Totally lost on how to fix

[JDaquaP632]

If you can, contact the previous owner and ask him about how he started the pond and treated the water each year. Draining the pond should only be done if absolutely necessary, such as remodeling, liner leaks, or toxins getting in the water. Going dry will kill all the lovely beneficial bacteria that build up over time, not to mention all the effort needed to refill and recondition water. I’m out on well water too, so I can say, get your water tested if you haven’t. Heavy metals can be present. Too much metal can harm the fish as well as your health. Not to mention all the other stuff that can be in well water, so having it tested is a good thing.
On that note, welcome to the forum! I have an interest in aquaponics as well, but I’m leaning twords just growing my goods in a bog.

I still have our water tests from purchasing the home, and it was actually one of the reasons why we decided to purchase. The water is super clean, aside from high iron. Activated carbon should remove iron and other heavy metals, if I'm not mistaken. Still learning, but I only drained it because I felt it was prudent. Still a newbie tho, and I understand what you're saying. Thank you

 

[JamieB]

You’ll have to research how to remove the heavy metals that you tested positive for from your drinking water as well.

 

[JDaquaP632]

I still have our water tests from purchasing the home, and it was actually one of the reasons why we decided to purchase. The water is super clean, aside from high iron. Activated carbon should remove iron and other heavy metals, if I'm not mistaken. Still learning, but I only drained it because I felt it was prudent. There was algae forming, brown water, and an oily sheen on the surface. So, I felt that it would be too much to treat, andthat it likely got contaminated somehow. Still a newbie tho, and I understand what you're saying. Thank you

Also, aquaponics just seems so fascinating that I had to give it a go. I've always been a quick learner, and I didn't expect to run into so many issues so quickly. I'll get there though Eager to learn all I can, because I figure it only sets me up for having knowledge to handle future problems.

This pond is a small system. The previous owner built an 80000 gallon system in the barn, and had a local business. We're tackling the small system to learn the ins and outs before moving up to that system. It's a lot to learn, but why not? It's so fascinating.

 

[j.w]

@JDaquaP632
Here's hoping you get it all cleared up and working just the way you want it.
Sometimes things can really become a big learning experience.
Sounds like you are on the right track!

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

Keep working on it, you will get it all figured out. We will be glad to help you.

 

[Sparky]

I forgot to welcome you to the forum. Nice job on figuring out the rust water. Yep, clean it up and a hard reset with new H2O. I also I have high iron content and oddly enough, live on the Iron Range. TOTALLY my opinion but I wouldn’t go too crazy trying to get your water perfect. It’s going to explode green for a spell. Don’t rush it and let it balance itself out. I feel every time I’ve tried to push my pond in a direction, it pushes back. I too would hit it with carbon but only for a week of run time. Then I’d pull it. There is a school of thought that it drags some goodies out as well as contaminants and I am leaning on agreeing with this. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[JDaquaP632]

Welcome to our group!

Keep working on it, you will get it all figured out. We will be glad to help you.

Thank you

 

[JDaquaP632]

I forgot to welcome you to the forum. Nice job on figuring out the rust water. Yep, clean it up and a hard reset with new H2O. I also I have high iron content and oddly enough, live on the Iron Range. TOTALLY my opinion but I wouldn’t go too crazy trying to get your water perfect. It’s going to explode green for a spell. Don’t rush it and let it balance itself out. I feel every time I’ve tried to push my pond in a direction, it pushes back. I too would hit it with carbon but only for a week of run time. Then I’d pull it. There is a school of thought that it drags some goodies out as well as contaminants and I am leaning on agreeing with this. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks. I'll try it, and see how it tests out.

 

[Aquaponics Lover]

Just reading this interesting post, have you found the reason of the issue?

 

[JDaquaP632]

Yes, I did After the hard reset, I used a hydrogen peroxide / water solution to eliminate residual chloramines, pumped it out, and started with new water. It, of course, had an algae bloom that lasted the first summer. I kept the pond in operation with a floating heater for the winter, feeding a spring and fall diet very sparingly (about 1 to 2 times a week) through the winter (pond held above 40 with the heater). The fish survived well, and they're now starting to become a little bit more active as the water temperature begins to finally rise to an average of just below 50

 

[Aquaponics Lover]

Great news