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Hi Bob,
I have another concern that perhaps you can help me with.
Our beautiful clear, clean pond just got contaminated by a
fair amount of dirt. The waterfall portion is on a slope,
and a gopher dug around the side of it and pushed dirt up
and over the side of the waterfall and into the pond. I don't
know exactly how much dirt, but the water is dirty, and the
rocks on the sides and bottom of the pond are covered by a
fine silt. (We have an effective erosion barrier of rocks
around the sides of the pond, but this dirt came from underneath
and was pushed through the rocks along the side of the pond
and it fell into the pond).
I need to get this dirt out of the pond, but I don't know
how. I am concerned about the following:
1. Will this dirty water harm the fish? I am concerned about
them getting enough oxygen (the pump is running and the water
is circulating). I don't think there is a lot of dirt, as
in buckets, but it is probably a few handfuls of dirt--enough
to coat the bottom and make the water very dirty. I can't
see through the water at all.
2. We feed the fish once daily, but will this dirt affect
their ability to graze in the pond?
3. Will the dirt eventually settle to the bottom, or will
it stay suspended because the water is circulating?
4. Is there a way to get this dirt out of the pond without
removing all the water?
5. I can't even face the idea of having to remove all the
water in the pond to get this dirt out. If that were to happen,
would it be starting at ground zero to get the new water seasoned?
It took nearly a year to get this pond balanced, and it is
(was) beautiful. It has stayed clean, clear, and hardly any
algae.
The fish have been so healthy--I don't want this dirt problem
to affect their health. I would be very grateful for any advice
that you can offer.
Freeze, Gopher! (Kaboom!)
Dirt per se is not that much of an issue. Remember
that one of the healthiest environments for a koi is a
natural-bottomed "mud pond", the mud suspended
in the
water courtesy of the constant "gardening" activity
of
the koi themselves. Koi love mud. It is their true
natural habitat. The gin-clear water is an artificial
condition that hobbyists impose because we like to see
our fish.
Suspended soil will be removed eventually by your
mechanical filter and the rest will settle out onto
the bottom. The koi will sift through it and may
resuspend it, but it won't hurt them unless it is
loaded with pest killer or something. Your koi track
food by smell and taste sensors located in their
barbels. Their eyesight is actually fairly poor.
Relax, lay back. Your pond and fish will resolve this one
on their own.
Bob Passovoy
President
MPKS
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