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Thread: Lowering nitrates and nitrites
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18-05-2019, 11:36 AM #1
Lowering nitrates and nitrites
I know it had been covered on here but wanted some pointers to my own pond.
The pond is 8 months old, bead, sieve and small top pond with plants. I have never been able to get the nitrates and nitrates lowers than the middle range on my tests but ammonia is now very low and reading on the lowest level.
Other than a regular 10% weekly change when cleaning the filter what else can I do to help?
There is is plenty of air and I have sold three fish which totalled around 60 inches and replaced with 4 new ones at a total of probably 12 inches and much less weight. Reduced the amount of food going in.
fish are healthy and do eat but don’t go mad for the food so assume it is water quality effecting?
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Tom Koi Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-05-2019, 03:09 PM #2
How big is the pond and how many fish are in it?
What are your water readings? Ph, KH, ammonia and nitrite.
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18-05-2019, 05:16 PM #3
12k litres with 10 fish all around 15 - 25 inches and 5 little uns around 6 inches
I use a kockney koi liquid test and struggle to match the shades but usually in the middle of these. Never have they been clear which is 0.
I am hoping reducing the fish and trying to do a regular 7 day clean with a higher than normal water change will help. Going to add some more plants tomorrow
this is is the pond
8F4D3A41-E0F2-41AD-9372-7CBD625937EB.jpg
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-05-2019, 05:26 PM #4
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18-05-2019, 05:31 PM #5
I think a shower is the only option to add due to space restrictions behind. I was thinking about adding a small one into the top box with the plants. Not sure I will have enough flow to make it work though.
Will have a play with it
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-05-2019, 05:36 PM #6
Could i add bags of alfagrog to the top box instead of adding a Shower? Would it work or does it need really good flow through the media?
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18-05-2019, 05:38 PM #7
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18-05-2019, 05:40 PM #8
I don’t have a test for KH?? Only nitrate, nitrite, PH and ammonia.
Will order a test kit for that also
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-05-2019, 05:42 PM #9
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-05-2019, 05:43 PM #10
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18-05-2019, 05:50 PM #11
Not sure really, will have to try and test it out
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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18-05-2019, 11:22 PM #12
The filters and pond are still maturing and not keeping up with demand.
The ammonia has reduced as the bugs that consume that get going first, the bugs that deal with the nitrite take longer to get established, so now you have a spike with the nitrite.
More water dilution until established, less fish, less food, anoxic filtration, shower.
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18-05-2019, 11:57 PM #13
Water change and less food I can do easily. I have sold three fish and three still available so hopefully get a buyer for them and that will have drastically reduced the fish load. Shower I don’t think will work as i don’t believe I have sufficient flow off the feed to the top box to run a shower and it will be even higher when added which will reduce flow and can’t add another pump on the current system of sieve and bead.
Last edited by Rapleyr; 19-05-2019 at 12:12 AM.
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19-05-2019, 07:15 AM #14
Agree with all of the above.
Simon makes a good point.
Anoxic in your top pond. That would help. You definitely need more bio.
Type filteration.
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Simon Fish Thanked / Liked this Post
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19-05-2019, 08:07 AM #15
so if I remove all the plants in the top pond which are currently baskets planted in soil and pebble and replant these with the specific cat litter and a small amount of soil this will aid the reduction. The below article says one basket per fish. My top box is 2.4 meters wide and 20x20cm so I could easily get a basket per fish. Does this act as additional bio?
Anoxic Filtration
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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19-05-2019, 09:04 AM #16
Flow may again be an issue and the article suggests good flow but I assume that if I make the changes to the baskets low flow will not have a negative effect and it is only a quick and cheap change anyway from the gravel to litter for the planting
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19-05-2019, 01:56 PM #17
Hi
I have a plant filter using mimulus in my pond - the plants are free floating with the roots directly in the water no soil / by the end of the season i can clear out a bin full of plants - this is all the nitrate trapped in the plants - the roots survive under the water until the next season - they are planted in a free floating basket which is moored in the middle of the pond- the fish graze on the odd leaf that they can get hold of - the wife loves the flowers in the middle of the pond - I'm sure the roots growing down into the water also contain small bugs as the koi seems to spend a lot of time grazing around the pot.
KevT
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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19-05-2019, 01:58 PM #18
I have purchased 60 litres of the recommended cat litter and some new plants, cleaned the filters throughly and complete a 15% eater change. New test kit purchased including GH test
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19-05-2019, 02:04 PM #19
E mail manke sanke himself. He is the expert.
So get it from the man himself. (Answers)
I personally don t have. Anoxic.
I have a top pond with plants. Baskets with pebbles in them. My plants live of the neutrants in the water. Not soil. And that works for my setup. And keeps nitrate down.
Personally i think you need more bio media filteration fitted into the setup.
Thats just my opinion.
Fred
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kikokuryu John Thanked / Liked this Post
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19-05-2019, 02:07 PM #20
Running heater at low temp?
Covering the pond with polycarb should be enough to stop water temps dipping below 6C for the most...