Do y'all do water changes in your pond? If so, how, how much, and how often? That's a LOT of buckets to carry! *oh, my achin' back!*
Water changes in a pond?
- Thread starter PallasAthena
- Start date
Indoor or outdoor pond? I have two koi/goldfish ponds outside I just use the garden hose to replace the water that evaporates or gets diverted when the waterfall clogs. I haven't cleaned either pond in several years but I have a ton of water plants that keep my water crystal clear. Not sure about indoor ponds but if I were you I would invest in a python asap and use that to do my water changes with. Much, much easier.
HTH,
HTH,
Outdoor pond. New sod means I can't just toss the water out. It has to be carried to the french drain on the other side of the yard.
If its outdoor I wouldn't worry too much about it. Where do you live? I am in KY and the weather is getting cooler so the fish are starting to shut down for the winter. I have lots of water plants, waterfalls and no filters on the pump - I have lava rock in the waterfall catch basin for bio - haven't had any problems in years. I put swords and guppies in them in warmer weather and bring them in, in the fall. I have never done a "water change" but I have had to add water every few days due to evaporation in the hot weather and some times my waterfalls cause water to be diverted out of the pond.
HTH,
HTH,
I am lucky as mine has a plug--unplug, let water drain to whatever level, re-insert plug. For yours, why not get a length of flexible tubing and let some syphoning action do the draining for you? Set a timer or something so you don't go off to make dinner and come back to an empty pond, though 
That way you can move the end of your syphon hose around the yard and do a little watering of plants at the same time. When I do change water, I let it drain maybe a quarter of the total depth, add enough Prime to the pond to treat the ENTIRE water volume, and then refill with the garden hose. If I remember right it is something like 5 ml per 50 gallons, so it takes 65 ml for the entire pond, which is less than half a cup, and if you measure it in a measuring cup instead of dumping a zillion capfuls in, it goes pretty painlessly. I usually put the prime in right at the filter, because it will go right up the fountain and get mixed in the water the fastest that way. I keep the hose end as far away from the filter as possible when I refill, as the untreated water does contain chlorine and I don't want to nuke the beneficial bacteria. Havent had any water change issues, but I don't do a change very often. Last time I did was actually to cool the water a little, as we had had 110 degree weather for a few days in a row and it was getting pretty warm in there.
Jen
That way you can move the end of your syphon hose around the yard and do a little watering of plants at the same time. When I do change water, I let it drain maybe a quarter of the total depth, add enough Prime to the pond to treat the ENTIRE water volume, and then refill with the garden hose. If I remember right it is something like 5 ml per 50 gallons, so it takes 65 ml for the entire pond, which is less than half a cup, and if you measure it in a measuring cup instead of dumping a zillion capfuls in, it goes pretty painlessly. I usually put the prime in right at the filter, because it will go right up the fountain and get mixed in the water the fastest that way. I keep the hose end as far away from the filter as possible when I refill, as the untreated water does contain chlorine and I don't want to nuke the beneficial bacteria. Havent had any water change issues, but I don't do a change very often. Last time I did was actually to cool the water a little, as we had had 110 degree weather for a few days in a row and it was getting pretty warm in there. Jen
I'm doing a water change right now... It's raining.
Other than topping off evap. and water my dogs drink, I don't do any water changes. I do use my pond water to water my Hosta's in the summer, but maybe only 50-100 gals, per week. So really I guess that is a small water change, 5-8%. I just put the hose in the pond and grab a coldie to refill. No buckets. Why not use the pond water on the lawn and plants? They will love it.
Other than topping off evap. and water my dogs drink, I don't do any water changes. I do use my pond water to water my Hosta's in the summer, but maybe only 50-100 gals, per week. So really I guess that is a small water change, 5-8%. I just put the hose in the pond and grab a coldie to refill. No buckets. Why not use the pond water on the lawn and plants? They will love it.
I have two ponds, one inground 1000 and one above ground 850. I do 20% water changes monthly. Especially in the spring it stimulates spawning. I always add ChloramX and a little baking soda to dechlor and keep my PH stable. Ponds are a fish toilet. Water changes help immensely. Bigger ponds are less likely to be so especially if heavily planted and the pond is balanced. Smaller ponds, like mine are more so and need water changes. I use a pondovac to do my changes. Just my opinion but I change my aquarium water..same deal.
Carla
Carla
Thanks for the input everyone. I was reading some of the stickies in the goldfish disease folder and freaking out a little. It's 180 gallons, lots of plants, a good coating of algae, and everything is looking really good. The trouble with dumping water on my grass is it's new sod so it's feeling a little sensitive. By the summer it shouldn't be an issue.
I guess I won't really have much of a slow-down since I live in coastal california and we only really have 2 seasons: gorgeous and completely gorgeous.
That's a good tip Jennie Beth to treat for the entire volume. I haven't been doing that so I will start. I don't have Prime. I have one called T.S. something or other. Hopefully that's not terrible? I asked for Prime at my LFS and they didn't know what I was talking about. I needed something straightaway so I picked up that.
I guess I won't really have much of a slow-down since I live in coastal california and we only really have 2 seasons: gorgeous and completely gorgeous.
That's a good tip Jennie Beth to treat for the entire volume. I haven't been doing that so I will start. I don't have Prime. I have one called T.S. something or other. Hopefully that's not terrible? I asked for Prime at my LFS and they didn't know what I was talking about. I needed something straightaway so I picked up that.
I hook up hose to my submersible fountain pump...then water the nearby plants with it. Then replace the water add prime and I'm golden. Buckets are now for collecting dust.
Hello,
The reason for carrying out a partial water change is to add minerals to a pond that may not have had the benefit of regular clay treatments. If you're from a hard water area, then a regular water change will help to refresh the mineral content of your pond.
The reason for carrying out a partial water change is to add minerals to a pond that may not have had the benefit of regular clay treatments. If you're from a hard water area, then a regular water change will help to refresh the mineral content of your pond.