A Koi Pond is just a swimming pool with fish

What frustrated me was all those “so called” experts telling people they need to make their pond natural and that is wishful thinking.

We tried all the experts’ advice…using sand filter, bio filter, UV lights, bacteria, chemicals, etc.  With all those things, we still could not keep our ponds clear. That’s when we decided the experts are wrong.

The problem with Koi ponds is the waste in the water and the experts wait too long to deal with it.  Waste is a combination of fish waste, plant waste (leaves, flowers, etc.) and excess fish food.

The waste produces phosphorous, microbes and dissolved organic carbon, which starts the cycle which creates ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.  The experts wait until the cycle starts and then it is too late.  You need to get the waste out before the cycle starts.

We decided to look at our ponds like a swimming pool with fish.  So what do swimming pools have?

     - A pump that should be able to circulate the entire pond in a few hours

     - A good cartridge type swimming pool filters.

     - An intake, which is a skimmer and bottom drain or bottom intake.

     - A return, which is jets and a water fall.          

Filters are very important.  The best are pressurized swimming pool cartridge filters. They should filter at 20 microns.  Cartridge filters are sized by square foot surface area. You should have filters that equal 6% of the total volume of water in the pond.  (a 5,000 gal. pond x 6% = 300 sq. ft. of surface area.)

Next are intakes…

     - First is a skimmer which will skim the debris off the surface of the water.

     - Second is a bottom drain which will filter the majority of pond water.  The bottom
       drain is important.

Last are returns…

     - A return may be a jet to circulate the water in the pond.  Good circulation is important
       for filtration.

     - A waterfall is great for aeration and adds glamour and tranquility to the pond.

Now that we had a good filter system, we had to deal with what came out of the waste, before it was filtered, which was phosphorous, etc. that is on a microscopic level.  We wanted a product that was safe for humans and fish.  What we found is that water treatment plants use a product called Alum.  Phosphorous binds tightly to the Alum.  The problem was that it sank to the bottom.  We decided to make our own product,  J & A Green-Out, which is nontoxic and algaecide free.  It is so fine in the microscopic level that it floats freely throughout the entire water column.  This greatly improves its ability for clumping of algae, phosphorous, microbes and dissolved organic carbon so that they can be filtered out, thus stopping the cycle of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate before it starts.

Here are some under water pictures of a customer’s pond while I was repairing the aeration system and underwater lights.  The Koi were so curious & friendly, it was truly amazing!

I look forward to your thoughts whether you agree with me or not.  I enjoy talking ponds.