Barley Straw turned my pond water brown

[Granny Grump]

but at least it is no longer pea soup green!

Now, what can I add to my Skippy filter, or pond, to remove the brown
tint?

[Lostin1999]

"Granny Grump" > wrote in message
...
> but at least it is no longer pea soup green!
>
> Now, what can I add to my Skippy filter, or pond, to remove the brown
> tint?

Time!!!!

HTH

Lost

[Granny Grump]

>Time!!!!

Anything else? Would really like to see my fish, on the bottom, at
least a few times this year :)

[Gareee©]

"Granny Grump" > wrote in message
...
>
> >Time!!!!
>
> Anything else? Would really like to see my fish, on the bottom, at
> least a few times this year :)

Hey, I'm in the same boat.. did we use too much barley straw, or what?


--
Gareee©
Homepage:
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Custom Figures, Wallpapers and more!

[Jim]

>did we use too much barley straw, or what?

How dark is the water? I use Barley bales and they give my water a
brown tint, but the water is still clear to the bottom.

Jim
Zone 8a - Dallas, Texas
Pond, Veggie Filter, Pond Maintenance & Pond Tour Pics:
http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248

[Gareee©]

"Jim" > wrote in message
...
> >did we use too much barley straw, or what?
>
> How dark is the water? I use Barley bales and they give my water a
> brown tint, but the water is still clear to the bottom.

we just used two of the barley straw "pads" in ours, and they are about 10
inches square, woven.

Our pond is 12x12 by about 2-3 feet deep.


--
Gareee©
Homepage:
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Custom Figures, Wallpapers and more!

[Jim]

>we just used two of the barley straw "pads" in ours,
>and they are about 10 inches square, woven.
>Our pond is 12x12 by about 2-3 feet deep.

Two Barley pads should have changed the water to a tea color. If your
pond is an opaque or murky brown, I would think something else caused
the problem.

Jim
Zone 8a - Dallas, Texas
Pond, Veggie Filter, Pond Maintenance & Pond Tour Pics:
http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248

[Granny Grump]

>How dark is the water? I use Barley bales and they give my water a
>brown tint, but the water is still clear to the bottom.

I used barley pellets.

Maybe it's real dark tea brown because the pellets reacts faster than
the straw does.

[Granny Grump]

>Hey, I'm in the same boat.. did we use too much barley straw, or what?

Nahhhh, think it's because the pellets rot so much faster than the
straw.

Will stick with straw the next time around...

[Mike Patterson]

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 13:10:22 -0500, Granny Grump
> wrote:

>but at least it is no longer pea soup green!
>
>Now, what can I add to my Skippy filter, or pond, to remove the brown
>tint?


Wait.

It did the same when i first put a bag in my ~1300 gallon pond. After
a week or so the particulates settled and were filtered out.


Mike Patterson
Please remove the spamtrap to email me.
"I always wanted to be somebody. I should have been more specific..."

[Carl Beyer]

You put the barley pellets in a mesh bag? Even better I have found is
if you put it in the leg of pantyhose. Keeps the particles from
floating around even more.

Carl

--
--
http://www.cobaltbluefilms.com

[Granny Grump]

>You put the barley pellets in a mesh bag? Even better I have found is
>if you put it in the leg of pantyhose. Keeps the particles from
>floating around even more.

Err ummm no, just tossed them in the filter. (What can I say, it was
the first Skippy filter I ever made. LOL)

Won't do that again! Have 6 (1#) bales of barley straw coming this
week, and will put it in a knee-high stocking when I use one. :)

[Stephen M. Henning]

Granny Grump > wrote:

> but at least it is no longer pea soup green!
>
> Now, what can I add to my Skippy filter, or pond, to remove the brown
> tint?

A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and the same color.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

[Granny Grump]

>A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and the same color.

LOL then mine is over balanced, since it is brown instead of amber.

[Karen Mullen]

In article >, Granny Grump
> writes:

>Err ummm no, just tossed them in the filter. (What can I say, it was
>the first Skippy filter I ever made. LOL)
>
>Won't do that again! Have 6 (1#) bales of barley straw coming this
>week, and will put it in a knee-high stocking when I use one. :)
>

try adding a layer or two of cotton batting before the water returns to the
pond. it catches fine particulates

Karen
Zone 5
Ashland, OH
http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html
My Art Studio at
http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K.M.Studios/K.M.Studios.html
for email remove the extra extention

[chagoi]

Granny Grump wrote:
>>A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and the same color.
>
>
> LOL then mine is over balanced, since it is brown instead of amber.
>

No! Yours' is just exceptionallly well balanced, It's Brown like
Guinness!!!

Speaking of which, I have one for you!


/\/\ike
Chagoi
http://ourkoipond.com

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

>> Now, what can I add to my Skippy filter, or pond, to remove the brown
>> tint?

Water changes or carbon matting in the filter, which can be purchased thru
www.aquaticeco.com ~ jan

See my ponds thru the seasons and/or my filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Defrosted~
Tri-Cities, WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

[Granny Grump]

>try adding a layer or two of cotton batting before the water returns to the
>pond. it catches fine particulates

Planning on doing this when I make filter #2.

Will add this to filter one, next spring :)

[Granny Grump]

>Water changes or carbon matting in the filter, which can be purchased thru
>www.aquaticeco.com

Water changes was what I was thinking... will add carbon next Spring.

[Granny Grump]

>No! Yours' is just exceptionallly well balanced, It's Brown like
>Guinness!!!
>
>Speaking of which, I have one for you!

Thanks, but no....

[Newbie Bill]

Then why do some people speak of 'crystal clear' water in their ponds? -
question not an arguement.
Bill

"Stephen M. Henning" wrote > A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and
the same color.

[Gail Futoran]

"Granny Grump" > wrote in
message ...

"chagoi" > wrote in
> >No! Yours' is just exceptionallly well balanced, It's
Brown like
> >Guinness!!!
> >
> >Speaking of which, I have one for you!
>
> Thanks, but no....

::Gail waving both hands in the air:: Toss
that Guinness to me!! :) I had my very
first stout in a London pub. YUM!

But on topic: this is a neat thread because I
recently purchased barley pellets but hadn't
used them yet. So I now know:
(1) they'll turn my water brown-ish (no real
problem for me, since I figure it will go
away eventually)
(2) use panty hose as a container

Thanks, all.

Gail

[Lostin1999]

"Granny Grump" > wrote in message
...
>
> >Time!!!!
>
> Anything else? Would really like to see my fish, on the bottom, at
> least a few times this year :)
>

I believe the "tea" colour should fade out over a few days... however I
only use straw never used the pellets...

apparently the liquid does away with any of this.. (although IMHO the
chemicals used to extract the Barley straw goodness might be a BAD thing for
the pond!)

but ill stick with straw methinks...

Lost

[Granny Grump]

>I believe the "tea" colour should fade out over a few days... however I
>only use straw never used the pellets...

Been over a week, and the tea color just gets darker.

>apparently the liquid does away with any of this.. (although IMHO the
>chemicals used to extract the Barley straw goodness might be a BAD thing for
>the pond!)
>
>but ill stick with straw methinks...

I just got my ebay barley straw bales in the mail today, so am ready
for Skippy #2! Speaking of this, the seller will sell these bales
without going thoiugh an auction... send email to
grannygrump*loricase.com and I will send you his name and email
addy.... (the * = @)

I will know then if it was/is the pellets that tinted my water.

[Crashj]

"Stephen M. Henning" > wrote in message >...
> Granny Grump > wrote:
>
> > but at least it is no longer pea soup green!
> >
> > Now, what can I add to my Skippy filter, or pond, to remove the brown
> > tint?
>
> A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and the same color.

For certain values of "fine beer" that seem to include Budweiser?

BTW, did you hear that Coors is merging with Molson? The new company
will be called "Cr*pson."
--
Crashj

[RichToyBox]

For the best viewing of the fish, the good whites, the strong reds, the
laquer blacks, and the other colors, you would like to see them as brilliant
at the bottom as at the top. So some speak of having, desiring "gin" clear
water, not like beer.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
"Newbie Bill" > wrote in message
om...
>
> Then why do some people speak of 'crystal clear' water in their ponds? -
> question not an arguement.
> Bill
>
> "Stephen M. Henning" wrote > A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and
> the same color.
>
>

[Stephen M. Henning]

Newbie Bill" > wrote:

> Then why do some people speak of 'crystal clear' water in their ponds? -
> question not an arguement.
>
> "Stephen M. Henning" wrote > A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and
> the same color.

Because their pond in not in equilibrium with nature. It is more like
the efluent of a sewage treatment plant. That water is also crystal
clear and you can drink it. I have no filters, I just let nature
naturally keep my water in balance. You wouldn't want to drink it but
you can see the bottom very easily. Since it is spring fed, it clouds
up after very heavy rains, but completely clears (ambers) up in 24 to 48
hours.

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Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
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[Karen Mullen]

In article >, Granny Grump
> writes:

>Been over a week, and the tea color just gets darker.

any chance there are leaves in the pond turning it brown?

Karen
Zone 5
Ashland, OH
http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html
My Art Studio at
http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K.M.Studios/K.M.Studios.html
for email remove the extra extention

[Granny Grump]

>any chance there are leaves in the pond turning it brown?

No. Nothing but fish in the pond...

[Stephen M. Henning]

Granny Grump > wrote:

> No. Nothing but fish in the pond...

That is the problem. You need lots of plants and enzymes.

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[Granny Grump]

>> No. Nothing but fish in the pond...
>
>That is the problem. You need lots of plants and enzymes.

You missed my early post.

It is the barley straw pellets, that I put in my SKIPPY Veggie Filte
(which is full of plants), that have caused the water to turn brown.

[Stephen M. Henning]

Granny Grump > wrote:

> >> No. Nothing but fish in the pond...
> >
> >That is the problem. You need lots of plants and enzymes.
>
> You missed my early post.
>
> It is the barley straw pellets, that I put in my SKIPPY Veggie Filte
> (which is full of plants), that have caused the water to turn brown.

I use real barley straw, a whole bale of it, and don't have this problem.

--
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[Granny Grump]

>I use real barley straw, a whole bale of it, and don't have this problem.

I have just gotten 6 1# pound bales, so will use these from now on.

In the meantime, a partial water change will be done, and I think I
will hang a charcoal filter from my aquarium in front of the drain
hole.

[Stephen M. Henning]

"Newbie Bill" > wrote:
> Then why do some people speak of 'crystal clear' water in their ponds? -
> question not an arguement.

Because it is not in balance. It is forced to be clear by filtering,
not by natural balance. My pond is in natural balance with no filtering
at all. The water is extremely clear, but has a slight yellowing-brown
cast. It is 3' to 4' deep.

> "Stephen M. Henning" wrote:
> A well balanced pond is like a fine beer and
> the same color.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

[~ jan JJsPond.us]

>"Newbie Bill" > wrote:
>> Then why do some people speak of 'crystal clear' water in their ponds? -
>> question not an arguement.
>
>Because it is not in balance. It is forced to be clear by filtering,
>not by natural balance. My pond is in natural balance with no filtering
>at all. The water is extremely clear, but has a slight yellowing-brown
>cast. It is 3' to 4' deep.
>> "Stephen M. Henning" wrote:

They may not be balanced "naturally" but they are still balanced. The
filters add the additional surface area for the higher fish load, to make
them so. There is no "forcing" because a pond that is filtered isn't always
balanced, clear or quality-wise. ~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website