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Thread: new pond
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15-03-2019, 11:29 PM #1
new pond
My pond is about 5 weeks old, 6500 litres, have lost 3 small koi in last two days, water quality as follows :- Ph=7.0 / Ammonia=1.0ppm/ nitrite=0 / phosphate=2.0ppm, a friend who keeps koi has suggested I add salt to the water, is It a special type of salt
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16-03-2019, 12:37 AM #2
I personally don't think salt is the solution here.
Your water parameters confirm the filters have not yet matured, so you have a long journey ahead getting that sorted.
Any ammonia reading above 0 ppm is bad and 1ppm would likely be enough to result in the death of Koi at a PH of say 8.5. Whilst many people would be shocked to see a 1 ppm reading in any pond, at low temperatures (sub 10C) and with a lower PH of 7, I don't think a 1 ppm ammonia level will kill Koi in such a short period of time.
Nonetheless you should consider regular partial water changes to keep the ammonia as close to zero as possible until your filters are mature enough to handle it themselves. Same again when your nitrite levels start spiking up in a few weeks time.
Did you use dechlorinator when filling up the pond?
How many Koi and at what size have you got in the pond and how long after filling the pond did you put them in?
Phosphate levels seem high based on readings I get from my own pond, but again, this won't kill Koi.
Where did you buy the Koi from, a reputable dealer who properly quarantines for 2 Months, or a Garden Centre type outlet?
Its great that you've got water test results, but still, other than the ammonia there's no red flags as to why you should lose 3 koi so fast in a new pond.
On that subject, what test kit did you use and how accurate is it?
Are you feeding the Koi? If so, I would suggest no food until Ammonia levels are close to zero.
I've assumed the pond isn't heated.
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16-03-2019, 06:28 PM #3
Hi RS2000, thanks for reply, didn't use dechlorinator, left pond for three weeks before adding two 12" sturgeon, now six 4" koi. ten 3" koi, test kit API master pond kit, stopped feeding two days ago.
have visited local fish outlet who advise 50% water change with dechlor on refill, and use Oase Biokick Premium for filter, I also have a vacuum cleaner so will remove all uneaten food from bottom
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16-03-2019, 06:50 PM #4
Cheers for coming back.
It wont hurt to add dechlorinator now just in case, and also to dechlorinate your water changes. With that level of stocking you will need to do many water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite down, so look at buying Sodium Thiosulphate crystals off eBay and measure them out into a large bottle, this will save a fortune over buying dechlorinator over the counter.
In all honesty you have made a big mistake by stocking the pond so quickly with so many Koi. Did the shop selling these Koi not question your pond / filtration / water parameters / water temperatures etc before allowing you to take them away?
Even if they thought you were an experienced Koi Keeper they should at least make sure your pond temperature matched theirs before allowing you to take fish away.
For example I built a 7000 litre pond this time last year, waited 4 Weeks before adding 3 x 3" Koi, then gradually added 1 additional Koi per Month up until reaching a total of 8 Koi. Even doing that my work was cut out doing partial water changes throughout the Summer and into Autumn. It took 8 Months before all the parameters settled down. The Koi Dealer wouldn't allow me to buy more than 3 for a brand new pond, and I had to wait a Week for my pond temperature to match theirs picking the Koi up as they were a couple of Celsius higher,
Those 8 Koi grew so fast over the year that I've just had to extend the pond to 12000 litres to cope.
I really think you'll have your work cut out with this and it will be a struggle to avoid any further deaths and on top of all that if you didn't buy from a proper reputable dealer you don't know what parasites your Koi could be carrying that might be contributing to these problems.
If you have any way to have a clear out and reduce down to a maximum of 4-6 small Koi your life will be a lot easier getting the pond mature and stable.
Once the pond is stable, whether you can add more Koi will depend on what type of filtration you have.
What filter(s) do you have?
As for adding filter starters, it wont do any harm and may speed up the maturation process of the filters, but like I said above, I was adding loads of the stuff last year and it still took 8 Months for things to settle. I wasn't convinced they did a lot... but others swear by them.Last edited by RS2OOO; 16-03-2019 at 07:04 PM.
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16-03-2019, 07:03 PM #5
Ok you have high ammonia,but your ph is low very important what is your kh?
If that is low you need sodium bicarbonate to raise the kh and ph.John
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16-03-2019, 07:40 PM #6
Good point John.
Being in a hard water area KH doesn't cross my mind, but you're right, its crucial at low PH.
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16-03-2019, 09:27 PM #7
Not familiar with KH, apparently i'm in a hard water area with 243 mg/litre calcium carbonate, bought all fish from the Carp Company, delivered overnight and I floated bag in pond to equaalise temperature
Surely with koi being so small they will have little effect on water quality
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16-03-2019, 09:48 PM #8
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16-03-2019, 09:49 PM #9
the filter is 5 chamber about 7 foot long, first chamber is brushes then 3 chambers of plastic tubes, last chamber is return pump, filter is gravity fed 4" inlet
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16-03-2019, 09:53 PM #10
Filter is 5 chamber about 7 foot long, first chamber is brushes then 3 chambers of plastic tube bits, last chamber is return pump, inlet 4" gravity fed, pump is 8000 L/.hr
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16-03-2019, 09:54 PM #11
That should be adequate for the pond size, but I'd say you definitely have too many fish.
The rule of thumb, which isn't a rule of thumb at all really as it depends on what filtration you use, is usually quoted as 1 koi per 250 gallons, or 1 koi per 10 square feet of surface area.
Modern filtration allows people to exceed that nowadays, but its a good starting point.
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16-03-2019, 10:13 PM #12
I am a bit paranoid about kh as my tap water is 0,but your ph is low and I would check the tap and pond kh,if tap is ok I would be doing water changes,if tap low I would still do water changes but with sod bicarb.
Have a good read on Manky Sankys site he is the water expert and we all learn from him.
You do have too many fish in one go Mustang but can be dealt with.
Cut food out and keep the filters spotless especially the brushes,are the plastic things clean?
Flush them with pond water and plenty of water changes with sod/this to dechlorinate.
Rs is putting you right,we are all here to help you.John
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16-03-2019, 10:25 PM #13
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The Daily pond temp thread
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