OT - Any FW keeper here

[Elite]

Can you setup a pond without any filter system? I got this pond for free (about 300G). I filled it up with RO waste water. I put 7 feeder fish (gold fish) and 2 KOIs in there last week. After couple days the water turn green. If I change the water every week, would that be OK?
Thanks

 

[Ti]

algae bloom.
Ponds are naturally green anyways.

 

[Apon]

you need either a filter or at least some plants and some current, otherwise you just have stale water, it will attract misquitos too.

 

[pepe.king.prawn]

A filter really isn't going to solve your green water issue. Direct sunlight and high nutrients tend to cause the green water. RO waste water is going to be higher in salts and "nutrients" than tap water, but probably not much. Change water, add plants, add a pump to move the water around a little.

 

[mobert]

The Koi enthusiasts recommend one Koi per 250-500 gallons. If you aren't already, you will be way overstocked once the fish start growing. And yes, you need a filter. Your pond should not be green. The fish will eat the mosquito larvae. Check out http://www.koiphen.com/forums/

 

[Elite]

I did went to the LFS to see if there is any plants I can add to the pond. I put the SEIO 620 in there to move the water a bit :lol: (don't laugh cause that is the only thing I have available) .. The fish are small right now. When they grow out, I trade in for a smaller fish. My wife doesn't want me to spend money on the filter. Maybe I can make something up. Thanks everyone..

Thanks Mona for the link.. I will check it out.

 

[tonggao]

I have a small pond in my back yard, and I had a problem with green water when I first set it up. But after one month, it got a lot better, even though still green. I finally had enough of green water, and connect a Tetra UV pond light to the pump, and the water became crystal clear, to the extend that it looks ugly since I can see all the stuff on the bottom.

By the way, Koi eats and poops a lot, and you really need a pond filter to clean the water. Goldfish is a lot easier in this aspect.

 

[Kinetic]

post pictures of your pond

 

[tonggao]

Koden,

Here are a few pictures I just took a few minutes ago. It is a small two level pond I digged myself, and I almost broke my back digging it . So why no fish in it now? I was busy setting up my reef tanks last fall, and the fallen leaves blocked the water path going to the lower pond, causing water in lower pond to go really low and killed most of fish in there . After the accident, I always put a mesh screen on top it to block out leaves as you can see in the second picture. Now I have my reef tanks done, and will add more fish to the pond soon.

 

[Elite]

yeah, my brother in law said the same thing about the UV light. My wife doesn't want to spend much money for it because we just paid quite a bit for the damn tax (I hate California's tax). I might have to give the KOIs to my brother for now.
Tonggao, let me know if you are interested in my 2 KOIs .. I trade you for some SPS ..

 

[Kinetic]

oh so cool!! nice pond!

 

[tonggao]

Elite, my pond is not big enough for Koi, and I do not want to clean their poops all the time. Thanks for the offer though. I do have some SPS for trade though.

 

[Ti]

diatom filter

 

[dantodd]

Floor scrubbers cut up make great pond filter material. Google on skippy pond filters. These are homemade filters that you can make with a couple 5gal buckets.

Smart & Final had the 17" scrubbers on sale very cheap 2 weeks ago when I was in there, I think they're discontinued and that's the reason for the cheap price. You'll need 2 or 3 to fill up a 5gal bucket and use the second for the settling tank.

 

[Elite]

Thanks dantodd!! I will check it out.

 

[thereefgeek]

Oh, when you said FW in your title, I thought you were asking about Flat Worms

'Cause I've found those

 

[Ti]

I thought fresh water

 

[rickbirdman]

here are a few links to furhter go into diy filters

LINK 1
LINK2 ( some dont work )
LINK3 (trickle filter)

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Do people use bioballs for pond setups? I have 5 gallons of brand new ones.

 

[Elite]

I can use them Norman. LMK how much you want for them .. Maybe I can pick up at the next meeting..