I looked at the Matala filters online last night. Rather than spending another $200 plus, I wonder if I may be able to use the Aqua Scape filter I have running in the backyard right now, since no fish are resident? The question I'd like to pose to this group is if I can basically "plug and play" (moving the filter from the backyard to the garage) and whether the fish would suffer from any differences in the water chemistry? The biggest difference I can think of in water chemistry, five days now after moving them into the tub, is that I did a roughly 10% water change in the tub two days ago. Thanks all.
How is ammonia trapped in a submersible foam filter?
No reason I can think of why you couldn't move it but I think the concentration of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate will be higher
in a smaller tank than the pond so it may not be able to perform as it did before. I'd still keep a close eye on those parameters until
you know how well it keeps up.
Does the pond have a way to circulate without the filter? I wouldn't want it to sit stagnant all winter and then try and restart it in the spring.
[QUOTE=icu2;2646457]How is ammonia trapped in a submersible foam filter?
all the food and waste just sits in the pond. when you pull the submersible filter out all kinds of junk comes out of it also. I've used submersible filters but as stand alone never had luck keeping ammonia at 0. may be it was just to small.
maybe he could just make a small filter out of 5 gallon bucket
My pond actually has two systems running simultaneously: there's the AquaScape skimmer and BioFalls filter that's been in place since day 1 (August 21st) and then in later September I installed the AS Aquaforce submersible pond pump an Ultraklean Pond Filter with UV. I added the second unit primarily for the UV benefits to fight algae in the water, which worked quite well. It's the AF Pond Pump and Ultraklean Filter that I would bring into the garage, thereby keeping the skimmer/biofalls filter running throughout the winter. Thoughts? And thanks!
I'm not sure of your leaf load but know most of my big maples are done but the japanese maple still has awhile before it's
done dropping leaves, so be sure there's not debris sitting on the bottom without the sub pump... but I think that should work
fine as long as the parameters are watched.
Thank you Steve.
This discussion of my filters takes me to a bigger question I've been musing about for a while - and that's the potential for a total redo of my system next year. If anyone has followed my other posts, it's easy to see that I made a lot of rookie mistakes in the build of my current pond a mere three months ago. I'm toying with the idea of going much deeper next year (for both reasons of raccoon and heron deterrence, as well as for proper fish load) but am trying to be thoughtful about this whole thing and not make any knee-jerk decisions. Part of my thinking about a rebuild centers around putting in a real filtration system if I redo the pond. If I do that, however, I want to know if there's anything out there that I can leave unattended for two weeks plus, at a time, while we do retirement and travel activities. Thanks again all. And if anyone thinks it would be better if I start that topic as a new thread, to get broader exposure, please advise.
Better than taking a thread off the original topic...
And probably belongs in Construction and Filtration.
Thanks Steve, will do. :-)
i would move the waterfall filter from pond. if you are going to redo the main pond then no sense of keeping it going i feel
Nice looking fish. How big is the aquarium that you have them in? Koi need a lot of water, and depth to feel safe, as mentioned earlier. A stock tank is a nice option instead of an aquarium as it almost mimics a pond, with the sides not being see through, but not everyone has an ugly unfinished basement to put one in!!!!
How big is your pond outside? The change from lots of room to no room can also freak them out. If you don't feed for a day or two, it might make them more visible-- they will see you as their food source and be more likely to come out and up when they see you.
Favorite Quotes:
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. -- Samuel Butler.
My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. -- Edith Wharton.
I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. -- Gilda Radner
Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. -- Snoopy
Start the topic as a new thread, maybe in main or construction. You definitely came to the right place for that kind of information!!! Do it right (I didn't, so I have a lot of work to do to maintain my four freakishly large koi)-- and you'll have a lot less work and worry!!!
Favorite Quotes:
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. -- Samuel Butler.
My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. -- Edith Wharton.
I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. -- Gilda Radner
Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. -- Snoopy
Prime or SAFE (powdered form of Prime) is better than amquel. Amquel does not add buffering agents to reduce the risk of pH crashes, one of my primary reasons forlearning more about koi and goldfish keeping. When you have time, do some research on pH crashes and KH; not trying to hijack thread, so won't go into more detail. Prime and SAFE (both available on Amazon, SAFE ends up being cheaper in the long run) neutralizes ammonia, chloramines, detoxifies nitrIte, nitrAte, heavy metals, does not cause fluctuations in pH. Just a heads up. I was using Amquel on a regular basis when I lost a full tank of fish. I think the (+) version may have other elements added, but not sure. I just stick to what I know works, and why.
Favorite Quotes:
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. -- Samuel Butler.
My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. -- Edith Wharton.
I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. -- Gilda Radner
Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. -- Snoopy
I have a 150 gallon stock tank in my basement, I use a couple of Rena filstar canister filters on them for filtration, work well, easy to set up and well made, will last for many years. How cold does it get up in Brentwood? Might consider covering next year for a short period of time instead of bringing them in. My koi are way too huge to even consider bringing them indoors for the winter, and my set up in Michigan works pretty good; and we go down well below zero.
Favorite Quotes:
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. -- Samuel Butler.
My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. -- Edith Wharton.
I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. -- Gilda Radner
Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement. -- Snoopy
safe is awesome. cheap and protects the koi. I just add 2x needed just for good measure now
The aquarium is 90 gallons with a 55 gallon sump and I change about 20 gallons daily. Although I might have to increase the water changes to twice a daily. I do have a 300 gallon stock tank, but I'd like to avoid that if possible, as it presents it's own problems.
The pond outside is only about 800 gallons, so I never intended to put Koi in it. These guys were sold as GF. They do not seem too concerned about the tank so far.
I have a hoop house for the pond outside and might consider adding solar heating for next winter so I can keep the fish for a while. Although I suspect they will have to go to a better home at some point.