Low water question

[loribug26]

Hi all, haven't been here in a while!
We have a mud pond that has a slow leak, (we've tried to repair it, but it seems to be a vein or something in the bottom that lets it leach out) without much rain, the water level is really low. It always drops in the summer. I have a GAZILLION gold fish & 6 koi.



We're wondering if tossing the water hose in it for awhile would hurt the fish. City water (but cheap enough to let it run for a good while). I'm afraid if we don't get the water up some before freeze it will not be deep enough for them to winter...

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Lori

[Grumpy]

City water usually has a chlorine product to keep their system clean, so you will want to neutralize that when letting the hose run for "awhile". Probably the chlorine would disappear quickly anyway and not harm the fish, but why take a chance?

I use use sodium thiosulfate when adding city water. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and difficult to over use. You will want to measure the hose discharge. I suggest you measure the amount coming out the hose using a 5 gallon bucket as a measure. Once you know the time to dispense 5 gallons, you will know how much water you are adding per hour.

Mixing the sodium thiosulfate in a couple of gallons in a bucket works well for me. I add a heaping teaspoon for every 400-500 gallons I add.

[coolwon]

Maybe add X amount of water over a number days,so you don't radically affect't the ponds

pH.

You would have to worry about the amount of chlorine build up with one fill.

Have you considered a daily loss of water rather than a leak, through evaporation.

The hot sun and wind over the pond surface, causing the water level to go down as

opposed to water leaks

[BWG]

On a small pond hand broadcasting bentonite clay powder around the sides sometimes can seal a leak. Look online for local sources. Ideally the pond would be drained, allowed to dry and the bentonite rototilled into the dirt.

If adding water put it into the pond in a spray. Adjust the spray to be course enough to eliminate a fine mist that will evaporate. The spray will oxygenate the oxygen deficient water, spread it out in a wide area and help just a little lessoning the treatment. Since it's treated use a timer to use multiple daily additions and limit the total amount each day. Definitely get an aerator if you don't already have one.

[cindy]

I’m in Ky and we are in a drought. Do you not lose water in the winter. How big is the pond? I agree with the bentanite clay and sodium thisolate