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Filters who needs them?
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Posted by chris11 essex england (My Page) on Thu, Nov 10, 05 at 16:29
I've just got home after five months away (wasn't in prison) and my pond's a mess. One of my pumps has seized, rendering the whole filter system inoperative. A major rethink on the filter system is in order. I haven't tested the water yet, afraid to know how bad the water has got. But the startling thing is the fish seem to have thrived without working filtration, even growing very well. Out of fifteen fish only two seem to have health problems, and not major ones at that. They are all still eating well, six large hand fulls a day. For the last couple of months the pond has had a couple of hundred gallon water changes per week and a dose of 'Klear' weekly. Perhaps a mature pond ecosystem along with good planting and aeration is a good back up to a filter system. What do you think, koi are hardier than common perception, a mature pond with assisted aeration acts as an acceptable filter even with artificialy high stock density?
Kazzie, the ghost looks massive. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Filters who needs them?
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- Posted by Kazzie SE England (My Page) on
Fri, Nov 11, 05 at 15:30
| Sorry to hear you've come home to pond problems, but great that fish are OK. I'm sending you an email. |
RE: Filters who needs them?
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- Posted by AJC_1 8 the fens (My Page) on
Sat, Nov 12, 05 at 9:57
| Hi Chris, sorry to hear that, that is one of the draw backs of having a pump out filter system, they need regular checking, so makes going away for any length of time risky! But you are an experienced koi keeper, so you will now how to sort any probs out, I doubt it will be as bad as you think, but you know yourself you need a filter lol just as well we have dry weather this weekend, you can freeze ya hands off sortin it lol |
RE: Filters who needs them?
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| Been a while since I been on here, slow ponding times right now. Chris, I would think the water changes were helping keep the water clean and filters are working on a minimum this time of year. If your pond isn't heated then I wouldn't be feeding at all right now. You're never going to keep koi healthy and happy without a filter, it's not there natural environment and it needs work to keep them content. I recently cleaned all the filters, stopped feeding and did a little pp dose to keep bacteria down for winter. What problems have those two fish got? I'd expect red spots and bacterial problems this time of year through personal experiance. If you get the water good again and kill off any bacteria, which likely built up from you not being there to keep it clean, you should be fine. Maybe salt to 0.1% till spring just to be safe. Hopefully you sorted it all out already anyway. |
RE: Filters who needs them?
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Hi Mark,
The problems aren't critical. I've got the filter system working at 50% and waiting for delivery of a new pump. The two koi with problems aren't too bad, one has scraped some scales off her side, but seems like it's well on the way too healing. The other is a bit worse with an infection in his left pec fin. I caught him for a closer look but hadn't got any suitable treatment to hand. He seems ok at the moment, feeding and swimming with the rest of the gang. I'll buy some treatment, trim and treat the fin this weekend. My pond is heated which will help with his recovery.
Chris. |
RE: Filters who needs them?
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Update to pond problems;
New pump fitted and filter system back to 100%.
Io-Sal to treat infection on order, should arrive tomorrow.
Pond at 14'c despite the freezing weather.
Hopefully things will return to normal soon.
Chris. |
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