Hello

[cherry74]

Im new to Fish box ...

Last summer my mother had a 150 gallon out door fish "pond" installed, and well the fish have survived the colder months yet the tank/pond is quite gross.
We've tried to use POND ALGO Clear and other "natural" remedies
but they dont seem to work..

Right now the pond has 5 Koi 4 gold fish 3 frogs and "mosqito fish" I dont know the correct name for them..

Im looking for any suggestions to clean up the pond.

-Tori

[rolloffhill]

Plants usually help the ponds stay clear naturally, and moving water.

You can also do a DIY pond filter pretty cheap minus the cost of a pump.

[dcacjc]

welcome to da box!!

I can't help much with the pound, might clean the "gunk" out of the bottom and do a partial water change.

[supersmirky]

Welcome to the box. We have some pond people here that would be able to help you on that.

:welcome::welcome:

[AndrewH]

Welcome to the box.

[bra8ndy8]

Welcome!!!! Glad to have you here!

[jessie.doodle]

Hi Tori!!! Welcome to the box! You will love it here!!! Everyone is really nice and sometimes kinda crazy but very helpful and can answer all of your questions!! You will have a lot of fun here getting to know everyone!! Enjoy your stay!

[kewlkatdady]

couple of things i could suggest.
If it doesn't have a filtration system, get one...

If it's just algea, then block the direct sunlight to the pond or put in a couple of big'ole pleco's.

[fatfutures]

<waving arms> I've got a pleco up for grabs! He's not HUGE but, if you put him in an algae free for all he'll get there.

I've got him in the 55 now, forgot what that black rock does to his poo! ACK! TONS of 12" long black poo everywhere. This dude's gotta go!

BTW... WELCOME!

Sorry to hijack your first thread. But, if wasn't me, it would have been soemone else. That's how we roll up in here :pimp:

[EAST_TX_RN]

Welcome Tori! Send us pics if you want!

[cherry74]

<waving arms> I've got a pleco up for grabs! He's not HUGE but, if you put him in an algae free for all he'll get there.

I've got him in the 55 now, forgot what that black rock does to his poo! ACK! TONS of 12" long black poo everywhere. This dude's gotta go!

BTW... WELCOME!



I would love a Pleco, but want him to be able to thrive.. Would I need anything special?

[fatfutures]

I really dont' know what a pleco would need in a pond situation. Lots of algae and some food should do it. And, I'm not sure how they will survive the colder months... I forgot if your pond is heated or not.

[sailfin2]

I have 2 ponds, and now is the time to start cleaning up the winter gunk,and start the spring start up and maintanence. If you can submit pictures of the "gunk", or explain what the problems are I may be able to help. Are their alot of water lilies, plants, etc in the pond along with the fish? I do a heavy overhaul each spring with dividing lilies, removing dead/decayed plant material and general muck from bottom. Once established, have to use basically no chemicals for crystal clear water. Let me know if I can help. Amy
PS- Like Spring, keep finding out daily how many fish survived winter, they magically appear when dinnertime.

[REYREY]

HOLA!! WELCOME TO OUR HUMMBLE ABOAD!!!

[cherry74]

How to I post pictures, we did have two plants in the tank I dont know if they survived... Im looking to put a pleco in the pond, but I dont want to put it into shock b/c its in a tank that is at 80 degrees.. please help...
My mother is unable to do anything with clean up and my fiance and I were planning on emptying the pond and cleaning it this weekend.. Is it to soon??

[sailfin2]

The Pleco will probably not survive right now, as the water has not warmed up enough. What color is the water, is it murky brown, or green? Do you have alot of leaves in the pond? If the pond is located under trees, this is always a problem in the spring. A large water change can be a problem in a new tank, because you will upset the benefical bacteria, and get a large algae bloom. Their are products to help start up the spring filter. Are you feeding the fish?
Mine are still not eating well, so I am not feeding them. Don't feed them, or this will add directly to the problem, as they will not digest the food if the water is too cold. North Texas Water Garden Society has alot of helpful hints.
Also, barley straw will help with the spring algae bloomout. The increase in plants will clear up the water. I have alot of lilies, anacharis, cambomba, underwater grasses, etc. This way, I rarely do anything. There is also a product that you can add that helps digest the sludge, and adds a blue tint to the water to mimic shade to reduce algae(sorry, can't remember name). This may help alot with a newer pond and helps breakdown organic material faster, with less manual labor. Once the pond gets established it is very easy, but the first spring it can be a pain getting it balanced.
Amy

[cherry74]

Unfortunetly, yes there are tons of leaves due to winds and lots of trees around it.. The water is brown.. but the sides of the tank/pond are green slime. . . the bottom is nothing but sludge/decaying material!

... Didnt want to completely drain the tank, just wanted to get to the nasty stuff off the bottom..

planned on putting the fish in a 5 gallon container (rubbermaid) while we cleaned it out .. and pour them back in once I was done..

If thats not a good idea please let me know.

[cherry74]

Here are two pictures

[supersmirky]

You did a really good job on the pond. Looks real good and blends well!

[AndrewH]

The pleco will need a heater or an indoor tank for winter time. If I remember correctly 60*F - 65*F is there lower limits.

I read a story of a fella that put one in his outdoor pond in Florida and it grew to 24"-26" about the same size as the kio he had in it.

[cherry74]

Any suggestions on what type of heater??

[sailfin2]

I would clean out alot of the gunk from the bottom and sides, remove nice stinky black stuff and overgrown roots from the bottoms of your plants. Also fertilize any waterlilies now with lily tabs. Use Micro-Lift to jump start the bio filter, and also you can use the Micro-Lift with the blue shade enhancer. It helps stop algae, and also tints the water blue. It does multiple things, it helps breakdown sludge, starts up biofilter, tints water blue, improves clarity. This will give you a better overall look to pond until plants catchup. If you are going to keep koi, you have to get a filteration system, as you will not be able to keep the number of plants that will work to induce the shade to reduce the algae. You can use an exterior filter/waterfall, they look great and easy to maintain.

[EAST_TX_RN]

Sailfin, you just convinced me to dash my dreams of having an outdoor pond!

[sailfin2]

East TX,
Why?? They are wonderful. The first spring isn't easy until the plants grow up. Mainly because people put too many fish in without enough plants. I love my ponds. It is sooo peaceful the sound of the water running and the fish will eat from your hand. Most people that put a pond under trees cover the pond in the fall with a net to prevent all the leaves from making sludge. Sorry if I dashed your dream:eek: If you start a water garden, let me know, I just divided over 75 water lilies, and can set you up with plants. :D
I have a green thumb outdoors, that turns black for indoors. I even killed a silk plant. Ok, you are probably wondering how you kill a silk plant....... easy..... take it outside to mist it off....... but accidently have hose on full blast..... POOF off go all the Damn Leaves and left with a nice Silk Ficus Tree Stalk, and a Patio full of silk leaves.

[bra8ndy8]

. POOF off go all the Damn Leaves and left with a nice Silk Ficus Tree Stalk, and a Patio full of silk leaves.




LOL ohhh that is funny!!

[EAST_TX_RN]

Sailfin, I live out in the sticks and wanted to put in a koi-pond after we put in our stone patio. I have heard so much about snakes and turtles and now the mess of cleaning and the chemicals you have to use, that I had about decided to just have a fountain instead.
If I do decide to go with a pond, I will talk to you first! Thanks! Oh, and I have a black thumb inside and out!

[bra8ndy8]

pond.......in the sticks....= racoons, not a good thing for a pond!

[fatfutures]

Pond in a dane yard... equals a foamy, slime pit!

I think they would kill a pump!

[AndrewH]

Any suggestions on what type of heater??

From what I can find they're pretty expensive (like $300 to $400). The main problem is you have to overcome a pretty big temperature difference. Inside the house you're looking at heating the water from say 70*F (average air temp inside the house) to say 76*F to 80*F about 6 to 10 degrees. Outside you're looking at a much higher heating capacity, more in the 30*F to 50*F range.

The electric heaters work ok for heating an indoor tank, but once you get past 10*F they become pretty inefficient. It seems most ponds have NG (natural gas) or propane heaters from what I can find.

If you can't find a nice electric (the easiest to use in my opinion) pond heater, you might look for a hotub heater, a baptismal heater, or a livestock drinking trough heater. Maybe you'll find one that'll work.

[EAST_TX_RN]

Yeah, Doc would try and take a bath in it! We used to have a little wading pool for him, and he would stick his head under-water and blow bubbles! I forgot about the coons and stuff that would be attacking any fish! Guess I will stick with a fountain or waterfall!

[lellison]

:welcome: Sorry I'm late to this thread. Glad to have you here~!

[sailfin2]

My Dogs have decided the ponds are nice watering holes. Nothing like trying to get gunk out of long white hair. Even had two puppies decide to play tug of war with a lily.... the lily survived. Once dogs realized the pool is more fun, the leave the ponds alone.
Love going to Petsmart and finding a pretty feeder fish and rescuing him to go to the big pond, not some Oscar's dinner.:) (http://www.dfwfishbox.com/showthread.php?t=2179&page=3#)