brown water since early last week....

[Ethan25]

what in the world?
2800-3,000 gallon pond, 4 feet deep, 9x13

In the last year and a half I have added an aerated bottom drain, that runs to a settlement chamber fitted with an Answer 325 unit. From there, this runs to a barrel of 2 cubic feet of k1, to my Sequence pump pumping around 2250 gph to a 57 watt UV light, then on to the bio falls that has quilt batting in it. I can't get my water to be clear. It is brown. I have done water changes, and it still is brown. I dump my SC twice weekly. I can see through it almost to the bottom (4 feet), but it is brown. A week ago, before we finished the landscaping, we had a huge rain that I think splashed a bit of dirt into the pond. Do you think that's the problem? i'd think that the Answer unit along with the quilt batting would take it out over a weeks' time?

My skimmer has it's own 18 watt UV on it, with a 2000 gph flow.

[kntry]

Do you have leaves or pine straw in the pond? It sounds like tannins.

[Ethan25]

Quote: Originally Posted by kntry Do you have leaves or pine straw in the pond? It sounds like tannins.

Nothing. My settlement chamber catches everything that drops in since it has the answer unit, and I am clueless. I just finished that filtration upgrade, and my k1 seemed to cycle within days, getting a brown film on it.

here's a picture:

[HEADACHE6]

Not sure that this will help with the Brown Water , but 2 cf. of K1 isn't very much for your Koi/Pond .?

[Ethan25]

Quote: Originally Posted by HEADACHE6 Not sure that this will help with the Brown Water , but 2 cf. of K1 isn't very much for your Koi/Pond .?

all I thought I could fit into the 30 gallon barrel. should i try for another 1 cubic foot? I didn't have room in my pit for another 55 gallon barrel, so I went with the 30 gallon.

Ethan

[Ethan25]

see?

don't know what else I can do. should I use the filterfalls as a place for more bio with maybe brushes?

[HEADACHE6]

Again , Not saying it will help with your brown water .

But with the size your Koi are growing , you could use more .

Add 1/4 CF. at a time until you see a difference in the way it Boils .

[Meg]

Ethan your set up is very close to mine, but I also have a static k1 barrel.
my water stays pretty clear but at different times of the year it isn't crystal. Summer of course is the hardest time for it to stay looking good.
are your water tests on line? then this is just a fines issue.

but seeing your system is like mine, do you have a problem with the answer screen clogging? I take mine apart weekly to spray clean with a pressure nozzle on the hose. and last week it was BAD!
if I don't keep an eye on it it clogs and then the following barrels suck air.
what is the flow rate of your pump? perhaps I am trying to pull the water through it to fast?

[Sangreaal]

Wouldn't a light PP treatment help?

[MikeM]

There are a number of things that could theoretically cause a brownish tinge to water, but it is virtually always tannins. My greatest challenge is bloom tassles from the pecan tree near my pond. The tassles are mainly blocked by the shadecloth cover over the pond. If they do not roll off into the garden before a rain comes through, however, the shadecloth acts like a giant teabag, with rain dripping into the pond being 'coffee brown'. In just an hour, the whole pond can become yellowish. Water changes takes care of it. I try to get off any leaf or other debris that becomes stuck on the shadecloth.

Your skimmer and settlement may be doing great, but if they are capturing leaves and such, the tannins are being released until you remove them from the system. Normal filtration has no ability to capture tannins.