This forum deals with ponds which have been built mainly for koi similar to those featured on the KOI Cymru website. Even if you have not built your pond yet then your views are welcome. This is a chance to discuss your ideas and views with other koi-keepers. Please mention the country,and state or county,as in different parts of the World we have different methods and climate. If you are responding to a message already posted then please use the response button on the bottom of the message, and it will then appear as a subsiduary of that message and so easier for others to find.
A good site for health is KOIVET by Dr Erich L Johnson and it can be found at www.koivet.com
This Forum must not be used for commercial advertising.
Leaking Ball Valve
by
Hi all my husband is a avid reader of this site and has taken lots of advise from it, my problem today is he's at work and I just noticed that one of the 4" bottom drain ball valves is leaking from behind the handle has anyone had this happen and what can I do, I think it's going to be major work to replace but meanwhile i have a steady trickle of water leaking from the pond...ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
Posted on Aug 13, 2006, 5:30 PM from IP address 81.79.135.231
It should be a relatively simple job to remove/replace the ball valve as it is probably secured to the plumbing via threaded clamp rings, the problem then being, how to plug the pipe feeding the ball valve?
Expandable plugs such as http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/0-2636 are available and I have seen the 4" version on sale in B&Q, HOWEVER, if your plumbing is 110mm a 4" plug is not a relaible water tight fit and you may need to wrap the bellows with insulating tape etc. If possible, the easiest option would be to plug the pond end with a 'stand pipe' or a pipe cap.
Once the valve is removed it may be servicable and my guess would be that there is a worn out O ring seal around the handle shaft but before removing anything just check that there isnt a screw in the handle that has come loose and permitted undue play in the handle shaft
Posted on Aug 14, 2006, 1:23 PM from IP address 84.68.79.86
Hi Lynda,what ball valve do you have,has it got a yellow handle and a black body,if it has then don't waste time trying to repair it you will have to replace it in fact I would replace both if I were you.
Tony.
Posted on Aug 15, 2006, 8:32 AM from IP address 86.140.113.42
Yes your description of the ball valve is correct, but what do I use as the replacement slide or double union ball valve ? sounds like you've heard of this problem before, if you have maybe you can help with the next problem, of blocking the drain whilst changing the valve without having to empty the pond, we've got 6k gallons, and would end up with only 2ft of water as the garden is on a slope, and the filter etc being being down the garden. I think I have a picture of the pond @ http://lynsbengals.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/ so you can see what I mean. thanks tony
Posted on Aug 16, 2006, 6:25 PM from IP address 84.66.171.48
Hi Lynda,the valves you have are kockney koi ball valves,they have a reputation for problems of the type you are describing and for the handles breaking off completely. As for slide or ball valves my preferance would be double union ball valves but I have used slide valves in the past but not the cheap ones as they have a tendency to leak after a while.
I can't think of an easy way of replacing your valves without draining your pond down as the pressure from 6k gallons is substantial and you would have to cut out your existing valves and solvent weld the new ones in place anyway. When you say you would be left with only two feet of water in the pond is this because your bottom drain is the domed type and it's in the shallow end or do you have a top bottom drain (pipe comes through side of pond and sits about 2" off the bottom) if so there might be a way.
Tony
Posted on Aug 16, 2006, 8:30 PM from IP address 86.140.215.77
We have the domed type. the pond is split in two depths the smaller part of the kidney being 4' deep the larger part being 6' deep the pipework comes up through the ground 10' away from the pond and the ball valves are at ground level (you can see from the photo's that the larger part is 3.5' above the ground) so we'd be left with the larger part @ 2' deep to remove the valves. We did think of covering the drains with spare butyl liner and sand bags, but this does mean the diving gear will be needed, and not sure it will work.
Posted on Aug 16, 2006, 9:19 PM from IP address 84.69.8.166
Hi Lynda, could you not take the cover off the bottom drain and plug it with some kind of bung,that should work.
If you know what bottom drain you have,you could go to your koi dealer and measure the internal diameter and then make a bung out of say 2" thick polystyrene.
Tony
Posted on Aug 16, 2006, 10:40 PM from IP address 86.140.215.77
I would have thought the water pressure would easily collapse a polystyrene bung and send it through the pipework. Getting the snorkels out and laying sand bangs etc. sounds fun, but be careful of any load on the drain itself. Once you have 6000 gallons of water acting against the drain, it could easily break.
Two possibilities, i think.
Firstly, you could consider a VERY strong bucket placed (upside down) over the drain, making sure that the drain itself is not touched). Then plenty of sand bags around the bucket to protect it and reduce water flow. (gravel bags would be easier to use and less clouding of the water)
Secondly, if you could get hold of a small section of mains water pipe (lets say 8 foot), this could be placed over the drain. A couple of layers of rubber would effect a good seal. draining water from within the pipe (by removing the existing ball valve), should result in the pipe being held firmly in place by the water pressure.
Thanks for all the suggestions, will let you know which option we take.
Meanwhile the other half wants some advice about adding an estrosieve and has got the hump cos he's had no response, he thought that while we'll have the pipework in pieces he could add it into the system.
thanks again.
Posted on Aug 17, 2006, 9:10 PM from IP address 84.66.112.168
This link to an ebay company selling similar filters from Germany (at a much reduced price). You may beable to contact them for details on thier units, and whetehr they offer finer mesh filtration.
The problem you are having with the valve to your bottom drain is one that everybody worries about but fortunately very rarely seems to happen.
Perhaps you could take photos of the problem and the solution and we could make up an article on the website to help others, or give them something to think about.
Regarding the blocking off of your bottom drain if you could get someone who has diving equipment and air bottles then you could get him to remove the dome and fit a pipe stopper as shown below. They are available from all big builder'ssuppliers. Your koi-dealer may know of a willing diver.
Regarding the EstroSieve I think the reason you have not had replies is that few people have experience of using them in the way you wish to use them.
They are often used for pumping to Bubblebead filters and work well.
I have one but I pump into it and then it gravitates to the filter. It works very well.
They can be used for a gravity fed filter system but I do not know of anyone that has one for this purpose so cannot comment.
Regarding the life of the sieve I would say it is very well made and almost indestructable. I have had one for over 4 years in constant use.
Posted on Aug 20, 2006, 7:13 AM from IP address 86.128.167.10
Thanks for all your help and advice, we have now completed changing the ball valve, after talking to our local pond expert we bit the bullet and started to drain the pond, we already had a 13ft dia easy set pool, so we filled this with some of the pond water, the pond level was 23" when drain to the level to remove the valve, but the fish only had to put up with this for about 45min, just time to cut the old valve out and solvent weld the new one in, even after pumping the the water we saved back in the pond it then took 2.5 days to fill the pond back up through the purifier, we have two filter systems on the pond so we temporarily kept one going by pump feeding. All now back up and running for a week with spot on water results, the good thing by almost emptying the pond was we were able to see that we have no dead spots in the bottom, so the drains are working brilliantly, I must admit the fish did look alot larger in less water. As for adding an estro sieve, we plumped for another vortex instead, the cheaper option yes, now we go into the winter with sparkly clear water. One Scary moment late one night when the pond was filling back up, the water board pulled up outside to test the stop cock, perhaps they thought we had a leak............
Posted on Sep 4, 2006, 10:15 PM from IP address 81.79.126.178
i have rendered my pond walls and have the benched concrete base in place, the next stage is the fibre glassing. I have a samll problem that where the render meets the base at the bottom of the pond, water is very slowly running in. This is happening in several places, the fibre glasser has said that the pond needs to be watertight and dry prior to glassing, so my question is how do i stop the leaks and how "dry" does the pond actually need to be. I have ordered some industrial rapid drying mortar to plug the gaps, is this the best way and is it essential?
Posted on Sep 1, 2006, 11:01 AM from IP address 82.118.121.145
I was told it was quite important which was one reason I went with liner but Matt? who can be found on yorkshire koi seemed to think otherwise however he seems to fibreglass over a foam insulation layer
Posted on Sep 1, 2006, 2:44 PM from IP address 84.64.60.56
I had a similar problem with my pond build and the base of the walls (also around the bottom drain).
The solution in my case was a product called Thoro Waterplug. This is a cement based powder that can be formed into a putty and used to plug gaps that are wet (or even actively weeping).
If you combine that with a hairdrier and a tin of Bonda Fibreglass Pond Seal or even P40 fibreglass repair (used for car body repairs) or similar, you should be able to stop all the leaks in preparation for the overall fibreglassing.
I wasted a lot of time worrying about this and the solution was actually quite easy in the end.
All the best!
Adrian
Posted on Sep 2, 2006, 11:37 AM from IP address 82.32.153.114
i have now ordered a similar product adrian its called instaset mortor from the david ball group plc check it out on the net it was £51 for a 25kg bag and reads like the one you mentioned, ie it mixes as a putty.
Posted on Sep 4, 2006, 9:33 AM from IP address 82.118.121.145
how often (if ever) should a filter be cleaned out? and will it mess up the pond balance? also should plants that will die off over the winter be taken out of the pond before they do?
Posted on Sep 3, 2006, 4:05 PM from IP address 62.31.65.141
Hi, alot of people seem to have this question, when i started with a pond(supplied from a garden centre) i was told never to clean the filter as the muckier it is the better. This is completely wrong. A filter has 2 sections, A. Mechanical filtration, B. Biological filtration. The mechanical side needs cleaning on a regular basis, it depends which filter you have as to what is the best method. My filter has a vortex which is flushed twice a week, and brushes which are hosed out twice a week. Biological filtration is the part where the beneficial bacteria grow which convert ammonia>nitire>nitrate. This should be virtually maintenance free as the mechanical part should have cleaned the water before entering this stage. In my filter i have aireated jap matting and fluidised K1, the K1 has no maintenance except a quick flush once a week. The jap matting is also flushed once a week, and taken out before spring every year to clean the chamber and to wash the matting in pond water. Hope this helps
Posted on Sep 3, 2006, 4:47 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
I am moving house very soon and unfortunately my new home does not have a pond. I have agreed to leave all Pond Equipment to the purchasers of my property. However, my high class Japanese Koi are not part of the sale. I purchased them from Klassic Koi Lancashire 2 years ago at 4 inches. They are now 13 inches to 8 inches and in perfect health and patterns (or at least in my mind).
I am based in Warrington. I am open to realistic offers for any individual or full lot of fish and want them to go to an appreciative home which i believe i will find on here. I can supply pictures upon request. Please feel free to e-mail me on crowson@opaltelecom.co.uk
Posted on Sep 1, 2006, 1:37 PM from IP address 62.24.129.68
I am thinking of building a new pond and, eventually, decomissioning my old liner and pump based pond. Trying to bring the costs down to justify it I found this 'liquid rubber' product at www.liquidrubbergb.com. On the face of it seems to offer a good solution at a substantially reduced price compared to fibreglassing. Does anyone have any experience of this? Or even any thoughts or opinions on it?
All the best
Phil
Posted on Aug 30, 2006, 1:38 PM from IP address 81.137.224.192
Phil
There is a Gentleman on the Yorkshire Koi website who has used this product and has voiced his opinion of it. If you ask I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction.
Paul
Posted on Aug 31, 2006, 9:11 AM from IP address 135.196.99.93
Good day to all.
Today is not a good day for me ,as I found one of my larger Koi (Doitsu)floating dead in my pond .I have done all the water tests and can find no problem there .The only change I have had in my pond was about four weeks ago I introduced 4 baby koi to my pond after i had them in quarintine for a week ,of these 4, 3 died ,so I contacted my supplier who told me he had also lost quite a few fish from Costia ,
can any one tell me the symtoms of Costia in a fish ,
also is there any treatments for a pond ,in case the rest off my fish are infected?
Many thanks
shaneA
South Africa
Posted on Aug 30, 2006, 7:19 AM from IP address 198.54.202.226
Hi, i have never had a fish with costia, but i would have thought the symptms would the same as other parasites, sitting on the bottom, clamped fins, flicking etc. Im not sure what is used to treat costia but it may be worth taking one of your fish for a scrape, or doing one yourself if you have a microscope. Then you'll be able to see whether you have any other parasites and treat accordingly. With the koi dieing first being a doitsu it would suggest it is parasites as these are often affected first. Also, i dont personally quarantine new fish as i dont have the room, and i have a trusted dealer i have been going to for a few years now. But if you do, i would do so for longer than a week. I think KHV needs a fish to be exposed to about 27C for 2 weeks to show itself. And by raising the temperature over a longer period the fish will be more active and you might be able to spot any flicking etc earlier before introducing them to the pond. Hope this helps.
Posted on Aug 30, 2006, 3:37 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me.
Last year my son started digging a hole in the ground and got carried away and now it is a concrete circular pond with an island deck in the middle and capable of holding 3000 gallons. We have made lots of mistakes partly because i stupidly assumed the builder who did it knew what he was doing. I have more recently read a lot of stuff on koi ponds and have a basic understanding as well as quite a sick feeling that most things about it are wrong!
My main problem at the moment is what to do about filter. I stupidly bought last year a hozelock bioforce 1800. From this, the builder put 3 pipe holes into the side of the pond but they are only 4cm diameter. the side of the pond they are on would be convenient for electrics.
Someone who knew about koi ponds came round and said it was not up to the job. He suggested I site the filter on the other side of the pond where i could place the pump on the highest shelf of the pond so it could wash down in both directions to the deepest part.
My problem with this is it would involve having the pipes going over the wall of the pond (it is raised about 30 cms) as well as more complications to get the electrics there and the big space required by the box filter. It would be ok if i could hide the pipe with plants but I understand plants and koi don't mix very well.
Is there any way I could get away with using the bioforce filter if I only had a few koi. My son has been given 6 of about 30cms long which are waiting in another pond. If we had a few goldfish in addition would the filter be able to cope? It came with a titan pump. Will this just mush up the waste so its harder to treat?
My other concern is that the pond was built with blocks and given a scratch coat and then rendered with sharp sand. the man who came round said that it needed to be rendered with soft sand to provide a smooth enough surface for G4. The plasterer is not turning up and i just wondered if it was necessary or whether we can't just put the G4 onto the existing render?
If you have even got to the end of this rambling account im amazed. Any info on the above gratefully received. and what filter recommended? Thanks
frances
ps I live in england
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 3:27 PM from IP address 62.253.128.14
If the finishing of the pond is an urgent matter I would suggest you get one of the inflatable collar paddling pools and set that up as a temporary pond so that the urgency is relieved. B&Q sell those paddling pools in a range of sizes and I forgot about one down the garden all winter, it was full to literally overflowing, 10ft dia and about 2ft deep, and at one stage there was ice on the top though there were no fish in there.
What follows probably isnt the answer you were hoping for but I regret not having a bottom drain in my 1350 gal concrete shelled goldfish pond.
Since the pond isnt yet finished I would give some serious thought to either
1) setting a proper bottom drain BD and plumbing on the existing floor and then adding concrete to raise the pond floor to the appropriate level for the new BD, or
2) cut a trench through the existing floor, set a proper BD and plumbing in there and then repair the floor.
Personally I would favour option 1 as it is the easier to implement and over all it strengthens the floor, conversely option 2 would also weaken the floor. You could regain the lost depth by adding a course or two of blocks to the wall.
The BD could be fed into a "settlement tank/chamber" etc and from there you could either feed an external pump or place your titan in the tank/chamber etc etc. The flow from a BD is termed a gravity flow and it is better to gravity feed filters as the sediment isnt chewed up by passage through a pump. Your bioforce filter isnt really compatable with a gravity feed and would have to be pumped to.
The island leaves you with a presumable ring shaped pond and I think to get effective removal of sediment you would need to either have
a) at least two BD's placed diametrically opposed, or
b) mid to deep water returns which create gentle currents along the bottom which 'wash' sediment towards a single BD or multiple BDs
Have you left a "0" off the model number of the filter? Hozelock UK make an 18,000lph bioforce filter but not an 1800, if it is the 18,000 then I guess your are looking at pumping at least 7000lph and IMO your current 3 x 40mm plumbing, which I would guess are 49mm through out, is inadequate for the flowrate you are expecting. Your current plumbing will pass quite flowrate but the back pressure it is likely to create will significantly reduce the flowrate that the pump can deliver and also increase the pressure within the filter. I suggest you read up on mid and deep water returns or, as the Americans tend to call them, TPR's (tangential pond? returns. I suspect you will end up replumbing your returns and if through the wall, core drilling may be the easiest way to go. I too hate over the side plumbing and wiring and I have one in the pond pump with the cable feed through 19mm? overflow solvent weld pipe coming through the pond 'wall', 90deg bends need to be made via two slightly spaced out 45deg bends to that the cable is feedable.
I suspect you will be modifying the pond and if that is so I suggest that you be in a postion to tell the builder you want this, this and this, here, here and here etc
Koi and plants can be mixed though it is perhaps less common in the UK than in America and boards such as koiphen http://207.228.252.5/forums/ may be of assistance to you.
Photographs of your pond and plumbing would also be of help to people givung you advise. From memory the photo has to be on the web and you simply copy and paste the full web address of the photo where you want it to appear, starting http and ending, for example, with jpg,
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 7:39 PM from IP address 81.76.74.180
dear sean
thanks very much for all that info. What do you think roughly putting a new floor and bd would cost as your option 1. I think its probably going to cost me too much! You're right it should have been fibre glassed but again it was too much. I'm really just going the koi way to keep my son happy. If he wasn't in the picture I would fill it with lots of plants and goldfish and use the hozelock. Yes it is 18000! Although its meant to do 4,000gallons and 900cm of fish everyone (apart from the man who sold it to me!) has said it will block up very quickly. I'll try and get some pictures on my computer.
frances
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 8:30 PM from IP address 62.253.128.14
Sorry I couldnt guess at the concrete costs since you seem to use a builder, you'd need to work out the volume needed and check how the supplied volume compared with the set volume. I am a diy'er and mixed my concrete in a borrowed mixer that I ended up buying. Personally I'd regard it as a fairly cheap material. I also laid my own blockwork.
2 years ago stone and sand where about £17 a ton here and I think std blue circle cement was about £5 a cwt, £100 a ton. Block was, I think, about 45p per 18x9x4 block. I suppose my concrete worked out about £20 a ton. Working on concrete weighs about 2.5 times water and water weighs 62.3lb per cubic ft I think that works out that my concrete cost about £1.4 per cubic ft
Between gravel infill in quite long pipe trenches and the concrete I think I used 7 ton of stone, most of which will have been for concrete, so a diy'er can make fairly large quantities of concrete
Re the cost of fibreglass verses the cost of G4 it may be worth getting actual quotes, my recollection is G4 is expensive.
Maintenance is an issue I have seen raised with pressurised filters.
Is your son old enough to mix concrete and lay block, sorry I dont know your gender. Also a pond is a long term thing so his wants should be less significant than yours as I would guess he will move out at some point.
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 11:40 PM from IP address 84.65.75.138
Personally I haven't had much joy with hozelock units, my friend runs two side by side (a bioforce and an ecomax), they keep his small pond clear, however I am unsure about the health. Water may look clear thanks to the UV unit in the bioforce however Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels may be high, resulting in fish illness.
I have always been told to put my pump as low as possible. The Titans are good, solid handling pumps and I would put it on the bottom of your pond where most debris collects.
If you could post up some pics/ email them to me I could probably help better than I am now. I cannot find the bioforce 1800, did you mean the 18000?
I have no idea on rendering, someone else will have to help you on that.
Thanks,
Daniel
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 7:41 PM from IP address 81.129.234.86
hi i have a gravity feed filter and i have noticed a lot of tiny dark worms on the top of the filter in the water and on the air hose . what are they .will they hurt my fish .and how do i get rid of them ,thanks
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 5:45 PM from IP address 212.159.111.131
They are possibly leaches, black fly larvae, bloodworm or mosquito larvae all of which are fish food. My Goldfish love the latter 3 and although there are leaches in my pond it is vary rarely that they are seen out in the open in daylight. I assume that that is due to them being fish food.
Posted on Aug 26, 2006, 5:59 PM from IP address 81.76.74.180
Hi, I have just introduced a number of Koi to a brand new pond that has had the filter and water checked as OK. The problem that I am having, and it may be normal, is that the Koi are sitting within 3 inches of the bottom of the pond and when they see me are grouping together in the deepest corner otherwise swimming around the bottom. Is this normal? Their behaviour has not changed all day and they are not interested in any food either. I should appreciate any advice anyone has to offer.
Many thanks
Dani
Posted on Aug 25, 2006, 6:07 PM from IP address 87.113.0.132
This does sometimes happen if you add new fish to a pond that doesn't already contain tame ones. Your fish are very nervous and are seeking the relative safety of the deepest corner of your pond simply becuase they see you as a potential threat at present.
Keep an eye on your water quality and try giving them a little bit of food from a specific place near the pond then keep out of their line of site and see if they rise to the surface for it. If not, leave it for half an hour then remove it. They will get hungry and will have to make a dash for the surface at some stage to feed.
Gradually, they will begin to associate your presence with the food and will respond accordingly. This is why it's best to feed from the same place every time of course. After a while they will rush to you for food.
Alan F.
Posted on Aug 25, 2006, 9:12 PM from IP address 213.120.101.21
I have a 2000gal pond and my water level drops 2-3 inches if i don't top up weekly. There are no obvious leaks but i have recently installed a bigger uv light with longer run of 1 1/2 pipework. Would this upset the balance of the level? There seems to be no blockages in the filter bays. All advice appreciated.
Posted on Aug 25, 2006, 10:35 AM from IP address 80.42.42.127
I wouldn't of thought your system changes would of made any difference to the water level once topped back up again, if you dont see any obvius leaks maybe evaporation is the cause. My pond does drop a small amount every day due to this but is filled by the auto top when flusing bays daily, i am sure it would come to the same amount as yours if i stop flushing and turn the auto top up off.
Only my thoughts...
Posted on Aug 25, 2006, 12:21 PM from IP address 217.34.196.82
I have recently bought a fibreglass quarantine tank with a bottom drain, (1.5m x 1.0m x1.0m) and a fourbay filter with media consisting of jap mat, brushes and plastic tubes ( not sure what they are called)it holds about 250 galls, I seem to be having difficulty finding a pump the correct size to pump from the bottom drain to the filter, local dealers recomend using an internal pump, and using the bottom drain for cleaning out purposes otherwise the pumps are quite expensive, can anybody recommend a good reasonably priced pump to do the job, Thanks Martin
Posted on Aug 23, 2006, 5:27 PM from IP address 80.5.160.9
Back in May this year, I decided to scrap my home made filteration system and purchase a Nexus 200 Eazy from Maurice at Koi UK. I got a very good deal thanks to Maurice and installed it the same month. This is my experience with the nexus so far...
Installation on my pump fed system was reasonably easy and the compact nature of the filter freed up quite a bit of space.
My original filter consisted of 8 round barrels, two sets of four in series, all fed from a single pump fed vortex. The first four barrels housed filter brushes and the last four contained a mix of Flocor, alfagrog and clay beads.
In order to preserve some of the bacteria in the filters whilst the Kaldnes matured, I removed the brush stages and plumbed the nexus output to the last four barrels in the hope that it would keep Ammonia & Nitrite levels down.
Initially, Ammonia rose to 0.5ppm and Nitrite to 0.25ppm. I managed to maintain these levels for some time but by mid June, Nitrite was rising and reached 0.5-1ppm. Worried by this level (several fish were by now flushed pink) I added filter start to try to compensate and reduced feeding to once per day. This dropped the Nitrite to 0.5ppm which was not ideal but tollerable at least.
I went away on Holiday at the beggining of July and a freind looked after the filters whilst a Family member fed the Koi twice a day. By mid July when I returned from Cumbria, I found levels of 0.0ppm ammonia but 1ppm for Nitrite! At this stage I decided to remove the last four stages of the old bio filter and increase water throughput in the nexus. As I predicted, the levels remained the same but I was at least now running exclusively on the Nexus.
The old bio filters by the way were discusting. Full of waste and sediment, some of which smelled foul. No wonder the pond was never clear in the summer!
Incidently, apart from the first two weeks of operation, water clarity improved dramatically throughout this maturation process and continues to get better and better. Docs, which were a constant problem with my old filters are very low indeed with no obvious foaming on the water surface.
At the end of the third week of July, Nitrite began dropping back to 0.5ppm. Slowly over the coming days it continued to drop off.
Its now approximately 10 weeks since I installed the nexus and current reading are 0.0ppm Ammonia, 0.12ppm Nitrite. It does seem to take a while to establish a decent colony of Nitrospira in the Nexus filters hence the current Nitrite level, probably due to the moving media being a somewhat chaotic environment. I am confident however that the filter will fully cycle within the next few weeks.
Overall, I am delighted with the Nexus and find it very "Eazy" to use. It keeps the water pristine and the fish are looking better than they have ever looked before.
As long as water throughput is reasonable, not excessive, the static chamber is kept nice and clean with regular waste flushing (something that should be done on any system anyway) there is not too much kaldness and too much air being pumped through it (A common mistake I think that may well explain several end user nagging Nitrite problems) then these filters are absolutely fantastic, even in pump based ponds and I would not hesitate to recommend them.
Alan F.
Posted on Aug 18, 2006, 1:52 PM from IP address 213.120.101.21
Itis very good to have your comments on the fitting of your Nexus 200, and your experience with it.
I have now added your comments on the Product page for the Nexus to help other koi-keepers when they are thinking of upgrading their filter systems. http://www.koicymru.co.uk/products4.htm
It would be good if others also sent in their comments on products featured in the Products section.
Posted on Aug 20, 2006, 6:53 AM from IP address 86.128.167.10
If it is a pond lined with a sheet liner and the "air pockets" are bulges in the liner protruding into the pond it is likely that the water table or ground water outside the liner is level with the water in the pond. If that is the case the solution is to raise the pond level or lower the water table.
Raising the pond level is the more fool proof solution. It may also be that you have a leak in the pond liner and that the water outside the liner is seeping away only very slowly.
Posted on Aug 18, 2006, 12:16 PM from IP address 81.79.48.206
I'm thinking of adding an estro sieve to my current gravity fed system, are they any good, how long does the sieve last. any comments greatfully received, thanks
Posted on Aug 14, 2006, 11:16 PM from IP address 81.79.32.255
Hi Kevin, I run an easyscreen sieve in front of my bead filter and they are brilliant,even loads of blanketweed isn't a problem just flush it away.
I wish I had gone for the Estrosieve as I think the floating wier is much better than the easyscreen but I have made changes to mine. I'm not sure what filtration system you have and a sieve may or may not be suitable as you would have to pump from the sieve into your filter,a vortex might be a better option depending on what filtration system you have.
Tony.
Posted on Aug 18, 2006, 12:20 AM from IP address 86.139.215.64
would appreciate opinion from the experts on the forum as to the suitability of using "road chips" as a filter medium in the bio stages of my five bay metre square concrete filter system.
examination under the"scope" shows a nicely roughened surface, which bacteria might be happy to cling to what do you think!
with regards to koi lovers everywhere
freddie.
Posted on Aug 16, 2006, 3:36 PM from IP address 58.147.87.253
Hi, road chips/pea shingle(cantabary spa) were used in koi filters for biological filtration when koi were first imported in the country. I know a few people still have this in their filters but i wouldnt advise using it. It does allow bacteria to grow on it but because it becomes so compact and dirt is trapped in the spaces between the stones it can easily become blocked and go anaerobic. I would advise using Kaldnes K1 media, 50Litres of this media can handle 250grams of food per day, which is alot of food so can handle a heavy fish load if neccesary. If you do a google search for "kaldnes K1" or "evolution aqua" (the company which make it) you'll find loads of info on it. Out of interest is your filter a metre square spit into 5 chambers? or is it 5 metre square chambers? what size is the pond?
hope this helps
Posted on Aug 16, 2006, 10:34 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
thanks adam, for taking the time to reply to my query,i do agree with your advice, however, you must understand, i am posting from thailand, where such luxuries as "kaldnes k1" dont exist,and only a limited few people know what a koi carp is. people who keep fish here,do so for eating,anyone keeping fish as pets is looked upon as either filthy rich,or,"in cahoots with the devil".
the pond which i have just constructed,is currently awaiting filter materials,before being filled with water, and i estimate should top out at 35 ton. the filter is a 5 bay, each bay being one metre square, the whole, being constructed of concrete,and sealed with "banana tree cellulose".
Posted on Aug 17, 2006, 1:49 PM from IP address 124.157.144.136
Hi, i see your point, didn't realise you were in Thailand. Quite a pond your building then, and filter. I understand it must be difficult to get hold of filter media but id still stick away from pea shingle etc. I dont know whether many koi dealers will ship things to thailand but i think www.koicarp.net will, its a good site and they are very helpful if you get in touch, might be worth an email to see how much shipping would be. If you cant get hold of filter media from england, are you familiar with flocor media? its basically corrogated pipe cut into short lengths, im sure this would be easy enough to make and if you use it with an air pump it wont trap any crap in it. My last thought is, im sure ive seen a few breeders of koi in thailand, could try contacting a few of these to see if they can help.
Good luck.
Posted on Aug 17, 2006, 4:10 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
Hi all,
Just in the process of digging out new pond,3 feet in the ground and 3 feet out of ground.
The dilema i have is a salt glazed drain at the bottom of my hole,which i presume is still active.
Now i am planning to concrete the base,is this safe to do or will the drain collapse under the weight of the concrete and water,which will be approx 2000 Gal.
Any answers?
Posted on Aug 10, 2006, 9:51 PM from IP address 83.100.210.51
Honestly, I'd be inclined to reroute the drain around the pond site, not because I fear it would crack but because if it failed in the future it would be one heck of an awkward repair job, besides there may or may not be rights of access issues
Posted on Aug 11, 2006, 1:59 PM from IP address 81.79.130.65
Hi Sean,
Re-Routing the drain does not seam feasable due to the limited space i have,it would mean the drain basically doing a couple of really tight turns.
Surely this would slow the logs down drastically:)
Many thanks for the reply.
Paul.
Posted on Aug 12, 2006, 9:23 PM from IP address 213.249.248.214
After todays stint on the spade,the existing drain rose up then stops and turns out to be an old gully point,probably from pre-war houses as there is a lot of old brickwork running alongside my dig.
Paul.
Posted on Aug 13, 2006, 8:46 PM from IP address 83.100.189.95
I used Interpet Sludge Buster in my pond for the second time a few days ago and (not linking one to the other until now) for the second time my PH levels rose to above 9.0!! Has anyone else had the same problem. Is the link possible or just a coincidence?
Phil
Posted on Aug 14, 2006, 4:13 PM from IP address 81.137.224.192
There can only be one reading for ammonia and nitrite and that is ZERO. Anything above 0 is dangerous for your fish and, if left unchecked, will kill them eventually. A few basic things you can do to remedy the situation are:
1. Stop feeding for now; only introducing a little food when the readings improve.
2. Carry out small daily water changes.
3. Buy some 'good' bacteria, such as Interpet Bio-Start and add to your filters. This will boost the bacterias that convert the toxic ammonia and nitrite.
Continue to check the levels daily. You'll find the ammonia will return to zero first, followed by the nitrite some while later. The bacteria that converts nitrite always takes longer to establish itself.
Is it a new pond? Have you been over-feeding? Have you added any treatments to the water? Trying to figure out the cause will hopefully prevent it from happening again.
Good luck!
Sue
Posted on Aug 12, 2006, 9:35 PM from IP address 195.93.21.70
I have found fishdoc.co.uk which also gives some advice.
The readings today were the first taken from the pond, and considering there is no character change in the fish or a change in pod appearance, I would assume that the readings are typical of the pond rather than a "spike".
The pond has been up and running for 12 months and all the fish have survived and are growing well. I did a full water change in the spring time and added pond-start (to deal with tap water) and bio-start bacteria when the pond was re-filled.
I have added a second bio-start bacteria sachet in the past month and I change about 5% - 10% of the water each week (I lift the filter media partially out of the filter box and use the box drain to remove sediment). The main filter media is Matala which is never cleaned - the agitation from lifting them removes a fair amount of sediment).
AN additional foam filter I installed in the box IS cleaned regularly as I consider this to be a trap for sediment in suspension.
A pond vacuum is now used monthly to sweep the crap off the bottom.
Judging by your comments and those on fishdoc, it may well be that over feeding is probable. There is plenty of green weed on the pond walls to ensure the fish don't starve. They have never been voracious feeders.
Other additives to the pond in the last 2 months are: A flocculant to help remove "green" suspended sediment. Not particularly effective. Temporary Fine physical filtration cleared most of this out.
In addition, I have used 2 courses of blanket weed control. FIrstly Interpet pond balance, which made the water milky for 5 or 6 days each dose. The last 8 weeks I have used Nishikoi "goodbye blanket weed" which was more effective and water clarity was maintained. SO there has been plenty of dying weed recently.
I have a couple of lillies in the pond and will make a special point of clearing out any "bad" leaves and old flowers which will reduce the amount of rotting vegetation.
Food until this week has been Kusuri FPF, which the fish seemed to enjoy. I now have Nobori, however I will refrain from feeding for a few days and see how the readings change.
Posted on Aug 12, 2006, 11:45 PM from IP address 88.109.51.105
There seems to have been alot 'going on' with your pond recently, which probably explains your unacceptable ammonia and nitrite readings. Chemical additions to the pond will destroy good bacteria. Any cleaning of the filters or foam, etc, must be done with the pond water itself (if you're not doing that already).
I would say that the treatments, rather than the feeding, have knocked your pond out of 'sync'. Cutting back the feeding for now will certainly help speed things along in the right direction.
I stopped using chemicals, to keep the water clear, years ago ... it was more trouble than it was worth. There is nothing more valuable than 'mature' pond water. I know we don't like green tinged water, but the fish love it!
Sue
Posted on Aug 13, 2006, 10:15 AM from IP address 195.93.21.70
My pond has been running for 2 years and water is clear. But the last few days i have had a oil-like green stuff on the surface, it also smells. It looks a bit like last year when a neighbour sprayed his fence panels and the overspray landed on my pond, it wasnt green then but this time it is.I would be grateful for any help on this matter. Dean
Posted on Aug 10, 2006, 8:32 PM from IP address 62.252.32.14
