KOI Pond No FJ content

[racerrad8]

So, for the last several years, my wife has had a go with koi fish and a pond. It is a fiberglass pond that I put in ground.

For the whole time we have struggled with fish load and the ability to keep the pond clean/clear. The pond has been so green at times you cannot see more than an inch below the surface.

We had tried several types of filters that have foam elements, "bio media" and so on. Hell there is another high dollar filter contraption sitting in the living room because I need to dig another hole to install it.

A little more than a month ago I started doing some research on filters. I came across a website where a guy made a filter system out out some 15 gallon barrels, some pvc pipe and a some bio media.

Well, I took the plunge and paid the guy $10 for the plans. I acquired some barrels, the pipe & fittings and some of the media. Been rough getting the second required media.

So I built the contraption in the shop. My wife was worried as the barrels were used for an acid product before I bought them. I used soap and baking soda to make sure the barrels were clean. Last step was to test the waters by putting gold fish in the barrels. If they did not die I was good to go.

Well, the weather has been getting warmer and that makes the pond even more green.

Sunday was Mother's Day. I visited with my mom for a bit, then came home and installed my DIY filter build. We hooked it up to our pump, made a temporary return to the pond and let it go.

All I can say is ....WOW.

There was some clearing by Monday afternoon and the media was solid green. I flushed the media and when we walked out on Tuesday morning we could see the bottom.

WOW...

The water was almost perfectly clear. She looked and said "I'm impressed". I asked her to wait so I could get my phone out and record this moment. (No I don't have that moment on video)

The media was again solid green, so did did another flush. I got home Tuesday evening and the water is clearer and the fish are more active than we have ever seen them.

I have right at $250.00 complete on the filter including the media which was the biggest expense.

As I sit her tonight watching the fish swim all I can say about this DIY pond filter is...WOW.

Now that I know it works, I am going to make a second one to clean up the rough edges.

Randy - RPM

[fjfool]

cool, is that media an aquarium product or substitute at lower cost?
i worked in an aquarium shop when i was a kid and koi ponds were just making a resurgence  around '88-filtration was an issue for sure
i never followed up on it but, i always wondered what they used in Japan. they have been doing that since long before electricity
whats the capacity of your pond?
how many GPH is the pump you use for that filter?

[racerrad8]

It is a moving bed bio media. The brand name is Kaldnes K1 and K1 micro. We have had a hard time getting the micro in bulk.

The pond is about 1400 gallons.

I don't remember the pump size, but it has 1.5" Max outlet fitting size. I was told a couple years ago the problem was the pump was too small. So, I got a big one. I have to regulate the inlet flow to keep it from overflowing.

Randy - RPM

[FJmonkey]

Randy, we need to talk about an RPM brewery...

[Alte Fahrt]

Randy, we need to talk about an RPM brewery...

+1 on the brewery

[TexasDave]

I was the electrical foreman on a Petsmart build in Texas several years ago. After the opening the woman store manager asked me if I would look at  the system that took care of the water conditioning system for all the fish they sell. I was not enthusiastic as I didn't know anything about it and did not want to be responsible for the several thousand dollars of fish. Having a background in electrical control systems I thought I might give it a try. It was a computer controlled system sold and monitored by a company in California that monitors them nation wide. It controls automatically all phases of the water for the fish---oxygen content, Temperature, circulation, acidity,filtration etc. After fixing several things it was up and running. The cost of the system for Petsmart was over $160,000. Randy I think you got off cheap! My reward? Several dozen homemade cookies that unfortunately I had to share with the crew.  Had to call the company for the computer password---"fishy"--should of guessed.   Dave  

[Charlie-brm]

Coming from this forum, I thought the original story was going to lead to finding some solution on filtering from UNI products.
Good for you to have the patience to let the bio media do its thing.

Aquatic filtering is a whole other occupation of time that requires deep homework. The last time I had a collection of aquariums for small tropical fish we used a small box hung in the corner of each aquarium with a few cups of crushed charcoal covered by a fist sized chunk of loose glass wool and a plastic grill under the gravel bed of the tank, fed with a small air pump. What a mess.
Hockey Night in Canada with Foster Hewitt included the weekly tank cleaning chores from the other corner of the living room.

I came across a pretty good video by an Aussie that shows the beginner basics of how that media is set up. Plain language, nothing techie.
http://diypondfilters.com/media-information/

[red]

At the risk of being obvious (a bad habit, I know . . . ) here, I would suggest finding out what plant or organism is turning the water green, and finding out what critter (fish, snail, or whatever) eats that stuff to survive.  The local Universities, USDA, and garden shops can probably help with that analysis and possible remedies.  You may have an over-run in this new-critter population briefly, until a balance is met, but everything should balance out in a while.  It is also possible that fertilizer is causing the problem, as in run-off from the lawn or garden.  If so, then stopping the in-flow or starting with all new water now and then might be viable tactics.  Good luck!

Cheers,
Red

[carey]

Randy,

I assuming your pond does not have constant water circulation.  You've solved the filtering problem, but have you ever tried a small pump to pump water up into the air to aerate the water to eliminate the green growth (assuming algae)?

[CutterBill]

Too much work.  Coupla gallons of Clorox bleach poured inta that pond would have that al-gee problem solved in 2 minutes.  You're welcome...   
.
.
.
Wait... did Monkey mention a brewery?  FJ Ale!  Yeah, baby... 

[carey]

Too much work.  Coupla gallons of Clorox bleach poured inta that pond would have that al-gee problem solved in 2 minutes.

And taken care of the fish also

[Pat Conlon]

Yes, aerate the water. Run the filter return line to a nice rock waterfall....add music to your ears.

Water Quality: Add fresh water on a regular basis. Water evaporates and leaves the minerals which messes up your water chemistry (water gets hard and fish struggle to breathe)
Add a drain tube, cut the (screened) intake 2 inches below the waterline. Add 2 stations to your irrigation controller. First station is for an electric valve to open this drain and remove the hard water every other day (or so)
The second station is to automatically put in (x) minutes of water every other day (or so)  
Put a (screened) overflow tube, cut at the waterline, to drain off any excess.

But wait! There's more!
Wouldn't a nice low voltage light system look cool so you can see those critters in the evening?

All this of course, after all your shop duties are caught up, orders filled and shipped, and the new dyno is installed....and all this after your day job....

Having fun yet?

[fj1289]

All this of course, after all your shop duties are caught up, orders filled and shipped, and the new dyno is installed....and all this after your day job....

Having fun yet?

Dyno?!

Has there been movement on this?!  Brand? Model? Capabilities?!

[racerrad8]

All this of course, after all your shop duties are caught up, orders filled and shipped, and the new dyno is installed....and all this after your day job....

Having fun yet?

Dyno?!

Has there been movement on this?!  Brand? Model? Capabilities?!

Nope, still dreaming

Randy - RPM

[racerrad8]

Randy,

I assuming your pond does not have constant water circulation.  You've solved the filtering problem, but have you ever tried a small pump to pump water up into the air to aerate the water to eliminate the green growth (assuming algae)?

Carey,

The pond has always had circulation, but since the filters were really not adequate enough the flow was reduced and the pond exchange rate was not sufficient. If you look at the one photo, the statue on the right in the pond is a separate small pump to help aerate. It was the combination of many things that resulted in the poor water quality.

The smaller media will be here this week for the final barrel which is supposed to eliminate the smaller particles in the water. I am also going to make up my own UV light to help kill off the single cell algae.

This is a work in progress and I wasn't sure what my expectations were for the DIY filter solution. But after sitting outside last night after work (11:30pm), with the pond lights actually illuminating the water and not a green gunk, it was nice. Had a beer, listened to the water running through the filters and back into the pond, it was very peaceful.

Pat,

I am interested in what you are telling me but I think we are speaking different languages here. My pump is a sump style pump, so I based on what you are recommending (I think) I could not just drain down two inches...

But, I do have an interest in what you are explaining.

Randy - RPM