Which filter?

[Newt19]

Hi there,
I posted yesterday and got great response - thank you!
Our pond came with our house and I really want to look after it.
I've just measured the pond and got a rough estimate of :

• Pond size:7.92m x 1.07m x 1.07m (26.00 ft x 3.50 ft x 3.50 ft).
• Pond volume:Up to 9,018.9 litres (1,983.9 gallons).

There is a running filter - see attached photo's.

Is this the right type of filter? There are about 12 Goldfish in there, quite large.
Do I need anything else? Air bubbles? UV? Anything else I can do to help the Goldfish? Do I need to test the water?
Thank you <3

 

[mrsclem]

Looks like a great setup! I would say that you need to get a good test kit- liquid, not strips, and read up on pond keeping. It looks like the filter you have may be ok but can you post a picture of the inside of it?

 

[Newt19]

Hi Mrsclem, thank you! I will definitely buy a liquid test kit. Yes, will get some more photo's tomorrow of the inside.
Many thanks for your help!

 

[addy1]

Goldfish are tough, they can live in a puddle almost. We like to give them a better life by making a nice pond home for them.
The test kit will help you if you see any issues with the fish, you can check the water.

 

[poconojoe]

Agree!
I'd say if your water is relatively clean and your fish are acting healthy, you really don't need to do much at all. Keep an eye on water quality and fish behavior.
My pond pretty much runs itself. I used to tinker with this and that, but now I just make sure everything is running properly. (pumps, etc.)

It won't hurt to get some sort of aeration going. It can just be something splashing, breaking the water surface or an actual aerator with air stones.

Getting an api pond liquid test kit is a good investment. They are not expensive and you can keep a log of your parameters.

It looks like you have some plants in there. That's good. Plants are an important part of the pond's ecosystem. The more plants, the better.

Your filter houses beneficial bacteria that feeds on excess nutrients that form from fish waste.

If your filter has pads in it and you are rinsing them out once in a while, be careful of the water you use. If your house has chlorinated water, you don't want to use that to rinse the pads. It will kill off the beneficial bacteria living on the pads. Use pond water in a bucket. The pads don't need to be hospital clean. Just rinse the heavy muck off.

If your filter has bio-balls or any type of bio-media, don't rinse that at all unless you get a serious buildup preventing water flow.

 

[Newt19]

Thanks addy1. There is a problem with one of the Goldfish, it has a large bloated tummy - could this be a swim bladder issue? About 6 months ago I had to pull out a poor, dead Goldfish (but there is a local Heron who does the rounds and I have to gently chase it away a few times). All other fish seem fine. There are pond skaters and newts also.

I'm looking right now at API test kits - thank you for the heads up.
Hi Poconjoe - yes there are some plants in there, not sure what they are (apart from Marsh Marigold). There are empty pots too, so guessing there was something in there at some point. I'd like to get some sort of aeration in there, good idea, thank you.
The filter has large pads, I've bought some new ones but like you mentioned, I don't want to put them all in as the good bacteria won't be present. I've cleaned it out once before (around 6m ago) using the pond water in a bucket (not the tap water). It was heavy with mud and particles. I'm not sure about the bio balls..I don' think it does although it looks like someone cut up a back tube, into small slices...perhaps that's the effect they were trying to achieve?! Do people do that?

Many thanks again

 

[poconojoe]

Yes, those cut up tubes are serving the purpose of bio media. It's all about surface area for the beneficial bacteria to colonize on. As I think I said previously, try not to rinse those, just rinse the pads.

If that is a homemade filter, someone was on the right track.

From one of your pictures, it appears that filter box holds 15 gallons. That's pretty good.

Where is the pump? I'm guessing it's a submersible one. It's best to have it located at the end farthest away from the filter. This way you get good circulation.

I think you are in good shape.

To me, if the water looks relatively clear and your fish look and behave healthy, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

An api pond (liquid) test kit will give you your water parameters, so that's a good thing to get.

Aeration is always a good thing too.
My air pump is not weatherproof. I built a small wooden house out of scrap wood I had lying around. I slapped it together in half an hour. That aerator has been in there for years.