pennsylvania.

Never any miracle chemicals either. If I do need to add water (rarely) I'll use a dechlorinizing conditioner since I'm on central (treated) water.

I've been doing this for over 12 years and have never lost a fish due to water quality.
I don't do any maintenance as far as water quality and my water is crystal clear since adding the bog filter and getting rid of two store bought pressure filters and UV light.

You do what you like. You are the boss of your pond. I prefer to sit back and enjoy it rather than constantly working on it.

In 2020 I didn't use my api test kit once.

I have a very overpopulated pond due to the fish reproducing, yet my water is perfect.

Again, do what you like. If you enjoy it, than that's all that matters. It gives you pleasure and exercise.

I do exactly what I want. If you look at my photos, sat on decking all summer watching the fish. This summer I’ll be sat watching 2 ponds. Blue

 

[poconojoe]

I do exactly what I want. If you look at my photos, sat on decking all summer watching the fish. This summer I’ll be sat watching 2 ponds. Blue

Nice!

I didn't mean to be critical what so ever. I hope you didn't take it that way.

I just don't see the need to do extra work when my pond practically runs itself. I just supply food and electricity.

I haven't bought a fish in years, they just keep multiplying. Frogs and toads arrive every Spring. I don't know where they come from, but they lay eggs and thousands, maybe millions of tadpoles hatch. Very cool.

As I said, you are the boss of your pond.

No hard feelings...I hope.....

 

[Blue]

No hard feelings whatsoever. Hope to read more of your posts. End of the day that’s why I joined this sites forum, to learn from members including yourself. Blue.

 

[poconojoe]

No hard feelings whatsoever. Hope to read more of your posts. End of the day that’s why I joined this sites forum, to learn from members including yourself. Blue.

Glad to hear. I dont want to hurt anyone's feelings or intrude on their ideas.

I found that when I was new to this hobby, I too would constantly test the water, fool around with this and that. Then as my pond developed, it seemed to lean more towards running itself. I guess that was the point I was trying make.

There's a wealth of knowledge here, so stick around and catch up on your reading.

I think most of us want to help newcomers by explaining our past mistakes and experiences.

 

[poconojoe]

It's true that smaller ponds are harder to take care of. With a smaller volume of water, changes in Ph, ammonia, etc. can quickly become detrimental.

 

[JamieB]

jaimeb, Hit the nail on the head!!!!. Bacteria. I know people with smaller ponds [preformed] changing water nearly every week, last summer ,I am no expert, but i actually mentioned this to people they will kill the fish. That is exactly what happened. They think they know better!!!. Never brought it up again. IN one of my photos, you can see rock behind the fish. i also have 3 imitation logs [pottery] with branch outlet in middle, so fish have
3 ways in + out. When it is really hot some take shade in them. Pump also has Bacteria on it. Again in photos. Jaimeb and members, In the photos can anyone please tell me, if possible, what type of goldfish you can recognise in pond. I have no idea!!!!!. People are always asking me. thanks BLUE.

View attachment 136421View attachment 136422

The calico looking ones look like shubinkin, it’s a classic calico look. The silver white one looks like it has small barbells, whiskers, so it might be koi or koigold, where it’s a half koi, half goldfish, but that is hard to see on this small phone. Others look to be common, but the white with an orange dot might be one of the other fancy spin offs of a common, I’m not too familiar with what’s what other than common, comets, shubinkin.

 

[poconojoe]

Check out my bog add-on thread. It was the best thing I did for me and my pond. My fish load started to affect the clarity of the water. Those buggers keep multiplying! My two pressure filters and UV light were not living up to the task. The new bog cured the problem and has reduced my pond maintenance exponentially. No more rinsing filter pads for me. I sold the pressure filters and UV light and the bog is my only filter.

My add-on bog build

I finally did it! I joined the bog club! The bog is approximately 14 feet by 5 feet and about 12 inches deep. I know my 1600+ gallon pond has been overpopulated due to my fish reproductive rates! Last year the water never cleared up to my liking. I figured my two pressure filters and my...

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