water rationing, a strategey

[dick benbow]

in Some parts of this country, the snow melt has water everywhere, over the top of roads from rivers overflowing....and in some parts of this country are fires and water rationing.

Some things we can help and some we can't....so when it comes to our hobby, what do we do to control water use other than the obvious.( don't do the water changes and watch quality go down hill ) We want to cut back on consumption but not on water quality......what suggestions come to mind.....I'll start with an idea (expensive maybe) but....

I think feeding a food with pro-biotics in them helps the koi to better digest the food therefore
creating less for the filter and water to handle. What's your idea?

[mstrseed]

Use only water change water on the yard and plants.......................................... use it twice

[smithvillemike]

I do both.

[aquitori]

Last word I heard from the county was that home owners should still cut back 15% every day....

[Lau Teck Seng]

Hi ,

This is something that we koi people can do for the environment. I think we all are guilty of major water wastage. Is there something we can do to recycle , economically , the water ? I change twice a week abt 10% each time for my 60 tonne pond. i use probiotics so not much waste. I use the waste water , most of time very clear , to wash the outside yard floor and gardening but still a lot goes to drain. My water has been good , clear , no UV , nitrate less than 20 (not sure what measure) get good growth with most fish . And i am considering to reduce the water change to 5% each change and save some $$ too. I know of people here that uses underground water which seems in endless supply and free . is this the way to go ??

thanks
ts

[Lam Nguyen]

Quote: Originally Posted by mstrseed Use only water change water on the yard and plants.......................................... use it twice

I also use the water from the water change to water my plants. Why use fertilizer when you have got fresh fertilizer from your koi! My yard is sloped so I can collect the water from my mechanical vortex with a couple of 5-gal buckets at a time and water the big plants. I still use sprinklers to water the grass, so there's still wastage there.

[gcuss]

I've installed a 3/4" hose bib after my pump so when I do water changes my pump feeds a buried soaker hose that runs through all the flower beds in the yard. A little valve tree to keep the pressure to each hose somewhat balanced and a timer on my fresh water hose. I turn on the fresh water, open the valve to the soaker hose, and 1 hour later my water change is complete and the flowers are watered. It took some juggling for me to get the flows balanced but now it's dialed in and a snap to do. The timer on the fresh water, and the low water shut off keeps my pump and my koi safe! ( I have to allow for the "putz factor" in everything... I'm a little ADD most of the time )

This by no means addresses the volume of water "wasted" however, because unfortunately I'm certain I wouldn't be watering that frequently or heavily if it weren't for the pond needing a change of water...

My best guess? Probably not a happy one for a lot of people, but the only solution I can think of is absolute MINIMUM stocking levels and the very infrequent water changes that this would allow. I imagine 1 fish per 10,000 gal and the need to change your water wouldn't be that severe.

Personally, I recognize the water I consume with my pond, and in all honesty, do my best to use very little for anything else. I don't water the lawn unless it's pond water. I'm not out running a pressure washer every other week. I did install low flow shower heads (and I hate those things) and we changed our dishwasher and washing machine to high efficiency models. I guess it's a bit of give and take within reason. And for me, my water isn't metered as I'm in a gated community and pay a flat rate.

Grant

[l113892]

Reduce water usage in the house. Be a pain in the ass with my kids always suggesting they can use less- "get out of the shower", etc.

[MCA]

Things that may help water quality stay higher...longer will less water change:

Lower stocking levels
lower feeding levels
better quality food that polutes less
higher DO levels
do not leave mulm in water column (such as pond floor or stream bed)
do not connect BD or skimmer directly pump withoit a mechancial stage in between!
do not use a pump to push organic solids into any bead pack or matting where water pressure will do a "tea bag" effect on the solids that should be removed
doump the sumps at least once a week

[zek]

Reusing water for plants and the lawn is a good start. Rejunvinating water in storage tanks using PP treatments to burn out the organics is likely another part of the solution if faced with draconian restrictions.