Newbie and frustrated

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I've been to Aquascape site, yet couldn't find any information regarding
what went inside the biofall. If you worry about killing the beneficial
bacteria, try cleaning half of the filter. Then clean the other half 2
weeks later. The other option is to stop feeding the fish, and clean the
filter now. Resume feeding 2 weeks later.
pMy pond had a lot of plants, yet it had pea soup water. It cleared once
my better filter started to function. I had those same green water in an
outdoor aquarium. It remained green until I put in some Water Hyacinth.
Plants alone did not clear the water, the same could be said about filter.
pDon't feel too bad. People with superior filters still have problem
with pea soup. They still need to resort to using UV filter to remove it.
If you want a quick solution, get one installed.
pAs for bacteria products, I have no idea. I've never used them.
pebruvold wrote:
blockquote TYPE=CITEMore information seems in order.
pThe filter  is an Aquascape "BIOFALLS" filter.  The contractor
who put
brit in suggested not to clean that often as it would kill off the
brbenefial bacteria.  I believe the recommendation was to change
out the
brfilter once a year.  It looks generally clean (or at least not
clogged
brand too soiled).
pThe pond gets a LOT of morning shade and then afternoon and evening
brsun.
pI am using supposedly beneficial bacteria - the Aquascape Clear
brbacteria plus SAB enyme.  I haven't tried (but thinking) Barley
(which
bras I understand it I can place either in the pond or in the water
brcourse. I am tyring to get the lillies to cover at least 60% of pond.
brWhat I am trying to figure out is how to make sense of ALL the products
brout on the market.  There seem to be scores of different "bacteria"
brproducts.  Are there any reviews????
pWoudl just like to see the bottom of my pond at some point ;-)/blockquote
/html

"Sean Dinh" wrote in message
...
I've been to Aquascape site, yet couldn't find any information regarding
what went inside the
biofall. If you worry about killing the beneficial bacteria, try cleaning
half of the filter. Then
clean the other half 2 weeks later. The other option is to stop feeding
the fish, and clean the
filter now. Resume feeding 2 weeks later.
snip

Or take the output of your pump and clean the filter outside the pond with
pond water. Put the filter back on-line, and then top your pond off. Minimal
filter death that way.


--
BV
Webporgmaster of iheartmypond.com
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"Sean Dinh" wrote in message
...
I've been to Aquascape site, yet couldn't find any information regarding what
went inside the biofall. If you worry about killing the beneficial bacteria,
try cleaning half of the filter. Then clean the other half 2 weeks later. The
other option is to stop feeding the fish, and clean the filter now. Resume
feeding 2 weeks later.
My pond had a lot of plants, yet it had pea soup water. It cleared once my
better filter started to function. I had those same green water in an outdoor
aquarium. It remained green until I put in some Water Hyacinth. Plants alone
did not clear the water, the same could be said about filter.

Don't feel too bad. People with superior filters still have problem with pea
soup. They still need to resort to using UV filter to remove it. If you want a
quick solution, get one installed.

Hmmm. If the filter is so superior, why do they have pea green soup for water?
I only had this problem once, immediately after I set up my pond three years
ago. I haven't had it since.

As for bacteria products, I have no idea. I've never used them.

They work, and work well.

"George" wrote in message
news:wT9_d.144483$4q6.122051@attbi_s01...
snip
Don't feel too bad. People with superior filters still have problem with
pea
soup. They still need to resort to using UV filter to remove it. If you
want a
quick solution, get one installed.

Hmmm. If the filter is so superior, why do they have pea green soup for
water?
I only had this problem once, immediately after I set up my pond three
years
ago. I haven't had it since.

As for bacteria products, I have no idea. I've never used them.

They work, and work well.


I disagree. I get an algae bloom EVERY YEAR. When the VF takes off, the
water clears within days. My neighbor, who uses a biofilter only, added a VF
last year, and had clear water for the first time.

I am not anti-UV, I just don't have a need for it.


--
BV
Webporgmaster of iheartmypond.com
http://www.iheartmypond.com
Help IHeartMyPond.com, by doing all of your eBay shopping via our
eBay Affiliate Link: http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-1609574-10357516.
It doesn't cost you anything, but an extra click!

"Benign Vanilla" wrote in message
...

"George" wrote in message
news:wT9_d.144483$4q6.122051@attbi_s01...
snip
Don't feel too bad. People with superior filters still have problem with
pea
soup. They still need to resort to using UV filter to remove it. If you
want a
quick solution, get one installed.

Hmmm. If the filter is so superior, why do they have pea green soup for
water?
I only had this problem once, immediately after I set up my pond three
years
ago. I haven't had it since.

As for bacteria products, I have no idea. I've never used them.

They work, and work well.


I disagree. I get an algae bloom EVERY YEAR. When the VF takes off, the
water clears within days. My neighbor, who uses a biofilter only, added a VF
last year, and had clear water for the first time.

I am not anti-UV, I just don't have a need for it.

Veggie filters are the way to go, if you have room for it. I don't so I use a
biofilter. It works. Perhaps you had a bad experience with it. I haven't. Of
course you are going to have some algae every year, especially at the end of
winter/early spring. That is a given since the veggies are perking up yet,
there is less shade, and the bacteria is still dormant. That changes within a
few weeks, and I can live with that. I never get pea soup algae. I always get
a little string algae in the early spring. But that is neither unsual, nor
unhealthy for the pond.

I disagree. I get an algae bloom EVERY YEAR.

Let's see, this is like year 2 for you, isn't it?

I don't use a UV, have a great bio-filter on the koi pond (10 yo), have no
fish in the lily pond (5 yo). No suspended algae. I don't think your pond
has matured enough, I bet your will see, if you control the fish load, that
you'll have less and less algae bloom as the pond matures. ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

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They are superior in term of ammonia and nitrite removal. There is still
nitrate left.
pGeorge wrote:
blockquote TYPE=CITEHmmm.  If the filter is so superior, why do
they have pea green soup for water?
brI only had this problem once, immediately after I set up my pond three
years
brago. I haven't had it since./blockquote
/html

"Sean Dinh" wrote in message
...
They are superior in term of ammonia and nitrite removal. There is still
nitrate left.
George wrote:

Hmmm. If the filter is so superior, why do they have pea green soup for
water?
I only had this problem once, immediately after I set up my pond three years
ago. I haven't had it since.

I might experiment with a possible nitrate solution this year. If you're a
marine aquarium buff, and I am, then you know that everyone is moving completely
away from artificial filtration and moving to natural filters. What this means
is getting rid of all the foam, bioballs, and most any other filter media that
convert ammonia and nitrites to nitrates. What is substituted for these are a
refugium (garden pond people are already doing this with veggie filters), live
rock, and thick sea sand on the bottom with a current flowing over it. The idea
of using the sand substrate for filtration (without using the terrible
undergravel filters that suck up all the gunk in the tank and then let it
decompose on the bottom, adding to the nitrate problem) is that sea sand acts as
a nitrate filter, because the water flow through it is very slow compared to
other filters. With a current flowing over top of the sand (as you wold have in
a natural stream), a slow current is induced in the sand. So it allows for the
growth bacteria that will utilize the nitrates. These bacteria also grow in the
live rock. I know that everyone is against placing rock or any substrate in the
bottom of their ponds for various reasons. What I plan to do is to change the
setup on my main filter by pulling it completely out of the pond (the filter
material is all from porous rock). This will allow more room for the fish to
move around in. It will also allow me to build a fresh water reef on top of an
8 inch coarse, dark sand base. The final modification will be to divert some of
the outflow from the primary filter to allow it to flow slowly over the sand
base and more strongly across the reef structure (this might involve getting a
bigger pump, or a second pump). It works very well for sal****er tanks, so I'm
strongly considering trying this method.

Hi George,

the only major problem I see atm is hydrogen sulfide gas.
You would need a serious degassing tower to remove it fast.

I have rocks and kitty litter in my pond. I'm hoping the 3
Dojo Loach are digging around there to reduce hydrogen
sulfide gas accumulation.

As for nitrate reduction, the simplest is to use a 4' tall
Trickle Tower outside the pond. Since you don't have any
plants in your pond, you won't worry about TT being too
efficient in removing nitrate. Only people like me worry
about having too little nitrate for our water plants.

George wrote:
I might experiment with a possible nitrate solution this year. If you're a
marine aquarium buff, and I am, then you know that everyone is moving completely
away from artificial filtration and moving to natural filters. What this means
is getting rid of all the foam, bioballs, and most any other filter media that
convert ammonia and nitrites to nitrates. What is substituted for these are a
refugium (garden pond people are already doing this with veggie filters), live
rock, and thick sea sand on the bottom with a current flowing over it. The idea
of using the sand substrate for filtration (without using the terrible
undergravel filters that suck up all the gunk in the tank and then let it
decompose on the bottom, adding to the nitrate problem) is that sea sand acts as
a nitrate filter, because the water flow through it is very slow compared to
other filters. With a current flowing over top of the sand (as you wold have in
a natural stream), a slow current is induced in the sand. So it allows for the
growth bacteria that will utilize the nitrates. These bacteria also grow in the
live rock. I know that everyone is against placing rock or any substrate in the
bottom of their ponds for various reasons. What I plan to do is to change the
setup on my main filter by pulling it completely out of the pond (the filter
material is all from porous rock). This will allow more room for the fish to
move around in. It will also allow me to build a fresh water reef on top of an
8 inch coarse, dark sand base. The final modification will be to divert some of
the outflow from the primary filter to allow it to flow slowly over the sand
base and more strongly across the reef structure (this might involve getting a
bigger pump, or a second pump). It works very well for sal****er tanks, so I'm
strongly considering trying this method.

"Sean Dinh" wrote in message
...
Hi George,

the only major problem I see atm is hydrogen sulfide gas.
You would need a serious degassing tower to remove it fast.

I have rocks and kitty litter in my pond. I'm hoping the 3
Dojo Loach are digging around there to reduce hydrogen
sulfide gas accumulation.

As for nitrate reduction, the simplest is to use a 4' tall
Trickle Tower outside the pond. Since you don't have any
plants in your pond, you won't worry about TT being too
efficient in removing nitrate. Only people like me worry
about having too little nitrate for our water plants.

I do have plants in my pond. I have lillies, irises, and cattails. I don't
have room for a veggie filter. Trickle towers have been shown to produce more
nitrates than they digest (they aren't actually designed to digest nitrates
anyway, contrary to some advertisements seen on aquarium supplier web sites.
They were designed for CO2-O2 gas exchange and to provide a habitat for nitrite
and ammonia reducing bacteria, which tend to convert these compounds into
nitrates), which is why marine aquarium enthusiasts are moving completely away
from them and any mechanical filtration. As for hydrogen sulphide gas buildup,
it is true that this could be an issue. However, if oxygenated water is blown
over the sand bed and around the reef, and one periodically stirs it up, it
shouldn't be too much of a problem. It doesn't seem to be a problem in marine
aquariums, which tend to produce more gases than freshwater environments. The
key is not to let the sand bed go stagnent. Since the bacteria that will be
living in the sand bed and in the water will break down any detritus very
rapidly, and because sand is very porous , any gases produced will out-gas and
be washed out by the water flowing over the sand at a slow rate and be exchanged
in the main filter and on the waterfall with oxygenated water. In addition, the
sand will become a habitat for lots of critters which will no doubt continuously
bore into it. This is good, since it will disturb the bed and help keep it
oxygenated. In addition, since many of these critters reproduce rapidly, the
fish will root around in the sand bed looking for a tasty meal, disturbing the
sand bed even more, adding oxygen to the sand, and reducing the cost of fish
food. All of this is in theory, of course, since I don't know of anyone who has
tried this yet for garden fish ponds. This is why it is an experiment. I
recently (2 months ago)added a refugium to my marine aquarium (which has
macroalgae, live sand, and losts of snails and copopods in it) and added an
additional two inches of live sand to the main tank (for a total of five
inches). The water in my reef tank has remained nitrate-free ever since. The
trick is going to be how to evenly distribute the oxygenated water over the sand
without causing it to become suspended in the water and pile up somewhere. I'm
working on a model for that right now.

George wrote:
I might experiment with a possible nitrate solution this year. If you're a
marine aquarium buff, and I am, then you know that everyone is moving
completely
away from artificial filtration and moving to natural filters. What this
means
is getting rid of all the foam, bioballs, and most any other filter media
that
convert ammonia and nitrites to nitrates. What is substituted for these are
a
refugium (garden pond people are already doing this with veggie filters),
live
rock, and thick sea sand on the bottom with a current flowing over it. The
idea
of using the sand substrate for filtration (without using the terrible
undergravel filters that suck up all the gunk in the tank and then let it
decompose on the bottom, adding to the nitrate problem) is that sea sand acts
as
a nitrate filter, because the water flow through it is very slow compared to
other filters. With a current flowing over top of the sand (as you wold have
in
a natural stream), a slow current is induced in the sand. So it allows for
the
growth bacteria that will utilize the nitrates. These bacteria also grow in
the
live rock. I know that everyone is against placing rock or any substrate in
the
bottom of their ponds for various reasons. What I plan to do is to change
the
setup on my main filter by pulling it completely out of the pond (the filter
material is all from porous rock). This will allow more room for the fish to
move around in. It will also allow me to build a fresh water reef on top of
an
8 inch coarse, dark sand base. The final modification will be to divert some
of
the outflow from the primary filter to allow it to flow slowly over the sand
base and more strongly across the reef structure (this might involve getting
a
bigger pump, or a second pump). It works very well for sal****er tanks, so
I'm
strongly considering trying this method.