An update on Yogas’s pond in Indonesia
and the adding of an Anoxic filter using Zeolite clay instead of the traditional
cat litter clay. I would also like to thank Yogas for
all the info and photos he has sent me on his Anoxic filter so others can have
a photographic history of his progress.
I also wanted to make clear that the pipe work and walls of
Yogas’s pond should have algae on them at all times and should not be
spick-and-span clean either. This is a natural process that things are going
well in ones pond. The algae will consume ammonia just like higher order plants
do as a food source. The Koi love to nibble on it because it will give then
bacteria in their intestines that is badly needed. Things that we as hobbyist might
find to be a nuisance, really have a purpose in the natural order of things balancing
act that stabilizes water quality in a closed system like our ponds. It’s only
when that balancing act gets out-of-kilter does that system then become
Ethiopic in nature and man must intervene.
To me Yogas’s last photo-11 of his pond shows a stabilize
environment now compared to what he use to have in the first photo-1. Protein
is low and turbidity of his water is much higher than before. He also made a
comment to me that his Nitrates in his Anoxic filter were 10-ppm and in the
main pond itself was 10-25-ppm. This is very strange! Maybe he needs to add a higher
output pump to his pond so as to unify the two systems better. I think then he
will see his Nitrates in his main pond go down and match more like that of his
Anoxic filters Nitrates.
Yogas also said his pH is dropping slowly and is @ 6.7 with
a TDS @ 67ppm, ammonia @ 0, and Nitrites @ 0, too. His pH can be lower now than
before because of his total Hardness (GH - it should be about 150ppm) is too
low along with his total Alkalinity (KH- it should be 120ppm) also being too
low. I don’t think that CO2 is the problem but carbon to feed the bacteria can
be. By adding Baking Soda (Sodium bicarbonate) this will work or I have even heard of Oyster shells or clamshells but they
are questionable in there legitimacy to work at all to his water, this
should elevate his pH to once again expectable levels even if he has soft water or low KH.
He will just have to monitor all parameters of his water and add the Sodium bicarbonate as needed.
This is a very common problem with Koi ponds here in the USA.
Photo 1: Taken on July 31st. I was a losing the battle against
nitrates here! Did backwashes and 25-50% water changes daily. Was already
corresponding with Dr. Novak about the Anoxic filter and searching for
materials needed to make the Biocenosis baskets.
Photo 2: Taken on July 31st. This is what my skimmer looks like
when I feel its time for another total pond scrub of cyanobacteria. [Ed: The
skimmer is full of complex protein foamed from food that’s rich in protein and
Koi metabolic waste. If a protein
is animal derived and not plant then that is bad.]
Photo 3: Taken on August 4th. Did a total clean out of cyanobacteria.
The Laterite has yet to arrive, but it did the next day and immediately put the
baskets in. So baskets were put in on August 5th.
Photo 4
Photo 4 & 5: Taken on August 6th. What my pond looks like after a total
scrubbing. Notice the PVC work on the skimmer in picture 5 is clean and free
from cyanobacteria.
Photo 6: Taken on August 9th. Foam was already starting to
return. Just 4 days after total water change and scrubbing cyanobacteria.
Photo 7: Taken on August 21st. Decided to do another total water change
and again scrubbing cyanobacteria. Usually I would do this every two weeks at
the longest. It has been prolonged to 3 weeks. Did the water change on Sunday,
August 25th. Here the Biocenosis baskets were already being covered by
cyanobacteria.
Photo 8
Photo 8 and 9: Taken on August 25th and 27th. Taken to show that 20-days after
the Biocenosis Baskets were introduced to my new Anoxic filter foam doesn’t
return as quickly.
Photo 10: Taken on August 31st. Still very little signs of foam,
and the pipe work of the skimmer is remaining cleaner longer now from
cyanobacteria.
Photo 11 Now it looks prefect !
Photo 11 & 12: Taken on September 11th. Now the pond is covered with
cyanobacteria again, but other than the floating dead cyanobacteria, the water
is still clear. The skimmer pipe work though covered with cyanobacteria, is
still clearly visible. Foam is also hardly negligible any longer and water
quality now can be verifiably seen. Photo-12 is the small waterfall pool that
now has become my Anoxic filter in which I put the Biocenosis baskets.[Ed: Also I wanted to add that that
cyanobacteria you see on the Biocenosis baskets is normal when the baskets are
new, are after a long winter when temperatures get colder than 50° F.]
Pardon the different kinds of baskets used. I just make do
with what I can get closest by instead of the black open cell baskets that are
recommended. The 3 round baskets are the same baskets that Ardy found. The
water here is exceptionally clear. [Ed: When I first started experimenting with
the Biocenosis baskets the black open cell baskets were not that plentiful here
in the USA so I improvised and like that of Yogas and Ardy from Indonesia, used
what was available at the time.]
So, as of today it has been exactly five
weeks since the Biocenosis baskets have been introduced into my makeshift
Anoxic filter. Hopefully this can help show the stages despite my interference
with total water changes on August 25th, not to mention my giving the pond a regular dosing of Bentonite
clay once a week. Though I have forsaken to do this for the moment now because
I want the cyanobacteria to die-off because of the Biocenosis baskets, not
because of Bentonite clay. [Ed: The Bentonite clay could be adding to Yogas’s
problems and the only way to tell is eliminated from the equation of possible
insults.]
Hopefully there will be another major development in which I
can show you when I get back from my business trip.
Best regards,
Yogas
I have enlarged the last photo-11 skimmer to show that all
protein bubbles are now gone compared to what was the norm in photo-2.
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