Ponds Water Pump
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Pond water getting a bit green despite filter & pump?
Can I run hose pipe water into my pond?
Is it harmful, thanks.
Test it how?
Test that water first. I personally use water straight from the hose because I have well water and know my water quality is ideal without conditioner. Otherwise I would not recommend it.
Water becomes green due to excess light and/or nutrients. Obviously with a pond you can't avoid exposure to the sun, unless you construct some sort of shelter above the pond, but you can avoid the nutrient side of this-
-Always remove uneaten food.
-Be sure that your pond is not overstocked.
-Net any leaves that fall into the pond.
-Be certain that your filter is up to par for your tank size.
-Regularly test your water quality- high nitrates encourage algae growth.
-Or, the best possibility, which is what I did, is to purchase a uv sterilizer.
~A water quality test kit. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine, hardness, pH, etc. Most pet stores offer free water testing, but I would recommend purchasing a kit of your own.
Once the pond water goes through the filtering process, it's got to get back into the pond, right? Right.
How do we do this?
Traditionally in Koi pond build designs, a pipe is installed into the side of the pond. A jet of water comes out of the pipe to circulate air into the pond. That's easy enough to understand, right? Good.
The problem with this system (you knew it was coming, didn't you?) is that a pipe sticking out of anywhere is just another opportunity for your fish to find something to hurt themselves with.
Not that Koi are masochistic - it's just that during a feeding or spawning frenzy, they tend to get excited and well, they might just not see the pipe.
An alternative to this Koi-kabob nightmare is to incorporate a Koi pond build design that cuts the pipe flush to the wall opposite to the skimmer and settlement chamber. Problem solved.
One of the most effective ways to oxygenate the pond water is through a venturi. Most Koi keepers use this method of getting oxygen back into the pond water.
What is a Venturi?
Simply put, a venturi is a small pipe. One end of it is attached to the water return pipe close to where it shoots the water into the pond. The other end of the venturi is exposed to the air.
As the water flows through the return pipe from the filter, it sucks air down the venturi, mixing oxygen into the water that's going back into the pond. It's a very efficient Koi pond build design and an effective way of oxygenating the pond water using nothing but the flow rate and applying the laws of physics.
The faster the water flows through the return pipe, the more air is sucked in and mixed into the water.
Keeping that in mind, if the venturi isn't properly placed, you might not be able to see your fish because of all the bubbles produced by the pipe. Also, venturis can also produce a lot of noise - but that can be fixed by plugging the air end of the tube with a piece of low-density foam. The foam still lets the air in but muffles the noise - oh, and it keeps the bugs from falling in and clogging the pipes.
We recommend a Koi pond build design using a dedicated air pump for aeration of your pond water for two reasons:
1. Having a dedicated air pump ensures water oxygenation even when the main pump fails. It's heartbreaking to lose your fish to a pump failure that could have been prevented by installing a dedicated air pump.
2. You can put it anywhere. You can position the pump so that it is camouflaged and still delivering an adequate amount of oxygen into the water. The best part is you can adjust the positioning of the pump so that your view of your beautiful fish is completely unobstructed.
You Can't Have Too Much Air...or can you?
A Koi pond build design that incorporates a lot of air getting into the pond is good. It keeps the Koi happy, the plants happy, and everything else happy. But do not, under any circumstances, induce pressurized air into the system!
How does air get pressurized? Sometimes when a pump sucks air in, it compresses the air into the water. This ends up super saturating the water. When breathed in by fish, super saturated water releases tiny gas bubbles inside the body of the fish.
These bubbles end up clogging fine capillaries in the fins, which leads to fin rot, and other bacterial infections that should be avoided.
So make sure your pump is working properly and not sucking air in.
Water Returns and Dead Spots in a Koi pond build design.
Taking advantage of the natural flow of water returning to the pond through the return pipes to help circulate the water in the pond is a generally a good thing. But like everything else about Koi keeping, there are stipulations to this seemingly simple idea.
First, pick a direction that you want water to circulate and point the return pipes that way. Remember not to position your pipes too shallow or too deep. You can end up with dead spots in your pond - areas where water doesn't move so it turns stagnant.
An ideal depth for the water return pipe in a Koi pond build design is about 300-600mm below the water surface. This is also a great depth for helping clean out "tricky" areas where solid waste tends to build up.
Position your deep water return pipe so that it is not aimed directly at the bottom drains because you're going to end up re-filtering the same water over and over again while the rest of the pond gets stagnant.
A really fun "side effect" of having a deep water return pipe is that the Koi can use it as an underwater treadmill. Koi love to swim against the current and the pipe gives them just that. Please remember that Koi "slow down" in winter and may get annoyed if the current is too strong.
The main goal in your Koi pond build design is to re-circulate or turn over the pond water at a consistent rate to avoid over-taxing the filtration system. The fun part just comes naturally.
Jessica Arons specializes in Koi fish care and is currently working with the Koi Fish School team. For more great Koi Pond Build design advice visit The Koi Fish School today.
