The Experimental Pond

[Sangreaal]

Well, the new pond has been performing pretty well, even after the algae bloom that turned it Irish irridescent green for a while. It never did seem to get cloudy (though the bloom made it look like a green tiramisu soup). It never had an ammonia spike. In fact, it never had much of an ammonia rise at all, except in the first two weeks--and that only .1 for one test, after which I increased the flow through to 25%. Nitrites have ebbed and flowed from .0 to .5, but I think this is largely due to changing the rate of flow through to keep the temperature at as steady a 75 degrees as I could keep it through the heat wave this summer.

I think the flow through system has kept things pretty clean, but as a deficit the filter system (DIY bastardization of a single tray bakki-like shower, waiting for more trays to be built) seems slower in maturing or is just too small. Or maybe that's just how it goes. Here are today's parameters that I have tests for:

16Aug2006

ph 7.5…..test strip
nitrites .1…...drops
ammonia .0……drops
TH 400…..test strip
Alkalinity 180.....test strip

Other than the nitrites, it is the same as my tap water.


Marie

[Sangreaal]

It's now October and the pond is now as gin clear as I had predicted. Rebuilt the bakki and installed it in a footbridge over the pond, installed a spray bar along the length of the pond for further aeration and my well-water inflow plummets 10ft to the pond through yet another spray bar that arcs over the pond and supports the netting that covers the pond area.

Almost ready for winter now--DIY retro bottom drain and skimmer still yet to be installed, but should be this week. Even with the netting, I still have to vacuum leaves and stuff off the bottom on a daily basis, so I'll be glad to get this part finished so I won't have to work so hard.



Water parameters holding nicely, only difference from August is 0 nitrites and a temp fluctuating from 60-70 degrees.

Koi colors are really getting spectacular this fall. The benis are deep and rich, the shiros whiter than white, and the sumis inky black. Feeding Hikari Wheat Germ dusted in bentonite and spirulina, 3 small meals per day instead of the 5 or more during summer. Everyone very happy and healthy.

Marie

[PapaBear]

Sounds like all is performing well. A few questions for you about the changes you have made.
How many trays did you add to the Bakki and what is your pond volume and Bakki flow rate?
What media are you useing in the Bakki Shower?
Are you still running the 25% water exchange, or have you been able to reduce it?
Can you please post some nice BIG pictures of the whole setup so we can see what you're doing a little better?

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by PapaBear Sounds like all is performing well. A few questions for you about the changes you have made. How many trays did you add to the Bakki and what is your pond volume and Bakki flow rate? What media are you useing in the Bakki Shower? Are you still running the 25% water exchange, or have you been able to reduce it? Can you please post some nice BIG pictures of the whole setup so we can see what you're doing a little better?

BIG? LOL! Give me a little time with my NEW, BRAND NEW! camera and you shall have your wish, Papa-San...(by this afternoon, no doubt).

Instead of the paltry single tray, er, tank, for the shower, I now have three. Pond volume is about 3500-4000 gallons (not absolutely sure--I suck at math) and I'm pumping 3200gph through the feather rock I use for media in two of the trays. Top tray is full of synthetic fiber to catch the fines, but will be replaced with media once I get this skimmer idea worked out. Well water flow-through is a really slow but constant 5% per day now since the weather is cooling down.

I have never, not once, had any condition in my pond that could be construed as "new pond syndrome," and I think that is largely due to the flow through fresh water exchange (can't be my filtering system--everything would be dead right now if it were a closed system relying on what I've concocted for filtration).

Pictures soon, I promise

Marie

[Richard Rombold]

Pictures would be great Marie. If it ain't got a mud bottom to it I won't be of any help but I too would like to see what you have been up to.

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Rombold Pictures would be great Marie. If it ain't got a mud bottom to it I won't be of any help but I too would like to see what you have been up to.

Well Richard, you too shall get your wish. This summer has been all about learning how to keep high water quality with as little high-tech stuff as possible. It started out being an attempt at enlarging my artificial mud pond idea to koi size, however I didn't get things dialed in as fast as I wanted to, so the bentonite/river sand bottom was never installed. The idea was to get the water balanced first, then add each element in turn after that and record the effects at each change and how it is balanced into the system. The heat and the totally inadequate filtration the first couple of months of summer held a lot of things back as I really had to scramble to keep things "flowing" through the planned algae bloom spanning June and July.


Twas Irish Soup for a good month before I turned up the flow through and added the spray bar the length of the pond.

The PVC spray bar runs the length of one side of the pond and is powered by a 500gph pump drawing from the top 10-12" of water, while I have a set of PVC frames attached to the other side where I hoist up the netting to keep the majority of leaves from the mimosa and willows out of the pond. The PVC set in the foreground is plumbed for well-water, and I've drilled 3/16ths holes 4" apart from 8' to 10'up each leg so it sprays out into the pond:

At an approximate 5% exchange rate, exactly two holes of well-water spray is discharged. At full pressure and all holes spraying as in the above pic, I can do a 100% water exchange in approximately 24 hours while oxygenating the heck out of the pond:

As you can see, this pumps a lot of water in, but how do I manage to keep the pond from overflowing? See the black hose coming up out of the lower left hand corner of the pond and running through the blue ring along the PVC? It's coming from a 650gph pump on the bottom of this end of the pond. I bring the black hose down and run it to a soaker hose when I'm adding well water to the pond. I can vary the flow from the pump to match the flow of the incoming water. When I am not adding well water I put the hose up so it won't continue to siphon once the pump is off.

At the other end of the pond is the "bakki bridge" with a classic DIY shower/media set up:

I have a 3200gph submersible running the "shower", which is basically a 2" pvc pipe gushing into the first 30 gallon tub filled with synthetic fiber, the bottom of which has been cut out and a 1/2" square mesh rubber coated screen installed. All three tubs have this feature, and the bottom two are 1/3 to 1/2 filled with feather rock for the media. There is room on the bridge for two more of these, but if water parameters hold like they have been, I may not need them.

I've played with moving water with pumps at different depths in the pond and observed the effects of current and null areas in order to gain an understanding of how this affects both water quality and koi well-being. I'll save what I've learned about that for another day.

To date, this is what my little experimental pond has cost me in construction and equipment:

Waterproof tarp for lining pond: $17.99
2x12's for framing: free recycled
guy with a shovel to dig pond: free
PVC tubing: free recycled
PVC fittings: $6
15 x 20ft Alaskan fishing net: $26
Hoses: free recycled
500gph pump: $10
650gph pump: $21
3200gph pump: $69
tubs,screen, medium for bakki: $30
bakki bridge: free recycled
Satisfaction in under-$200 koi pond full of happy healthy koi and what I've learned this summer: PRICELESS

Wait until ya'all see what I'm planning for next year, construction beginning this fall...Richard, I'm gonna make you proud of me.

Marie

[Sangreaal]

[Russell Peters]

Hi Marie,

What did you use for a water proof tarp?

Russell

[Sangreaal]

It's 6mm woven polyethelene, Russ. Good for about 2 years or so if I'm really nice to it. Filamentous (sp?) algae can really anchor to it in a thick thick mat, which is what I'm cultivating, and bentonite (which I haven't put the quantity I wanted to put in--that step should have happened before the algae, methinks) should seal it between the weaves.

I have a slow seepage in a couple of areas already, but that's manageable. This pond will be getting enlarged next spring, liner (or lack of) to be determined. I'm still researching what I want and what features will work and be incorporated in a more permanent (but modifiable) design. I want to encounter all or most of my mistakes in this cheap transitory system so I've got a leg-up when it comes time to make some really costly financial decisions when I design the future (mud) ponds. I can't afford to make many mistakes, so I have to have a lot of hand's on experience in these small things to make the big things work the way I've intended.

Study study, learn learn...

Marie

[dick benbow]

I truely enjoy seeing the DIY inventivness of our kb'ers....I applaud you for taking what you've learned and making it happen with your own hands. What you learn by doing so is far better education wise for understanding than bringing in something ready made.

I therefore award you with an "attagirl"....remember it takes 3 of them to over ride an "oh shoot"....when things don't work out as well!