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Thread: Filter start up!.
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23-03-2021, 11:19 PM #1
Filter start up!.
Hi/ What are Peoples thoughts on adding filter start up? ( Pond Bombs etc)
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24-03-2021, 10:13 PM #2
I see no harm in adding them to brand new systems. In fact, it makes sense that a sterile new system needs seeding, rather than waiting for the Bacteria to get into the pond from soil, dust, detritus etc being blown into the pond.
But I do see people chuck them in when dealing with ammonia and nitrite spikes and personally I think they're grasp at straws (or pissing in the wind is more apt) and wasting their money doing that.
You probably need billions of bacteria to break down the ammonia and nitrite produced by a few koi, and adding some pond bombs which probably only has a tiny amount of the necessary bacteria is hardly going to touch the sides in such a scenario. After all, it can take over a year to overcome nps in an unheated scenario. And thats even with pond bombs added at the start. So realistically they aren't going to do much, if anything to quickly reduce an ammonia or nitrite spike in the short term.
Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using TapatalkLast edited by Twhitenosugar; 24-03-2021 at 10:19 PM.
13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window
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davethefish1, Maddog1 Thanked / Liked this Post
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24-03-2021, 11:18 PM #3
it's not bacteria of any tangible amount, but enzymes ...ect that can help establish them.
i won't tell you was commonly done back in the 80's and 90's to mature a new pond
but all the new reef tanks/ koi ponds i've built i've always used live filter media from the place i bought the fish from.
if your willing to accept it's a risk of introducing pathogens...
but then if i thought that the dealer i chose to buy from didn't have top quality water i wouldn't buy from them.
plus if your getting fish from them and get some media from the same pond, the risk for me then is acceptable...
your choice...
my pond cycled in about 2 weeks with 3 fish and just 3 mature sticks of ceramic shower media mixed in with another 4 boxes...
but that don't mean it's now ready to start chucking loads of fish in.
it still takes well over a year to mature where you have to monitor it very closely.
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25-03-2021, 12:58 AM #4
Thank you for the reply's Guys.
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Twhitenosugar Thanked / Liked this Post
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25-03-2021, 03:56 AM #5
Id save the money for something worthwhile!
Fibreglassed/5000 gals/4.5 m Tunnel/Spindrifter/Twin drums/Bio chambers/Beads/Showers/Remora ASHP
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25-03-2021, 08:57 AM #6
I have heard mixed feedback with it. I have tried a couple of bottles last year but whether it helped to do anything is another matter. I simply put some in after the water change and I found the aquaforte stuff which was like Gel seemed better than the NT labs stuff purely because the NT labs stuff was liquid form so figured it probably just washed through the system.
I won't buy again, I was having lots of issues with my pond at the time and frankly I just thought I would try it like we often do with things we haven't brought before. I am not convinced it does anything at all to be honest, as Tom said, certainly won't bring down levels when you have spikes in readings.
Running heater at low temp?
Covering the pond with polycarb should be enough to stop water temps dipping below 6C for the most...