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    Thread: Had to do an unscheduled swim with my koi today.

    1. #1
      abuchi123's Avatar
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      Had to do an unscheduled swim with my koi today.

      My bottom drain aerator has been bubbling funny for a while. The dome finally came undone today.

      Let me call that XXXXX contractor.

      Wait, I had no contractor I installed it myself.

      Since I can't blame anyone for this, time to lower the water level and fix the problem. First challenge, walking on slim coated koi pond bottom. So I slid all the way to the bottom drain. Before I can screw the dome back on, I realized that there were rocks and other junk in the bowl. The water level was still too high for me to easily clean the bowl. Time to water ballet back to dry land and pump out more water. Repeated the same drill one more time and finally got everything fix. The only thing fortunate about the whole ordeal was that the dome came loose at the thread so re-installing it wasn't a big deal.

      Now I get to enjoy my "like new" aerator.
      Last edited by abuchi123; 04-11-2014 at 11:01 PM.

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    2. #2
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      Oh my goodness! lol! Glad you got it all fixed, but, lololol, I could just imagine! Next time get a someone to video that!
      I feel for you though, although my problem is not as big a deal, but unless I can fix the water clarity soon I may be in for the same fun. A week ago I gave my koi some orange slices that I brought out in a mesh strainer bowl. Well, Mr.Murphy being the fun guy he is, had me drop that da*m strainer bowl right into the pond. As I watched it sink faster than I could react, I remember thinking...this is gonna be a PITA.

      Well, at least it wasn't December...
      Regards,BarbJ
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    3. #3
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      I did something similar with lemon a while back. I cut up some lemon and threw the pieces in the pond. Murphy's law would have it. The bottom drain was efficient enough that all the lemon were sucked in and stuck in the stop valve. It was another ugly operation to get the lemon out of the valve.

      So how did I know the lemon was in the stop valve? 1) Reduced flow. 2) When I turned on the air blower to backwash my pressurized filter, lots of air came out of my bottom drain. It was another funny and eye rolling moment.
      Last edited by abuchi123; 04-12-2014 at 12:23 AM.

    4. #4
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      What, no pics?
      Aren't you glad you live in SoCal? That water probably felt cold even in your nice climate.

      I'm sorry you had to go through that and thanks for sharing the lemon story. I'll tell you about the bottle I dropped down the return in the Nexus someday. That was pretty ugly too.

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    5. #5
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      And this is the main reason I dislike a fix aerated bottom drain instead of drop airhose line that is easily pull up, clean, replace, and reposition to change current direction. Solved ugly hose being seen by using black hose that blend well with black background of the pond.

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      The water was cold but at least the ambient temperature was around 80F.

    7. #7
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      Quote Originally Posted by Russell Peters View Post
      Was Tyler with you?
      What was Tyler's story?

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      Quote Originally Posted by abuchi123 View Post
      The water was cold but at least the ambient temperature was around 80F.
      I had to fix the bottom drain on my qt a couple winters ago. Ambient temp was about what the qt temp was... 55 degrees.

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    9. #9
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      Quote Originally Posted by sacicu View Post
      And this is the main reason I dislike a fix aerated bottom drain instead of drop airhose line that is easily pull up, clean, replace, and reposition to change current direction. Solved ugly hose being seen by using black hose that blend well with black background of the pond.
      A bottom drain without aerator just isn't nearly as efficient. The upflow of water allows the drain to suck in a lot more stuff.

    10. #10
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      Quote Originally Posted by Marilyn View Post
      I had to fix the bottom drain on my qt a couple winters ago. Ambient temp was about what the qt temp was... 55 degrees.
      What, no video?

      55F!!! You are a real kichi.

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    11. #11
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      Quote Originally Posted by Russell Peters View Post
      He was the one that walked into a breeders tank on one of my trips to Japan.
      I bet Tyler will do it again when he sees another fish that he really likes.

    12. #12
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      That is not true all the time. My aeration in the pond is set up in a way airhose are position on opposite side creating either a clockwise or counterclockwise strong current that creates a vortex sweeping waste easily towards the bottom drain. There is no floating fines, koi gets to exercise if they go in the sides and rest when they go in the middle, and most importantly i have excellent view of my koi.

    13. #13
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      Quote Originally Posted by sacicu View Post
      That is not true all the time. My aeration in the pond is set up in a way airhose are position on opposite side creating either a clockwise or counterclockwise strong current that creates a vortex sweeping waste easily towards the bottom drain. There is no floating fines, koi gets to exercise if they go in the sides and rest when they go in the middle, and most importantly i have excellent view of my koi.
      I am glad your setup works well for you. I wasn't trying to say that aerated bottom drain is the only way to do it. It is just one easy and fool proof way to turbo boost the suction.

    14. #14
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      Hubby had to put ours back on about a week and a half ago.
      Same scenario as yours -- funny bubbles and then it worked itself off, but he was able to screw it back on. His water ballet wasn't pretty.
      Our aerator was covered pretty heavily in carpet algae. We've tried to use a long handled brush to keep the algae off, but it didn't work that well. What do you all do to keep your aerators clear of carpet algae? I have a strong air pump with lots of bubbles.
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      I was just in the pond today too! But to remove the lid off the bottom drain to shop vac trapped crud out... Fun stuff!
      -Brian

    16. #16
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      Quote Originally Posted by Sunfish View Post
      Hubby had to put ours back on about a week and a half ago.
      Same scenario as yours -- funny bubbles and then it worked itself off, but he was able to screw it back on. His water ballet wasn't pretty.
      Our aerator was covered pretty heavily in carpet algae. We've tried to use a long handled brush to keep the algae off, but it didn't work that well. What do you all do to keep your aerators clear of carpet algae? I have a strong air pump with lots of bubbles.
      In the pond I do the same as you, stiff bristled nylon brush. If I can remove it, I soak it in high strength hydrogen peroxide then use the 3M scrubby pads. That works the best by far but removing the diffuser is the nasty part, lol.

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    17. #17
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      Glad you got it fixed and didn't hurt yourself. I have done the start to tiptoe across liner and turning into a water slide ride all the way to the bottom. The only bad part was hitting the back of my head. I go up and down with a big rope tied to a nearby tree now.


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    18. #18
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      Quote Originally Posted by Sunfish View Post
      Hubby had to put ours back on about a week and a half ago.
      Same scenario as yours -- funny bubbles and then it worked itself off, but he was able to screw it back on. His water ballet wasn't pretty.
      Our aerator was covered pretty heavily in carpet algae. We've tried to use a long handled brush to keep the algae off, but it didn't work that well. What do you all do to keep your aerators clear of carpet algae? I have a strong air pump with lots of bubbles.
      I took advantage of the situation this time and scrubbed the aerator clean. It will be harder to do the same when it is many feet away. Use a pool brush, maybe?

    19. #19
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      Your post made me smile a huge smile, because that's exactly the same thing I did yesterday. That gentle decline to the bottom drain felt like a ski slope. Like you, I found a couple of rocks and other debris, like small twigs and a few leaves, trapped in the bowl. Glad we both made it through the experience without a spill! It always amazes me when I get in the pond, just how curious the koi are. They're always there, wanting to see what I'm doing.
      Last edited by Skye; 04-13-2014 at 09:14 PM. Reason: Adding info

    20. #20
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      When I was down in the hole, two thoughts came to my mind. 1) At what age should I stop doing stuff like this? 2) How am I going to climb out of here if I hurt myself?

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