The Pond Digger Grow Out Stats

[The Pond Digger]

Look at this photo of 53 making a vertical approach to the water surface. TORPEDO!



The Pond Digger

[The Pond Digger]

I spent a great deal of time with my ladies today. In evaluating my pond for the past week here are my notes:

If you have followed my posts, my bead filter is not on the pond right now because we ended up with a leak in the body of the filter. I will lay some more fiber glass on the unit later this week to repair it.

In my pond I see a fair amount of particulate matter in the water column. I suppose I could turn the air OFF the waterfall filter allowing it to capture more fine solids, but I think I'll wait anyway. That will give me a great example of how the bead filter will manage fines.

My Cetus sure catches a great deal of debris from the bottom of the pond! I have cleaned the sieve and purged the 4" line of solids daily and have been enlightened just how much sediment accumulates daily in a lightly stocked NEW pond.

This next coming week, I plan on NOT cleaning the Cetus for at least a week to document a weeks worth of bottom drain accumulation on the sieve. I will also be interested in seeing what I catch when purging the 4" bottom drain after a week!

Interesting note: I fed the fish for the first time very lightly, on Monday. Second feeding time on Wednesday, then daily ever since. I first noticed sizable fecal samples in the sieve of the CETUS bottom drain circuit on Friday. Interesting.

I have been doing 55 to 110 gallon water changes daily.

I am already planning a shark grow out pond! Not a joke!

The Pond Digger

[PapaBear]

Your observations on solid fish waste production sound right in line with what you should expect. At modest temperatures it should take 2-3 days for food to hit the off ramp...

Quote: Originally Posted by The Pond Digger I spent a great deal of time with my ladies today. In evaluating my pond for the past week here are my notes: If you have followed my posts, my bead filter is not on the pond right now because we ended up with a leak in the body of the filter. I will lay some more fiber glass on the unit later this week to repair it. In my pond I see a fair amount of particulate matter in the water column. I suppose I could turn the air OFF the waterfall filter allowing it to capture more fine solids, but I think I'll wait anyway. That will give me a great example of how the bead filter will manage fines. My Cetus sure catches a great deal of debris from the bottom of the pond! I have cleaned the sieve and purged the 4" line of solids daily and have been enlightened just how much sediment accumulates daily in a lightly stocked NEW pond. This next coming week, I plan on NOT cleaning the Cetus for at least a week to document a weeks worth of bottom drain accumulation on the sieve. I will also be interested in seeing what I catch when purging the 4" bottom drain after a week! Interesting note: I fed the fish for the first time very lightly, on Monday. Second feeding time on Wednesday, then daily ever since. I first noticed sizable fecal samples in the sieve of the CETUS bottom drain circuit on Friday. Interesting. I have been doing 55 to 110 gallon water changes daily. I am already planning a shark grow out pond! Not a joke! The Pond Digger

[The Pond Digger]

Just a few quick notes here:

The Kohaku that I am raising with my SU's is from the breeder, Hoshikin.

Temperature this week has been wild in Southern California. Just two days ago we had 80 degree weather and my pond's temp was sitting at a very nice 64 degrees!

Yesterday it was SNOWING in a very non-typical fashion. It was snowing at very low altitudes. This morning my pond's temp is sitting at 58 degrees.

55 to 100 gallon water changes have been performed daily. I have fed the group every other day under 60 degrees and fed them daily over 60 degrees. I have added daily doses of good old fashion snake oil, bottled bug beneficial bacteria. I see large colonies of beneficial bacteria forming on the walls of the pond liner and in sections of my FlowRanger Waterfall Filter.

I have not tested the pond water parameters. I am confident any spikes of ammonia or nitrite in this new pond have been inconsequential. I am will test the parameters of the pond in the next week or so. I am curious to understand the effects PH have on the rise and fall of SUMI and BENI.

I had a fish friend of mine over the day after I got them. He visited me a week later and told me they were noticeably larger. I see them daily so it is hard for me to be certain but I feel they have grown a bit too.

I have been reading in other grow out forums about SUMI already changing. So, today I studied original photos very closely before visiting the girls this A.M. One thing I can say about all of them is the SUMI that is up is black as ink, especially on 135!

Number 53 -I don't see any changes that jump out and grab me regarding changing SUMI or improving shiroji.

Number 108 - The split fins on this fish are definitely improved. The SUMI on the left shoulder is UP and BLACK as can be. The white seems improved and the black mask seems to be filling in but it is very subtle.

Number 135 - What a cool fish. Sometimes a loaner but in an adventurous way. The group as a hole is still a bit skittish and 135 seems to be the wonderer. The SUMI on the nose is so black at just the right angle, it appears the fish has NO FACE at all! The SUMI in the nose has propagated back to the eyes and the shiroji is definitely improved.

When the water temp jumps up next week, I will shoot more candid photos when I feed them and post any that show change.

The Pond Digger

[JasPR]

very creative design. Should work well. How about water changes? How much and how often after the cycle is complete of course. JR

[The Pond Digger]

JR, Thanks for the comment on my grow out. My plan on water changes will remain the same through out the grow out contest. My hope is to grow up some "WHALES" over the next few years!

Water changes will consist of 55 to 100 gallons a day rain or shine. My sump evacuation tank feeds my fruit trees in the orchard so I won't be wasting any water per say.

Daily flushing of the wave 24 from the skimmer and mid water circuit. Weekly rinsing of the Bacti-twist in the static pre-filter. Daily flushing of the drain line in the bottom of the aerated FlowRanger Waterfall filter. Daily purging of the 4" bottom drain circuit and daily rinsing of the CETUS sieve. Takes only minutes while I'm out visiting the fish each morning.

I'm off to catch to San Diego Koi Show in 8 hours..........

Peace,

The Pond Digger

[The Pond Digger]

The test results are in! I finally tested the water in my koi grow out pond this morning. I used a quick dip test strip from Jungle labs so I don't have super accurate readings, rather ranges.

Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 7.8 Range
Total hardness - 150 Range Hard
Total Alkalinity (KH) - 120 Range
PH - 7.8 Range
Ammonia - NOT TESTED - Assumed 0

I started to add clay to the koi pond today. The water is starting to turn a shade of green. I have not turned on the UV yet because of the new pond cycle. I kinda want the pond to turn pea soup green before I turn the U.V. on. Remember the pond is only 8 weeks new.

The Pond Digger

[Meg]

Ammonia - NOT TESTED Assumed 0


I find that when other peramiters are fine this one can be off in a pond that has not cycled and it shows up as burnt fins first. Green water makes it even more difficult to spot an issue.
be careful

[The Pond Digger]

Hey Meg,

Thanks for checking in on me and the friendly warning. I simply didn't have an ammonia test kit on hand but will say, I have been borderline OVER-CONFIDENT that Ammonia would be at zero on this grow out pond. So, I ran out and picked up an ammonia test kit this morning. Thankfully, ZERO is the confirmed result after testing!

The art, science, care & upkeep of HIGH-END koi is new to me however, I do have a long history of keeping fish and not just casually. Back when I was cool (), I was a breeder and dealer of High-End African Cichlids that lead to a business where I installed and maintained custom aquariums in both commercial & residential situations. I haven't been able to get away from daily contact with fish for close to two decades and wouldn't have it any other way.

I have been confident all along there would be minimal to no ammonia in the pond from the beginning because of my fish keeping experience and would love to outline a handful of specific reasons for my confidence.

1) 3000 gallons of water for 6 koi. Four koi 9 inches or smaller and two koi 12 inches or smaller.

2) 55 to 110 gallon water changes are performed daily

3) The disposition and behavior of the koi have been wonderful since day one and have been monitored daily.

4) Thankfully, I live in a warmer climate and have had the opportunity to feed lightly since day three of my possession of the fish, giving me an opportunity to see fins, eyes & skins up close and personal on a regular basis.

5) Green water has only shown up in the last week yet the clarity of the water is still good enough to see the bottom drain at 4' depth.

6) I'm a huge proponent of bottled bugs and have used them all along the cycling process.

7) I in my opinion one of the single most important reasons for my confidence is because I have a Cetus Sieve on my bottom drain circuit. What a great filter! I have purged my bottom drain circuit daily. Mainly for my own personal observation of what accumulates daily, weekly, monthly in a level bottom drain. Fish feces in any other filter than a sieve, be it bead filter, settlement tank, waterfall filter, static filter, aerated filter, brushes, sponges, shower filter, or whatever, the feces would be turning into ammonia in the water column. I simply love the Sieve Technology! The Sieve collects most all of my heavy solids from the pond in a way I find simply genius. All fish feces pulled from the bottom drain circuit on a daily basis is actually removed from the water column and sitting on the wedge wire screen above water level! Thus, eliminating a huge source of ammonia before even has a chance to turn into ammonia.

Those are the reasons for my ZERO AMMONIA confidence but I thank you Meg for calling me to task. We have a confirmation of ZERO AMMONIA after testing and I am genuinely happier because of it. Have a great week.

Respectfully,

The Pond Digger

[The Pond Digger]

My pick number 108 has made some serious changes over the last week. I was at a convention for three days this week. Gone early in the am and home late in the eve, so little time was allotted (zero) to enjoy my new koi in the grow out contest.

The weather went a little cold this week so I decided to not feed the koi for a couple days this week which was convenient because of my absence due to the convention. Upon my return I noticed a pleasant surprise with my pick number 108. She/it is taking on some SUMI in her face. I will attempt some photos later in the week.

For the record, the water temp this week has ranged from 58 to 64!

Today was 64 degrees and I feed them twice!

The Pond Digger