where should i put my TT media while working on the TT?

[Surfhead]

Carl,

I agree with koicop...don't let them dry out. You have a lot of big beautiful fish in your pond. the last thing you need to for your bacteria to die off right before winter. put up a tank or kiddie pool and set the crates in them. put 6 to 12 inches of water and a submersible pump at the bottom. pump the water up to the top and shower them with water. you can rig the whole thing with 3/4" pvc.

[luke frisbee]

So have we changed your mind?

[Carloskoi]

Luke-what was my mind, i don't remember?
right now it is raining a light rain so i have turned the TT off to make sure the leak is actually coming from there.

if it is the the TT water level has been dropping 2" by morning. if not i'm in big trouble as i don't have another likely candidate for the leak. i did have this problem last year as well though. the leak was where the TT base meets the rim of the pond, there is a seam there that cracked open. this time i am using a polyurethane elastic caulking.

i still haven't decided what to do with the crates though. the 75 would not fit in any kind of a show tank and then there is hooking up new plumbing to run over it. i don't think so.

it is either in the pond or sit out for a couple of days. i do have other filtration still running on the pond. 10 Matala mats submerged, 125 2' brushes in the vortex and a UltraUV 30,000 bead filter. no matter what i do i think i am covered for filtration even if it does take a hit.

if i put them in the pond i have a wetsuit to wear to retrieve them.

i will monitor the ammonia, etc levels daily though and post my results. i am not feeding very much now. about 3 cups a day.

Carl

[luke frisbee]

just thinking but....
some visquine (sp) could be substituted for the liner if you laid the crates next to but outside the koi pond and sprinkled them...cheap to...and if it leaks a little it won't matter...

[junglegeorge12]

With limiting myself to those two options (I like the temp sprinkler idea), I would put them in the pond and aerate. What is the air temp running where you are right now?

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Carloskoi Luke-what was my mind, i don't remember? right now it is raining a light rain so i have turned the TT off to make sure the leak is actually coming from there. if it is the the TT water level has been dropping 2" by morning. if not i'm in big trouble as i don't have another likely candidate for the leak. i did have this problem last year as well though. the leak was where the TT base meets the rim of the pond, there is a seam there that cracked open. this time i am using a polyurethane elastic caulking. i still haven't decided what to do with the crates though. the 75 would not fit in any kind of a show tank and then there is hooking up new plumbing to run over it. i don't think so. it is either in the pond or sit out for a couple of days. i do have other filtration still running on the pond. 10 Matala mats submerged, 125 2' brushes in the vortex and a UltraUV 30,000 bead filter. no matter what i do i think i am covered for filtration even if it does take a hit. if i put them in the pond i have a wetsuit to wear to retrieve them. i will monitor the ammonia, etc levels daily though and post my results. i am not feeding very much now. about 3 cups a day. Carl

Since you mention using polyurethane sealant I thought I'd toss my 2 cents in. There is a tube caulk called "Vulkem 116" that I have used that is about as durable and strong as anything on the market. Incredible flexibility and adhesion and designed for immersion service.

[Carloskoi]

thanks people. overnight with TT off no leaks. so now i know where as suspected.

i am using a product called Premium Construction Adhesive PL. a polyurethane material that is supposed to have a lifetime life and is waterproof. can cure in 24-48 hours.

my pond temps are now 59-60. air temp right now is 50.

i am leaning towards submersion in the pond. i can corral them in the shallow end where there is great flow and i have a bunch of airstones. that way the cold night temps won't affect them and they won't dry out. the downside is i will have to get in the pond to retrieve them early one morning next week.

Carl

[Carloskoi]

after wieghing all the options i elected to just set my crates on the deck for three days!

they got a little morning sun but never really got hot. daytime temps were in the 60's and nights were cold for here, mid 40's.

interesting note. ORP level dropped about 50 points after removing the crates. after reinstalling them the ORP level went right back to previous level of about 380 in the morning.

i monitored ammonia and nitrites over the past week. no measureable spike. i have been feeding aabout 1/2 pound per day the past week.

i still had in service a large bead filter and submerged Matala mats and brushes in the vortex.

[Carloskoi]

another interesting note.


the water was very clear while the TT was offline. no foam production. the organics that the TT produces and that are usually swept into the skimmer remained disolved leaving the water surface clear. over time these would build up and give that yellowish color of the foam that i remove several times per day.

these pictures were taken while the TT was offline.

[Carloskoi]

finally after back online produced immediate foam production.

i will have to turn up the skimmer flow to keep the surface clear.

oh yes. no more leaks!