Are Water Changes Essential for Maximal Health/Growth?

[farne230]

Very interesting topic. You have made me thing a little more about my pond, growth and water changes. Right now, I do 10% weekly water changes from my water softener and charcoal filter (800 to 1,000 gallons) for a 8300 gallon pond. I also clean skimmer basket, pump baskets, backwash alpha bead filter, each bakki shower prefilter. With GH at 4dh or 5dH, PH 8.3 to 8.5, I find that I now have visible DOC's which I did not have before I dropped the GH.

I am considering opening the filtered tap water "softened" and let it drip into the pond (not sure what amount of water this will amount too. I will then backwash filters every three days to compensate for additional water entering the system, but I will not draw down the water to 10% water changes. Besides wasting water, will this have a significant effect on water quality?
BOB

[Nancy M.]

Quote: Originally Posted by Flounder Don, I did the math & at the rate you're changing water, you're using 21,600g each month. On city water what's your bill for this each month?

We have a constant drip on our pond, which changes out daily right at 250 gallons. I dump my settlement chamber every single morning 350 gallons, Every saturday I back wash my ultima 20,000 & ultima 10,000, drain out 1 of our 3 biofilters, we rotate those weekly, and dump my settlement chamber 3 times, that is around 1800 gallons, not to mention all the daily dumping. Our pond is 10,000 gal

California utilities are not cheap. our water bill bi-monthly is around $400 in winter and $550 summer, electricity monthly is $600 in the winter, summer has been as high as $985 month.

[Dale Torok]

"Are Water Changes Essential for Maximal Health/Growth?"

I found it hard to believe the topic of this thread was actually a thread. I'll try to answer the question with some questions for Lam to consider which are equally as puzzling.....

Is a 10 pound robin fat?
Do wild bears crap in the woods?
What color is an orange?
How long do you cook a 3 minute egg?
Who is buried in Grant's tomb?
Could you make money with a pay toilet in a diarrhea ward?

All kidding aside, Lam, I think the answer to your question is a foregone conclusion.
Dale

[dick benbow]

somehow it doesn't seem right to post after yours as your humor would/should be the last thing to read on this thread. ( good one Dale)

But in Defense of lam, I'm sure his question was just to evoke some comments regarding
the topic and maybe how often, how much, what % etc.

Wonder how that Robin got so fat? I heard the protein level on a worm was only 10%

[Flounder]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nancy M. California utilities are not cheap. our water bill bi-monthly is around $400 in winter and $550 summer, electricity monthly is $600 in the winter, summer has been as high as $985 month.

OMG!

Nancy do you live in a mansion?

[Nancy M.]

Quote: Originally Posted by Flounder OMG! Nancy do you live in a mansion?

Hell no, we live in a small 3 bedroom 2 bath house 1200sq, with central air, it gets HOT here. We have 10,000 gal pond, 2000, gal pond, 800 gal water garden, and a feng shui type water garden feature thingy.

[gcuss]

Well, I'm sold. Three days into it now. I used to change my water @ 10% weekly because as a newcomer that was what was suggested.

However, there seems to be some sound logic behind fresh water daily. So I'll give the 10% daily a go, watch my water and see how it feels. If I like it, I'll probably build some sort of diy active charcoal filter and switch to a constant trickle that would equate to 10% per day. I think I would prefer that method as would the fish. Probably less impact on the water column if the 600 gals is added over a 24 hour period.

Besides PH, anything I should be checking for in my source water? (ph is 7.4 out of the tap, and that's where I run my pond for simplicities sake)

Anyone a charcoal expert? I guess I'd need a flow rate of 25 GPH and a large enough charcoal filter to obtain the necessary dwell time to be effective. They use chloramine in my area if that makes any difference.

Would still be dumping additional water with the settlement cleaning, and backwashing. Not to mention the splashing when I jump in with them... which reminds me, I really should invest in a net, they're getting harder and harder to catch these days....

Man.... I can't WAIT to overstock my pond if this works out!!!

Grant

[weesec01]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dale Torok "Are Water Changes Essential for Maximal Health/Growth?" I found it hard to believe the topic of this thread was actually a thread. I'll try to answer the question with some questions for Lam to consider which are equally as puzzling..... Is a 10 pound robin fat? Do wild bears crap in the woods? What color is an orange? How long do you cook a 3 minute egg? Who is buried in Grant's tomb? Could you make money with a pay toilet in a diarrhea ward? All kidding aside, Lam, I think the answer to your question is a foregone conclusion. Dale

I was having a great laugh while reading your post "Dale". I will take it as a compliment of this topic rather. So many threat has raised this topic somehow or rather but it is always an interesting topic to contribute ideas, new commments and information from hobbyist based on the past experienced.

"Anyone a charcoal expert? I guess I'd need a flow rate of 25 GPH and a large enough charcoal filter to obtain the necessary dwell time to be effective. They use chloramine in my area if that makes any difference" posted by gcuss.

Have anyone heard about Bamboo's charcoal use and how does it benefit to koi pond?

[farne230]

If your going to trickle filtrate your tap water at a rate of 25gph or 600 gallons per day or 4,gallons per week and I assume your pond is 6,000 gallons, you will probably run through your charcoal filter (tank holding 2cu/ft) in about four months. You would have to check it for Chlorine to confirm. I use a similar tank with a softener and expect to change out my charcoal in one year with 1000 gallon water changes per week, and my water conditions are above average. Find an equal medium for maintenance/ cost / equipment that you are happy with. The ultimate pond is one like nature as eluded too by others, continuously refreshed.
Bob

[Lam Nguyen]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dale Torok "Are Water Changes Essential for Maximal Health/Growth?" I found it hard to believe the topic of this thread was actually a thread. I'll try to answer the question with some questions for Lam to consider which are equally as puzzling..... Is a 10 pound robin fat? Do wild bears crap in the woods? What color is an orange? How long do you cook a 3 minute egg? Who is buried in Grant's tomb? Could you make money with a pay toilet in a diarrhea ward? All kidding aside, Lam, I think the answer to your question is a foregone conclusion. Dale

Dale, I have been staring at your post trying to answer your questions for the past couple of days, but I just can't seem to answer any of them. Could you please provide me with the answers?! Do wild bears crap in the woods? Hmmmmm, I don't know.......I am going to have to go into the woods to look for wild bear crap this weekend to answer that question! LOL! You crack me up!!!!!!!

Anyways, all joking aside, the reason why I started this thread was because of my naivity in thinking that if all the water parameters such as pH, ammonia, GH/KH, etc. are met then the water quality should be good! I was being too much of a pure chemist because I kept on thinking that tap water consists only of water (H2O) and chlorine. I didn't think that it contained other essentials that the koi could use up.

Also, now I have a better understanding that, in addition to waste, koi also secrete pheromones which could decrease growth rate. Now, rather than changing water because everyone's doing it, I know why I have to change it!