Hi guys, my pond still looks like a yucky dark green mess! I don't know what is going on with it but it is still not clear, I never had this much trouble with my other pond. I do get a lot of small leaves in it from a locust tree but I try to get out as much as possible and the thing is always dark, I can hardly see my fish any more. I am seriously debating whether I should just disconnect the bio filter, it doesn't seem to be doing much good, I had better luck with my pondmaster 1000. any opinions on what to do? I am so frustrated right now! :huh: :o :unsure: :blink:

How is the temperature there? I don't think I would turn your filter off until the fish starts to slow down and the water temps starts to cool down. In my experience, it should start to clear on it's own with the cooling of the temp. Hang in there for a just a few more weeks. :P

I've already had ice formation in the mornings, but it melts with the sun. And the last couple of days have been fabulous! Might be a warm halloween this year.

Does the biofilter have a mechanical component to collect debris in the water? Is there any reason you can't run the PondMaster filter in addition to the new filter in the summer? Once the fish have stopped eating, the filters can be turned off if you want to do that. I keep my main waterfall going all year. Each situation and pond is different.

Robyn, I'm not quite sure I know what you mean when you say "mechanical component", so I can't answer that, can you explain this better to me?

This is what is in use in my pond: Waterfall with a separate pump with a pre filter, Bio filter with a separate pump with a pre filter. There is plenty of aeration in there and I am cleaning the pre filters on a regular basis, also cleaning the sponge mats in the bio filter, the only thing I don't clean are the bio-balls in the bio filter & when I took out the sponge pads to rinse them off I noticed a foul sewer smell in the filter, is that normal? Should I clean that out also? I was under the impression that you should not clean this part of a bio filter. I will be disconnecting this soon anyway, because we are afraid to leave it out in the winter because the container might crack if it is filled with water.

sabrillo, my water temp is 50 so I am not feeding now, the fish are not very active, I will only feed if the air & water temp rise above 55.

If there are things like filter matting like in prefilters, those will collect a lot of debris. Anything that collects debris is a mechanical filter. All mechanical filters of course also grow bacteria and all bacterial filters will also catch some stuff too but they tend to be meant to allow most of the stuff to flow through. Quilt batting is the ultimate mechanical filter as it usually clogs almost instantly in green ponds. Have you tried that to clear the water?

If the bioballs aren't cleaned much, they will smell more. I squirt mine off monthly, and sometimes they smell more than other times. If you have city water, you can either attach one of those carbon filters right to the hose so it's safe to squirt the bioballs, or you can swirl them in a kiddie pool of pond water. Getting a lot of the loose debris of the bioballs will make them stink less and provide better water to bacteria contact on the balls. It's okay if you squirt off some bacteria too as that lets it grow and spread on to those new surfaces. The bacteria do better when tended I think.

Robyn, I have tried the quilt batting before & now but it just isn't enough, I don't really like this bio filter, it just doesn't seem to be doing anything.

Make yourself a skippy filter for next year. I swear by it! ;) I'd actually like to make a bigger round one with a rubber maid 35 gallon trash can. I'll tackle that when I need to. I hope your water clears up soon. At 50 degrees, I would imagine it should start clearing up shortly.

It is getting mighty cold here now, temps are going into the 20's tonight, I was actually thinking of turning off the pumps but I guess another day won't hurt, I just don't want to circulate the warmer water on the bottom to the top & make it colder down on the bottom than it has to be....brrrrr poor fishies.

Hi Rosiemeadow
Just cant understand why you are havbing so much trouble with your pond unless you filter isn't man enough for the job :unsure:
rgrds
broxandval

The pond is finally clearing now, I am sure it is the cold weather that has helped this, my poor fishies look so miserable! I feel so bad for keeping them outside all winter, they are not used to it I hope they will survive.

Hii Rosiemeadow
Remember ours are outside for the first time this winter , the cover seems to be keeping in a fare bit of warmth perhaps you shoud have Frank knock you one up ?
rgrds
broxandval Fishiedude Flowersmile

Dave, I don't think it is as easy as yours was since mine is in the ground & has many different levels of big rock around it. I am hoping to put the rest of the rock around it soon, maybe this will help insulate it some being a wall barrier. It is hard to cover a pond like this, & with all the snow & wind we get here, it would just collapse or blow off. :(

Glad to hear that it is clearing up. Hopefully next year, you won't have the green all summer, it should only improve with time. You fish should be fine. Mine are still moving around and still come up to visit me, but I haven't fed them in weeks now. I still have the net up and the lilac bushes are taking forever to drop it's leaves, but we are supposed to get really cold on Thursday and that should take care of what leaves remain. I'll need to drop the small pump to the middle level soon.

Thanks sabrillo, it has been a real bummer this year, I never thought I would encounter so many problems with this pond, I really have to re think this filter next year.

Well, you have all winter to think about it. ;)

Hi Rosiemeadow
I agree with sabrillo on this , perhaps you should look again t your filte st see what you can do diffwerently.
The other thing you could do is to buy that UV-C we talked about
rgrds
broxandval Fishiedude Flowersmile

Today I drained half of the water from the pond, cleaned out the bio filter & took out the curlers,bio balls or whatever they are, because the darn things just don't work!I flushed the filter with fresh water & put back the sponge mats, filled the pond back up & cleared most of the leaf matter that I could & turned the filter back on & guess what? yes!, clear water! :) how about that. Tomorrow may be a different story we shall see. Oh, I forgot to mention, the pond stunk awful like rotten eggs & sewer, so did the filter, really bad! :o

Hi Rosiemeadow
I think from the rotton egg smell coming from both the pond and the filter you need to do a little more on the maintenance side of things next. :)
This may well be the reason for your green yucky water . :o
rgrds
broxandval Fishiedude Flowersmile

Dave, if I spend any more time on maintenance I will need to set up a tent & just sleep out there, I am pooped out from all the work I do. It is very hard to keep the leaves out of there because it has been extremely windy here lately, but the leaves are off the trees around the pond now so that should help a lot. The pond is looking very good today & I can see the bottom well. The fish got a little food because they were quite active today, I also gave them some peas the other day, you know how much they like those.

So, the problem was leaves and debris? Is the pond netted? If not, that would help immensely. If I didn't have nets on my ponds, they'd be cesspools.

Robyn, I'm not sure exactly what the problem was, I find it hard to believe the leaves could cause such a foul odor, & even the filter smelled bad & there are no leaves in it because it is a covered filter. I did get a net from my neighbor but the leaves of the locust tree that is next to the pond are so small they fit right through the netting, & they are a mess! It is pretty much clean now & like I said, I can see to the bottom now.

Hi Rosie, came across this explaination of rotten egg smell so I thought you might be interested in reading this. Time frame is right on. Hope it helps.

"I think we’ve all experienced this at one time or another. We’re outside, enjoying the spring breeze and decide to go wandering around the pond to maybe spot some frogs or to feed the fish. All of sudden you go to breathe in the fresh air and you quickly realize that it’s not so fresh after all. Your nostrils are engulfed with a distinct musky odor as you retreat away from the pond. Is it gas? Do you call the fire department? No. Call The Pond Guy. That sulfurous smell that finds its way around ponds is a common byproduct of a pond that is not aerated.

Non-aerated ponds stratify (layers in the pond have distinguished temperature differences) in the summer and winter, locking the bottom layer of water away for months. With no circulation, the oxygen is quickly used up down there, resulting in an anaerobic (functioning without oxygen) digestion process that is loosely equivalent to that of a cow’s stomach. Slow-moving anaerobic bacteria on the bottom use enzymes to ferment and digest the muck on the bottom. These bacteria produce waste products including carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell).

Most of the year, an un-aerated pond will smell fine because this buildup of nasty gasses stays locked away on the bottom. It is when the pond turns over (Spring/Fall temperature shift, strong weather event, etc.) that the foul-smelling gasses are released. Surprisingly, the foul smell is the least of the pond’s problems at this point. The release of this gas also signals that the inhospitable water that was stuck underneath has now mixed into the upper part where your fish are living. Wacky pH shifts, dissolved oxygen crashes, and algae blooms are a few of the byproducts of turnover, all of which have fish-kill potential.

The solution? Aerate like it’s your job! An Airmax Aeration System will keep the pond in a permanent state of motion, continuously venting gasses and providing oxygen to the bottom sediments. This allows the aerobic (good, oxygen loving) bacteria in the pond to inhabit the bottom sediments and work away at that ugly muck layer. Aerobic bacteria work similarly to plants in that that they use up the bad gasses and muck, and give off a little oxygen in return while working much more quickly than their anaerobic (cow’s stomach) counterparts. Supplement these bacteria with MuckAway or PondClear bacteria that will accelerate the decomposition process. Remember, keep that pond moving to keep that pond healthy and odor free."

It is good that you did a water change. I always do my water change from the bottom of the pond, sucking up muck and waste in the process. Glad you can see the bottom, at least you can see any and all debris down there.




"

I have a newer pond net I got a few years ago on my 153 gallon that is really fine and white. It keeps most of the pine needles out of that pond and would work for your needs. The problem is that I can't find where it's still sold; I checked the two places I probably got it from (one of them that is). This year, the deer just put big holes in mine so I need another one.

Thanks for the suggestion on the netting Robyn, I'll look into it.

sabrillo, my pond has a lot of aeration, I have to pumps going in there & a waterfall which really moves the water so I can't see how that would not be enough movement. BUT, I could be wrong. :D

Well, here we go AGAIN!! green, brown yucky water, I am so sick of this, I just don't know what to do anymore. I have put in enough good bacteria & plenty of barley & peat extract, but it just looks worse! I really would hate to dump that water after all the money I've spent on this stuff, it seams such a waste. I thought by adding all the snails (30) that would have helped. I also put in 2 clams & some oxygenator plants, but no, still yucky. How long should it take for this good bacteria to take hold & help clear this water, it seams like just a big rip off to me. :angry:

The water just turned yucky all of a sudden? Do you have any plants growing yet? Plants are the best filters and water clarifiers. How long has your filter been going? Was it off in the winter? Regardless, once the water is above 50 degrees F, it takes a few weeks or a month before the bacteria are really growing in the filter.

Thanks Robyn, maybe that's the problem then, I didn't know the temp had to be above 50 for the good bacteria to start working, I sure hope I didn't waste the stuff adding it to early.

I've had my pump on most of the winter for aeration, I recently started the bio filter again, it's been about 3 weeks now for that. Yes, the water seemed to get yucky all of a sudden about around when I started the bio back up.

It is too cold yet for most of my plants to go out, I do have a few oxygenators out there but not many. Somethings got to turn this thing around for me, I put way too much work into my pond for this to happen.

HI Rosiemeadow
The reason your pond smells and is as you say Yucky is because you turned off your biofilter for the winter, :(
I'm guessing you didnt clean it prior to switching it off, the rotton egg smell is because the pond is all but void of helpfull bacateria outwhen you started the bio filter you probably flushedits contents into the pond to boot. :o
Anaerobic bacteria on the bottom use enzymes to ferment and digest the muck on the pond bottom. :)
These bacteria produce waste products including carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide hence the (rotten egg smell). <_<
This is where it is important to carry out maintenance on the pond prior to winter,
we cleaned all our filters prior to going into winter but kept them on throughout cleaning them again prior to spring then adding helpful bacteria in the form of Microb-lift PL Filterpad gel innoculant to give them a boost :)
Another thing we did was 10% waterchanges once a week rain snow or sleet.
Could you tell us what your ammonia and Nitrite readings as well as your Ph and Nitrate ones ? :unsure:
Partial water changes will help you with this problem this but your going to have to wait for your ammonia and Nitrite readings to spike before the pond kicks back in again. :(
rgrds
broxandval
Fishiedude Flowersmile

Hi Dave, I didn't say the pond smelled, that was last year, I just posted the other day on this thread rather than start a whole new one about the same thing, green, brown water.

Yes, I did turn off the bio filter for the winter, as it sits above ground & is plastic & we did not want the thing to freeze & burst. Yes, I DID clean it before putting it away & no, I did not flush anything back into the pond, because my filtration system is different than yours, it is outside the pond & I do not have a bottom drain like you do, my set up is completely different from yours. Yes, I did add good bacteria to the pond & bio filter. I also added Barley peat. I have been very diligent in keeping my pond clean as I can, why I am still getting brown,green water is a mystery, the next step will be a water change, but not until I give all the additives a chance to do their job.

Hopefully things will improve once things warm up.

Thanks Robyn, I have to be optimistic. :)

When I had brown water a few years ago, I took Robyns advice and added some activated carbon in the filter and it got rid of the brown. You could try that. I know your frustrated Rosie, but give your filter time to start working. After all, we just turned them on. :D

I did clean the little box filter that holds my 300 gph pump that ran all winter and boy oh boy...what a bunch of gunk. The bio balls were just loaded with "stuff". I hope I didn't wash off any good bacteria, because my pond has been pretty clear, but looks really ugly because there are no plants... either in it or around it.

sabrillo, how did you use the carbon, did you just sprinkle it in the filter? I used some in the bio filter last year in a mesh bag with not much success, maybe I'll try it again. I am waiting for my plant order to arrive, I hope it will be soon, but I'm guessing not until the end of the month & I am not taking the chance & putting the ones I have over wintered on my enclosed porch outside yet. I guess what surprises me the most is the snails are supposed to be a big help with cleaning the pond & yet nothing, I guess it's too cold for them also. I had brought six of them inside in a vase filled with water & algae wafers, & they became very active after a couple of days o n the warm porch, so I guess I have to be patient & hope for the best.^_^

I had a bunch of it in a nylon stocking. I placed it on the top just before the outlet. It worked really well. Three days I believe and the brown was gone. Mine was tea colored, but clear.

Right now I am looking to modify my skippy filter to add a venturi. Thank goodness I don't glue any of the parts...just hand tighten. I have been researching on how to add oxygen to the filter for the beneficial bacteria...without having to add airstones and using added electricity. 'When I told my friend what I wanted to do, she asked my why I would want to mess with adding more when it is working just fine the way it is. I guess I'm just trying to get it "right". I have had really clear water since my skippy, but I just want to improve upon it. :D It is never ending, but that's okay, I enjoy it.

Hi Sabrillo
Your friend is right dont change what aint broke so to speak
Rosiemeadow we too kept our activated carbon in a net , reamember before using it to fizz it out by pouring oiling water over it , then give it a darn good clean prior to use :)
rgrds
broxadval Fishiedude Flowersmile

I hear you, I enjoy it a lot also, even with all the problems, it's like a challenge trying to get it right :) You are lucky that you have clear water, I would let it be, as the old saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" good advice. I will get more carbon & add it to the filter again, I'm hoping when we get more consistently warm days that will help...we shall see.

Dave, why pour boiling water over it, what does that do? & how do I give it a good cleaning, doesn't the boiling water do that? I never knew you had to do that, thanks, learn something new everyday :)

Hi Rosiemeadow
The reson for pouring bioling water over the activated carbon pellets is to fizz them out it removes all the air from those tiny little pockets and gets it ready to do its job
When we first started using this many years ago at the start of our koi keeping carrer the tropical fish shop owner advised us to do this and called it fizzing out. :o
If you listen to the sound the carbon makes when you've poured the boiling water over it you'll here it fizzing away this is causes by lots of tiny airbubbles. :)
Once it has fizzed out then after a quick wash to remove the dust your carbon is then ready to do its job.* B)
*Note you only ever do this the once i;e every time you have new carbon to replace the old. B)
When doing filter ,aintenance take out the carbon and wash it through wth cold water, do in a bucket several times until all the detritus has gone and your water runs clear. :)
They estimate that activated carbon should be changed for new about every 6 months. :D
To wash it you need put a hose in the bucket and allow it to wash up through the carbon washing out any impurities :)
Be very careful though if you get the flow too hgh then the carbon will end up or shooting all over the place and down the drain down :o , its safer to use the bathroom for this part of the operation weve found. :)
Wash it till the water looks clear even though it will have a slight black tinge to it.
Hope that this has helped. ;)
rgrds
broxandval
Fishiedude Flowersmile

Thanks Dave! What if you didn't fizz it out, would it still work?

I was outside all day today, did a 10% water change & put the plants back in the pond that were over wintering indoors. Lots of work!! I also did a water reading & everything came out good except the alkalinity was a little low, I added some sodium bicarbonate, to raise the ph a little, I'll check it again tomorrow & add more if needed, I don't want to put to much in at once. I read that low alkalinity will cause algae, so maybe that is part of my problem...well see.

Hi Rosiemeadow
Do you know I cannot answer that :unsure: as I just took it as read what the guy was telling me and with a B.Hons in Fish science (degree) who am I to argue I was just starting back in those days.
But nowadays with the position of a Senior Aquarist I always recomend that people do it :)
I suppose when you look at it by fizzing out the carbon you are emptying the millions of minute air pockets around the carbon thus allowing it to take on more impuritys so to speak :)
rgrds
broxandval Fishiedude Flowersmile