Water imbalance

[ryantark]

I have a split koi pond. One big side drains through a pipe into the bottom of the smaller side. The smaller side has a rock biofilter and a skimmer, both feed the pump that pumps back up to the waterfall to the big side.

(I'm new to this, moved into this 6 months ago)

Lately, the small side has been losing water. The big side gets higher. So, I can only assume that the pump is pumping more than transfer to the small side through the tube.

I've tried adding more rocks to the top of the waterfall, trying to create some back pressure on the pump so it doesn't pump as fast. It didn't seem to work. If I fill up both sides, the small side empties out within a couple days. Impossible to keep my pond running like this.

What else can I try?

There is a vortex forming down the tube on the big side, any problems with that? When I first moved in there was a little screen on the tube, but I took it off as it just collected algae and didn't pass enough water.

Thanks!

 

[DrDave]

Welcome to the forum. We generally like to see you in the introductions thread for your first post.
Where are you in So Cal? I am in Escondido.

 

[ryantark]

Well, after reading some info from everyone's posts on this site I went out there and started closing off on a valve...not sure what is really happening, but the waterfall started getting slower. I'm hoping this will let the two sides equalize. I was down there messing with the UV lights a month ago, maybe the valve was accidentally opened a bit? Make sense to anyone? What is this valve called and what is it doing?

 

[ryantark]

I'm in Huntington Beach. Moved in during the summer, been trying to figure this pond out ever since. I gather as much knowledge as I can from my local Koi shop, but I still don't know enough.

 

[DrDave]

Post some photos or a drawing when you can. We need more information to help.

 

[ryantark]

Here are some pics.

First is the complete pond (Waterfall on right, small side towards the top)
Second is the transition from the large side to the small side
Third is the pump/filter (hard to see) If you follow the path from the filter to the UV lights then back towards the ground, you'll see the valve I closed off on, creating a smaller waterfall.

 

[sissy]

thats a really pretty pond and I'm sure with what you learn here will help .Is that a sand filter I have seen them but not sure this is what it is but it looks like someone built this to last did you check to see if the uv is working as I understand the bulb should be changed every year or so as it is less effective after awhile

 

[Calgary_Aquaculture]

I am trying to understand what is happening with your system. but I need a little bit more clarification. Two things can be happening

first one is that you need to backwash your bio filter. you will know if you water fall starts to slow down. if you do not push enough water through your system, the one drain will start to take water from the other drain causing one to fill more and one to
empty more. This will typically happen with 2 pools with individual bottom drains where one pool is lower than another pool. They bottom pool will take on more water while the upper pool looses its water.

if you waterfall feeds two different ponds that do not equalize properly then the rate of water will always have to remain constant in order for these to pools to maintain perfect hight. a leaf, plant, and or rock can change this rate of flow. causing one pool to accumulate water that was designated from another pool.

I need a few more pictures with some different angles to really be sure.

 

[Calgary_Aquaculture]

looking at the pictures again, and I am wondering if the lower pool is the pond that is lowering water. I don't want to ask but I have to. is the water supposed to fall over those posts? it may be as simple as your system needs to be topped up with water.

 

[addy1]

That is a nice looking pond.

By the pictures it looks like what calgary is saying is the water supposed to go over those post between the two ponds? But in reading your post it sounds like the water goes via a pipe. Maybe the vortex you mentioned is causing the water not to flow well down the pipe.

It sounds like you might have a ball valve in line. A lot of people use them to control the amount of water flowing via that pipe.

Looking at your filter picture, the pressure valve looks like it is pointing at low pressure, therefore clean (maybe lol). I don't really know much about them, but my pool had a meter like that the pressure went up when it needed cleaned.

Keep asking questions, there are a lot of smart pond keepers on this site.