Water Change Schedule for New Pond

[ootyboy]

Is there a rule of thumb to follow about water changes for a pond that is just starting to cycle (less than one month old)? In my old pond I do about 20% change each week. However, in the pond I have not made any water changes for the past four weeks with the assumption that I need to provide the bacteria a chance to grow.

Also, I was told by one dealer not to flush my Ultima Pressure filter or clean any bio filters for the first couple of months that the pond cycles. Is that accurate?

[kingkong]

When ever I see the rule of thumb used in a sentence, it makes me cringe a bit. The earliest notion of the "Rule of Thumb" in the 1700's was a law that limited the width of a rod or whip that a man may use to beat his wife. English common-law permitted wife beating for correctional purposes.

[Bob Winkler]

Change your water IMO

[KoiCop]

I'd flush the Ultima and perform water changes on a regular basis, the frequency and size of which would depend on pond size and stocking levels.

[ootyboy]

In that case, should I follow a 20% change every week? The pond is about 10,000 gallons with low fish load. Also, how often in the winter do you actually flush the ultima?

[Bob Winkler]

What is pond temp and how much/often do you feed them? What is a "very low fish load"?

[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by ootyboy In that case, should I follow a 20% change every week? The pond is about 10,000 gallons with low fish load. Also, how often in the winter do you actually flush the ultima?

My vote is for performing the weekly water changes during the startup period. IF your fish load is "light" then 10%/week should be sufficient at this stage. Later you can increase as the need arises. I usually tell our customers to wait to backwash their Ultima filter for the first TWO WEEKS. However, other routine maintenance should be done weekly. After two weeks, begin your normal routine on EVERYTHING! Also, on a personal note, I use a Ultima 20000 on my 10,000 gal pond for mechanical purposes, so I don't really concern myself with bio output. Whatever it gives me is a bonus anyway. I backwash once a week during winter and two to three times per week during warmer summer months. Someone once made a suggestion to me and it has proven to be true for the last 10 years - whatever maintenance regimen you employ, stick to it. Do not waiver from it. Yes, you can increase or modify in the early stages if you find the need to, but once established, keep it up religiously.

Mike

[KoiCop]

ob . . .

Like you, we use our Ultima II for mechanical filtration in front of the J-mat bio, and we flush it daily -- whether it's summer or winter, whether we're feeding or fasting.

Why? Organic waste that is flushed from the system won't decompose in the water column, so it won't produce ammonia and DOCs that then have to be dealt with later.

As for your question about water changes:

Starting out with your big pond, cold water, small fish and infrequent feedings I'd think about starting at 2.5% per week; come summer, maybe 5% per week. Then work upwards from there to 10% or 20% per week, or more, depending upon all the factors.

Water changes not only flush nitrates and DOCs to waste, they snap your water parameters (like pH, KH and GH) back to tap water levels and replenish necessary minerals which are used up by the fish and the filtration.

[Steve Nguyen]

Re: Ultima, your best bet is follow the product user's manual. must of koi keeping techniques are personal preferences that either developed over the years or combo of personal experiences and hear says methods. there is no standard method. personally, not flushing for a couple of months is a crazy suggestion.

Steve

Quote: Originally Posted by ootyboy Is there a rule of thumb to follow about water changes for a pond that is just starting to cycle (less than one month old)? In my old pond I do about 20% change each week. However, in the pond I have not made any water changes for the past four weeks with the assumption that I need to provide the bacteria a chance to grow. Also, I was told by one dealer not to flush my Ultima Pressure filter or clean any bio filters for the first couple of months that the pond cycles. Is that accurate?

[JasPR]

New ponds should run a 'little dirty' for awhile. This is because unless you experience a full response during new pond syndrome, you will likely revisit a rebalance to your pond's microbe ecosystem later on when you least expect it and are sure you were way past that kinda thing. This is typically seen when BBs are involved in the form of detectible nitrite levels.
Don't read me wrong here however- the koi's health comes first so there is a point of intervention where the koi need to be rescued from possible bad water quality.
If you are disciplined enough, feed LIGHTLY and only change water once a month. Later ( 90- 120 days in) step this maintenance routine up to once a week. 20 % is a reasonable percentage to start with. Use pH and nirtate levels ( always under 50) to determine if you need to do more.

Best of luck, JR