David Lock

It's currently my clean-up-my-pond month. I've re-homed about 100 small goldfish and water is so much clearer.

I am now thinking about something that will remove floating debris from the surface - leaves etc.

So does anyone use a device that does this automatically. I think they exist but I have never seen one. May be the sort of thing they use on small swimming pools??

The pond has a clear surface without plants except for shelf marginals. As piccy here http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...uet/POND-1.jpg

So advice welcome please. d

OllyK

Oase Pond Skimmers

David Lock

Thanks Olly,

The Oase one is not really suitable for my particular set-up. I'm really after comments from peoplpe that use a free movement skimmer and do they work in practice or just a waste of money gimmick.

I should have said that I have an Aquamax 25,000 on bottom of pond (I think some of these devices need to be plumbed into pump although I don't know how this is achieved). d

Sonic'

I must be doing something wrong with my pond

No matter what I seem to do I cant get my pond clear apart from about two months of the year in the winter

My next door neighbours pond is always crystal clear and I can see all his fish from my balcony, yet I cant seem to get mine right

I have two lillies in the pond but that is the only plant life, as I dont have a stepped shelf to put them on, so would need some kind of platform to put them on

I have an external filtration system, a big magnet coil thing, and a reasonable pump that should be more than adequate for the pond

One of the problems I have is that much silt etc gets onto the pump vents that when I left the pump out to clean it the whole pond fills with silt and takes months and months to settle back down again if it does at all

I think the reason it only clears during a couple of winter months is due to the lack of algae growth

Maybe I just need a much bigger filtration system, I did buy one of those pond hoovers that attach to a garden hose, but that didn't really work too well and a lot of the silt out the hoover back just leaked back into the pond making it worse

David Lock

I feel for you as I had/have (?) similar aside from the silt. Is it a lined pond and, if so, where does the silt come from?

1) You could try hanging the pump down the side of the pond so it doesn't rest on the floor getting clogged up.

2) I assume you have a decent UV system but replace the bulbs if they are a year or more old. They will go on shining but the frequency strays and they become ineffective.

3) I expect you have used a number of anti-algae things?

4) Do you have too many fish like I did? Check the Nitrite levels as this is a good indicator of how healthy the water is.

5) Does the water get enough oxygen?

Sorry about all the questions d

Sonic'

LOL no problems David

It is a lined Pond, and the silt is mainly the green sludge from waste/algae I am assuming

1) Good idea, never thought of that, but might not that easy to hang from its side, its a large round pump (cant remember the make off the top of my head)

2) I know I do need to replace the UV bulb, and thanks for reminding me, the place I got the filter from doesn't sell UV bulbs !!

3) I have used a number of products, the blanket weed has gone which is a good sign, quite possibly that could be a large proportion of sludge

4) Possibly have too many fish (and frogs) now as they have grown quite large, I have 3 large golden orfe (at least 13-14"), 3 medium size Shubunkins (about 6" or so) and a Ghost Koi (about 8") there are less fish in the Pond now than there was when I bought the house

5) Hmm, not sure on the oxygen levels, whats the best way to check for this?

Steve

OllyK

Not sure how you would check, but a tell tale is if the fish are hanging around the surface a lot. In general, try to get some movement at the surface which is where the bulk of the gas exchange takes place, a fountain or waterfall can help this. Also an un-sealed / un-pressurised filter system will help as the water churns about in the filtering medium.

David Lock

Steve,

Just tie a bit of cord around the pump hose connecter and fix the end of the cord to a peg or something at ground level. Also means you can hoik the pump up to surface level and scrub it without turning it off.

New UV's should help a lot.

Not convinced about all that silt.... Are you sure you're not getting a run off into the pond, during heavy rain for example?

You can get O2 test kits I think but I would get an air pump. You can get ones with about 6 airstone leads. Not that expensive. I have contacts for good value if needed. Cheaper than a fish store. These will help moving surface water around as Olly says.

Does't sound like you have too many fish. Are your Orfes straight btw? Odd question but about 10% of Orfes have a genetic defect which bends the spine. I have two and they are both crooked but happy d

Sonic'

Just been out to check what I actually have

The Pond is approximately 230-240 Gallons or just over a 1000 litres

Dimensions are 3'6" x 5'6" x 22" deep

The external filter is a Hozelock Cyprio Ecopower 4500 uvc
The pump is a Hozelock Titan 3000 (rated 3000 lph)

When I bought the house the pump was a poor lowly fountain pump with a Hozelock Bioforge 2200 +UV, these are both redundant now and just sat in the garage

Hmm, you have got me thinking now, where the filter return comes back into the pond there is a small amount of soil that when it rains there is a possibility that this could cause soil run into the pond, never really thought about that

I did have the fountain pump in the pond, but it used to get clogged up so quick I took it out as I was cleaning it out every week and then disturbing all the silt

The 'silt' is green sludge and you can actually see lots of green bits in the water, especially if I drain some off into a glass, even from the filter the water coming out isnt clear and is full of tiny green particles

The Orfes are straight, they have grown quite a bit since I have had them, they are a bit skittish and at feeding time almost jump out of the water which then scares the other fish

Ill try the cord method, hadn't thought of that either

David Lock

The green "silt" just sounds like the remnants of algae and/or blanket weed. It's a sod as it smears itself over the outside of the pump and eventually clogs up the pump innards. Sound familiar? You may find a small plastic leaf rake useful to pull across the bottom of the pond to haul out rubbish like this.

You could also try a water change. Fish seems quite good about swimming about in 6" of filthy water for a short time whilst it refills although don't feed them for a day after. Use some tapsafe to de-chorinate. Try and fill fairly slowly to avoid big temperature changes.

There are formulae for max fish load - inches per total surface area, that sort of thing, but I don't know what they are! d

PS. I found that with frogs you don't have to give young kids any sex lessons - just tell them to go and watch the frogs "in action"

David Lock

Now I don't know the answer to this but I wonder if your pump is actually too big for the job and not allowing the filter to have time for the algae to be sorted out by the bacteria in the settling part of the filter?? I think the pump should allow the water to be recirculated about every two hours. But yours is changing the water 6 times in 2 hours if it's working at 100%.

Anyone know if I'm talking bollox? d

Sonic'

Yes David that does sound very familiar with the green silt
I have in the past tried to rake out the sludge and scum from the bottom of the pond, and again disturbing it seems to make it worse

I used to have a problem with trees too, as I have a large Ash tree in the back behind the pond and all the leaves used to fall in the pond and then decompose in the water, now I have a net over the pond to stop this happening

A few years ago the pond almost emptied itself due to a split in the pipe and some very hot weather, there was about 3 inches of water left, so promptly filled it back up, fish have been fine but the strange thing is the water never actually cleared

I know there is a formula, and just having a quick look its quite complicated unlike a fish tank formula

As depth plays a part, as does stocking levels currently, and Sun etc

On a rough estimate it reckons I should have about 20 inches of fish

well I have approx 70 or so inches of fish, so therefore need to triple the filtration and pump, so that equates to about 3000 litres, of which the pump I currently have is designed for that purpose of 3000 lph, maybe I should look at putting the other filter back too on another pump

LOL @ the frogs, last time the kids saw them a few 'baby' frogs ended up looking rather flat, as it isnt a good idea to clap your hands with a baby frog on one of your hands

Sonic'

Interesting and something I did begin to think about as the water coming out of the filter is still dirty and not really any cleaner than what goes in

It doesn't flood back into the pond it is quite a gentle stream of water going back in, I know at the moment it won't be operating at 100% due to the accumulation of algae sludge

OllyK

By all accounts you can't over filter but you can over pump! I'd definately consider putting that second filter back in if you can!

Bakerman

Simple answer is yes !!

When having dirty water the usual suspects are inadequate filtration (which might mean too many fish), badly set up or run off. My pond last year was murky most of the time as the filter was too small for the size of the pond (5000gallons), how often do you clean the filter ? If never you need to and if every 2 weeks you need a bigger filter.

Having replaced my old uv and filter with more sensible (if you call £1500 sensible) gear appropriate for the size of the pond it has been crystal clear since and to this day. Normally pump should circulate the water 1-2hrs with a good UV and a filter suited to your fish stocking and should all be fine, you cant really over filter water although the throughput of the pump might be too fast for the design of the filter ??

Incidentally I have an Oase skimmer and they are superb.

David Lock

Not entirely clear why you think my comments are rubbish as you seem to be saying the same thing i.e. pump throughput may be too high??

Thanks for endorsdement of OASE skimmer - I'll have a re-think

Sonic'

OllyK

Would it be an idea to put the 2nd filter after the first one, as opposed to having another pump in the pond ?

They are two completly different types of filters, and both have UV lamps too

Bakerman

Yep agree, having reread a bit more slowly I agree, sorry. It is very important to match the filter to the pump (even taking into account the height the water has to climb). If it were me I would give the filter a good clean out (try and keep some of the bacteria to repopulate) as well as the UV. One thing I have learnt is that UVs scale up and is a good idea every year or two to descale the UV as you would a kettle. Made a big difference to mine.

Sonic'

Aren't UV's meant to be replaced every 12 months regardless of whether they still work or not

David Lock

My man tells me that they go "off frequency" (whatever that means, but it sounds good ) so should be changed at least every 12 months. Trouble is they still shine so you can't tell if they are working properly or not. d

Sonic'

My particular filter box has a 'glow in the dark' pipe that comes out straight after the UV light, so you can see it working, when it no longer glows in the dark you need a new UV light, just need to find a reasonable cheap source for them now

I think one is 5w and the other is 12w

OllyK

If you are over pumped, there is no need to add another pump. As to the configuration, if the flow rate is too high through 1 filter, it will be too high through both when in series (assuming they are a similar capacity). My temptation would be to put a "T" in the supply and a tap on each arm of the T (unless you can find a suitable diversion valve). That way you split the flow in 2, effectively halving it and pass it through the filters. With the taps you can balance the flow if the filters are of different capacity.

Sonic'

Good idea Olly, I will pick up some taps and a T piece, and a new foam filter for the older filter, and get it plumbed back in and see how it goes

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

don't take this the wrong way David but why have a nice looking pond like that then stick that awfull fence round it?

OllyK

Pound to a penny - herons! They like to land by a pond then walk in, the fence stops them. Other alternative is netting over the whole lot!

David Lock

Too old to take things the wrong way ooh er....

As Olly says.. Those bastid herons. 3 trip wires with "fence" leaning in so they can't land water side on edge of flagstones. Even had one actually in the pond recently sought of swimming with his wings.

A bit ugly but I can't be arsed with netting. d

David Lock

Just to complete the thread as it were.......

I popped over to see my pal who is guru of all things fish/ponds etc and he is going to make me up a floating skimmer that will sit on the shelf at one end of the pond between the marginal plants. He will make it to suit the depth at that point and connect it to an old pump that I have. So about £20 since I have the pump already. Excellent result all round

Sonic'

David

I must apologise for hijacking your thread

Glad you got sorted by the way

Steve

David Lock

Bloody trolls


PS. No problem - I can get REALLY boring when it comes to ponds

Sonic'

PMSL

Yours does look very good, mine looks like a goldfish bowl in comparison, but then I did inherit it when I bought the house