Please Explain

[koifishgirl]

Can someone please help me with why the water starts to turn green in the sping and what the filter has to do with the water clearing and what the water temp has do with the algie bloom. I have heard that the filter is not mature this time of years and that the temps are not hot enough to clear the water. I really dont understand this as I thought the filter once it matures that it stayed that way unless you done something to kill the bacteria growing in the filter.


Judy

[dick benbow]

Try and focus on the transistion time that the filter takes to gear up from cool lower temps to the time that temps warm as spring emerges. especially here lately as weather patterns change more rapidly.
This process takes time to build up numbers of active bacteria from the resident core crew that went thru winter. It's pretty easy in a sudden switch especially with heavy stocking load to overwhelm a filter. The algea's presence tells you that there is food for it in the water and that the filter has not "kicked" in yet.

things to do to protect against such occurances.

lower stocking levels to meet the ability of the current filter * or enlarge the present one.

use commercial products with living bacteria to assist in dealing with the sudden load.

* if the present one is ill designed, more of it will not help.

if you must use a UV light during this time continue to use a test kit daily to understand what is going on with the water components. For example if the nitrates or nitrites are high there is a cause and effect reason.

don't over feed and a 10% continuous water exchange will help.

[koifishgirl]

Are you saying that the cool water hurts the filter and that it has to mature in the spring again and that as the water warms it helps the filter establish again. So it is true that water temps play a big part in the algie bloom, as I have noted in spring the water always turns green and after the weather stays good and hot for a while the algie bloom will die off. Even if I do a water change it just comes back so now I know why. It would not matter how big the filter is in the spring and would not clear the algie untill the filter established itself again and you have warmer temps.



Thanks Dick.
Judy

[dick benbow]

judy the key is definetly water temperature. Years ago when I moved my koi inside and heated them, I learned that gradual increases allowed the filter to keep up in the spring. I do think the addition of some filter bacteria might help as well. The best studies I have read suggest minimal activity in a filter ar around 40 F.Things don't get rolling till lower 50's. There is a definete Lag time while the bugs catch up with the temps. Kinda like a car that needs a tune up. Step on the gas and it bogs down and doesn't immediately zoom away.

In the spring I move my temps from lower 50's to 60's with a degree increase per day and the bio filter handles it easily. I own 2 UV filters and never use them!

[koifishgirl]

So if I keep a heated pond all year round I would not have to worry about algie bloom, I dont think I will ever heat my pond, I like the water turning green in the spring, lets me know the spawns will soon begin. Reason I was asking was someone was saying that the filter had to catch up after cold weather and this was first time I has heard this and wanted to make sure that they were right, I was thinking it was just the heat that played the big roll in this type of algie dying off, it is good to know that the filter has jet lag in the spring, if I ever want to keep my pond clear of algie I will know what to do to stop the growth. Keep my water heated so the filter can keep up with the pond I just love this site and people aboard.


Judy