I have kept Koi for nearly 20 years now and this video is probably one of the best I have ever seen. It’s a great explanation of why filters need cleaning not just so your water looks nice but your fish are happy and after all a happy fish he’s a happy keeper. You’ve just got another subscriber and I’m happy to point anybody to this video well done

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Simon and welcome. I really appreciate that 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

Another well done video with simple and easy to understand language. Your analogy of 10 people locked in a room for dining, sleeping and bathroom functions is a great one that the majority of pond keepers can relate to I believe far easier than the fact the fish waste in the filter is still in the pond or water column. Make it personal and they tend to listen. Thanks for that take on things. Hopefully that will lead to more frequent filter cleaning for many. Cheers.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate, good to hear you liked the video. As you say, hopefully it will at least get people thinking 🍻👍👍

Hi Darren, I’ve just watched your video on how often u should clear your filter. Over the 20 years I’ve lost koi because of lack of knowledge and overstocking. I’ve changed from an old 3 chamber Japanese filter to a nexus 210 4 years ago. Best thing I’ve ever done. It’s easy to clean but after watching your video I released 1 should clean it every day instead of twice a week because some of my fish are big. As you say people are telling you not to clean too often because you are removing good bacteria. Thanks for sharing your video and I look forward to some more tips 👍🏿

Really got me thinking about my cleaning regime, my koi pond has only been up and running for 6 months due to a house move I run a "wrighty 3 drum system". So will give it a go cleaning every day, instead of weekly. As always your videos are informative and I believe great no nonsense advice.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Anthony, I appreciate that. Yes give it a go mate, see what results you get. You've got nothing to lose 🍻👍👍🍻

Have been keeping koi for over 30 years and was told look after the water and the koi will look after them selves, just watch your video and I'm 100 percent behind you..

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Wayne, much appreciated. That's very true, we are definitely water keepers first and foremost 👍👍👍

Well said Daz I have an easy pod automatic set to clean once a day my pond is now heated and the koi love it. Great explanation as always.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Dave, how do you find the Pod Auto? I've often wondered whether they are worth a look.

I listened carefully to your points here and I have to say it makes sense to me. My commitment therefore will be to implement your suggestions from today and see what effects this has over the next few weeks, thanks for sharing

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Paul and good luck, let me know what you see 👍👍🍻👍👍

I enjoy the hands on part of koi keeping. I clean my 220 every day in the summer. Great video again

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Same here, I hate cleaning just about anything else but I really enjoy doing the pod and tempest every evening 👍

I really like this video! I'm in a lot of aquarium based forums and FB groups. Most good aquarist tend to be proud of their water quality and do the maintenance necessary to keep the water as clean as possible for their livestock. In the pond hobby there seems to be a large group of ignorant people who seem to think the less maintenance they do the better they are at keeping a pond. And then they usually go on to brag about how long they have been lazy and ignorant. Then to top it off they state their water is CRYSTAL clear! You know what else is crystal clear? A jug of ammonia.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

haha, very true Jeremy 👍👍🍻🍻🍻👍👍

100% agree, I clean my filters every day because I love my fish and want them to have the best living environment they can. The best thing I was ever told is we keep water not fish!

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thank Matt and that's definitely true. Look after the water and the koi will look after themselves 👍👍👍

Tack för din video,jag ska backspola mina filter oftare i fortsättningen…väldigt bra tankar👍

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

du är välkommen, lycka till 👍

Thank you Darren. Another Top Upload.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Shaun, thanks very much 👍🍻🍻👍

I used to run an eazypod like yourself and was very conscious about keeping it clean,for the same reason, that the koi are essentially swimming in it. Every couple of days i used to clean it,as any longer I didn't like the build up of muck in the bottom of the vortex. But this was also the reason i ended up switching to a drum filter. Happier knowing its constantly removed from the system throughout the day,and I don't have to touch it. And best of all its a cleaner environment for the koi.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely. In terms of this particular subject you can't get any better than a drum 🍻👍🍻

Love your analogy. 👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Terence 🍻🍻

Makes complete sense Darren and thankyou for making it relatable with a grewsum analogy haha I've just got my gravity fed eazypod up and running on my 1000 gallon round pond and was quite surprised on the amount of muck it draws out, water clarity is lovely. and I dont have the UV installed as of yet. thanks again, aarom

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks mate, sounds like its going well. You usually get a dose of green water in the first 12 months of a new pond but you might be lucky and get away with it 👍👍

@AJBAdventures

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi fingers crossed, my eazy pod is "UV READY" according to the blanking cap in place of the uv so if I have any issues, I'll order the UV. another question I had was, how do you get your fish to be more friendly and come to the surface when feeding, my tosai and nisai are still very shy thanks aaron

Very well said I clean my filter daily and like your my fish are healthy and always kicking for food.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Good stuff Peter, good to hear Sir 👍👍🍻👍👍

Totally agree my nexus I’ve recently changed the auto cleaner to two days as I worked out that’s 10% water change just from nexus in a week. I also purge vortex daily and clean sieve daily. I’ve found massive improvement since replacing multi bay with a sieve so much easier on skimmer and makes cleaning more enjoyable than getting dirty with multibay

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, yes that's the main downside with multibays. They can do a good job but cleaning is really onerous so we tend not to do it as often as we should.

Your point about sieves is spot on, I flush the Nexus 300 everyday that comes through a sieve, the waste is unbelievable, hate to think what it would be like if left for several days. Admittedly I only clean the bead 3 times a week so I'm upping that to every day. Also my bakki shower is running from a sieve and seeing the muck that gets in the Nexus it's concerning me a bit but other than getting a drum I'm not sure what else I can do.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, its difficult. I try to keep everything as simple as possible. This is the reason I tend to discourage people from going down the multibay route. They are quite a chore to clean and as such its not practical to do it nearly often enough. I always prioritise how quick and easy a filter is to flush the mechanical section and its not because I'm lazy, its because the easier it is the more I will do it. Yes beads can be a bit 'out of site, out of mind', you definitely need to keep on top of them to prevent bacteria build up. I ran a small bead on a skimmer line on a previous pond and it did a brilliant job but I had to flush it every day or I wouldn't sleep at night 😁😁 Definitely a drum is the way to go for mechanical filtration and then I'd run a tempest after it. I just wish they where a bit cheaper and a bit more reliable.

Well said Daz as soon as I watched your first video and you said you flush the easy pod daily, I started to do the same, as my set up is almost a carbon copy of yours. Love your videos thanks for putting them up.👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Rex, thanks as always for your feedback and kind words. Take care mate 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻

Great video Daz thanks for sharing 👍. Watching happy thriving koi feeding is the highlight of the hobby for me. More people should be made aware of the duty of care they need to have before people think about purchasing koi. Take care 🐟😎👍🏼

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate and I couldn't agree more. All the best 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

Excellent Advice. You talk a lot of sense.

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Cheers , that's very much appreciated 🍻🍺🍻

@user-ee6ox9yc6f

Жыл бұрын

Hello DazzleKoi .A lot of these Videos on KZread are American. They do things completely different to us when it comes to keeping Koi Carp. They clean there filters Twice a year . Bad Advice.

@DazzleKoi

11 ай бұрын

Yes I agree, in the US I think they are probably going through the process we here in the UK went through 15 or 20 years ago. Veggie filters, no bottom drains, beneficial bacteria etc etc. That and the fact that they tend to build bigger ponds and prefer the more natural look means that it is sometimes difficult to find the correct koi filters and products.

Excellent video buddy and very well explained , i totally agree with you as well. Mechanical filtration can be cleaned as much as you want these facebook groups/ pages are getting silly sometimes . Love the pond its looking great!!

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Mark. I agree mate. I picked up a couple of bonsai last week in Cornwall. We got one each. Hopefully we can keep them alive 😁

Great vid,makes perfect sense

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Dan, much appreciated 🍻🍻🍻

Totally agree. Clean my mechanical filters every single day. No parasite problems, no health issues with the koi. It's just common sense to me they should be cleaned as much as possible. Thank you great video again!

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate and good to hear, as you say, it is really just common sense 👍🍻🍻👍

I clean my nexus every day, sometimes twice if I'm off work and around, iv got filter wool in the return chamber as was having trouble with the fine particles and its surprising what can accumulate in 7 or 8 hours, my fish seem to be starving all the while and they are alleys active and stuck in the window😆😆, I only got my pond running this year but I start as I mean to go on... thanks for the videos...they help so much ✌👊

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Kieron, I appreciate that 👍👍 Sounds like you are doing everything right mate

I agree with what you are saying. For me it has to be 'as often as I can'. I know you say it doesn't take long and your right, but after a 12 to 14 hour shift at work and another one to follow the next day you really don't have much more spare time than to feed the fish. What makes it worse for me is I don't have an auto top up on the pond so water changes and top ups involve dragging a hose from one end of the garden to the other. I'd love to set up a trickle in trickle out but at the moment it just isn't possible. What has helped tremendously is making the upflow filter. I use my Upflow as a pre-filter for my heating circuit. The other circuit is for my biological filtration. That has foams and filter floss on top of it. Since the addition of the upflow the waste I'm collecting in those has reduced by about 70%. I nearly have all the parts to make the second one and once thats done I'm hoping to virtually eliminate the waste reaching the biological filters. The upflow gets cleaned every 2 to 4 days which again is the best I can manage at the moment. One day I'll get to build my dream pond with lovely windows and a filter system that will keep everything perfect without taking massive amounts of time. Until then I have to put up with doing the best I can for the fish.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, it sounds like you have a great setup there. As you say, its not always practical to clean every single day but if you do what you can it all helps. How quick a filter is to flush should be the number one priority for me when choosing a new filter but sadly it is often overlooked. The quicker and easier it is, the more we will do it.

Hi . Spring is on our door step . I've been busy this winter. Changing my multibay filter(self made). I'm fitting bottom drains and extended the pond. This bottom drains will let me do much more regulater filter cleaning. Had to put in a hose pipe and suck the bottom empty resulting me to change it only on Fridays when i had the time🥴. The kois will be much more happier now, when I'm done🤞. Thanks for sharing your passion

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much mate, I appreciate you taking time to comment 🍻🍻 What part of the world are you in if its approaching spring?

@wernerventer4520

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoiHi. South Africa. MPumalanga. So 170km from Johannesburg. We had a few nice warm days 28 dreg

I absolutely agree with you, I’m cleaning my Nexus every 2 days at the moment on a very low stocked pond, might try daily now, you should consider writing a book Daz on keeping koi, I would buy it 👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Anthony, and thanks very much 👍👍 Funnily enough I do write a lot of articles which I hope to create a book from eventually. I sometimes post snippets up for the channel members to get their feedback on them. The biggest problem is finding the time though as its massively time consuming.

Totally agree Daz... 👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Andrew 🍻🍻

Totally agree with you. I have a oase proficlear compact drum. The crap that comes out on each clean after 1 hour is incredible. I also take a section out once a week and clean the bits where waste gets trapped. I can't imagine what it's like with a sponge matting type filter I'd be pulling my hair out. I have an auto top up after cleaning so they are getting fresh water everyday. The difference in the fish is night and day. I would recommend a drum save up the coin. It's much less hassle in the long run

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi John, yes mate, I totally agree with you. Obviously they are beyond the means of a lot of people though so I think the next best thing if you cant afford one is a filter that allows quick and easy cleaning and then do it as often as possible. When I move and build a forever pond I'll definitely be having a drum on there 👍👍

@johnhope9873

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi yeah. You do some interesting videos what's the next topic.

Very good video , totally agree

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate, thanks a lot 👍👍🍻🍻

another great advice i clean mine everyday too

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks pal, good to hear Sir 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

Totally agree with your thoughts on this Maybe it will make pond keepers ,look into there pond maintenance in a different way ?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you mate, I hope so 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

100% SPOT ON I DO MINE EVERY 2 DAYS AND I GOT A DRUM GREAT VID KEEP IT CLEAN..

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard 👍🍻🍻👍

Well delivered video, very informative 👍🏻

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Wayne, I really appreciate that 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

Correct. Filters do not work alone. You are 99% of the filtration system.😊

Another great video so I don't know why the thumbs down. Obviously guilty. From when I was building my pond I was watching you. And I personally do my nexus and Easypod daily. And I have a trickle in and out. Keep them coming.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very, much, sounds perfect. The trickle in /out really helps to get motivated to clean the filters often as there is no topping up to do so its a much quicker and easier job 👍👍👍👍

Hi mate really good video on a great subject I clean my skimmer every day and filter flosses everyday and flush my tempest also every day my box filter needs a mod to make it easier to clean which I'm trying to come up with an idea for this but great videos really enjoy watching them cheers

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Chris, yeah box filters can be messy to clean sometimes. What have you got in mind for making it easier

@chrisperry6495

2 жыл бұрын

Not sure maybe bypass the top with UV in as I run separate UV and just simplify the inlet and return so you can access the media and sponges better for more regular cleaning.im not the worlds best plumber that's my issues loll

Hi love the video totally agree with you mate but I was told not clean my easy pod to often as it will not stop the fines going throw

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Terry, in theory the more that gets trapped in the K1, the smaller the gaps between them become, but I think its minimal and I'd rather risk some fines getting through and going round again than leaving everything its caught in there for longer. I'd say, give it a go and see if it makes a difference to the fines, I'd be very surprised if it does though.

I always look forward to your videos Daz, good advice as usual. Iv'e had a Nexus 320 for 10 months now and i always clean it once a week, i have 7 koi ranging from 8" to 24", there's so much muck in the nexus that I have to rinse it twice, the last couple of weeks I've been doing it twice a week, Thur and Sun and it's still mucky. On Sunday I started to clean it every day and just one rinse, the only noticeable difference so far is less crap in the filter, if there is a change in water quality I'll let you know.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Chris, how's it going now?

@christophersinclair6434

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi its almost crystal clear, I think I'll keep cleaning my nexus on a daily basis.

Thank you for this video I always wondered how long u should leave it till u clean it, i have a easy pod on a 4500ltr pond with a Bakki shower and the pod gets dirty quick, thanks for putting it into perspective 👍🏻

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate, no problem. Give it a go, see what you think 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

Phew I thought I was weird because I clean mine every day, good video well said

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Paul, I think we are all weird to be honest but I wouldn't have it any other way 😁😁

Great video again mate I agree with everything you say👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Terence, good to hear that mate 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

Well said mate makes perfect sense 👍👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Lewis 🍻🍻

@lewisjones9963

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi fish seem a lot more happier today the flashing seems to be only in the evening come night time not in daylight hours but not so much tonight may be having a little ph swing from 7.5 to 8.2 ish but added a little more bicarbonate tday has kh dropped to 3dh but also did a 10% top up same time plus did a test on tap water kh was going yellow on the first drop so thanks for your advice on the bicarbonate I will use it ones a week 👍👍

I fully agree with you. We know that drums are the best, sadly almost unaffordable for a lot of us. So if drums take out the waste immediately, we need to do it manually everyday, at least.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Lau, yes I agree fully. Its the constant flushing to waste that sets drums apart from other mechanical filters rather than the size of the particles they take out in my opinion. That's what I would invest in if I could afford it 👍👍🥂🥂👍👍

I couldn't be more happy I use a nexus ezpod automatic from a bottom drain... during the season when I am feeding the fish, I have it set to clean daily, with no input from me. Combined with an auto-top-off, I only do major pump/filter preventive maintenance 2x per year yet they get a 5% daily water change and a daily mechanical filtration rinse.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Josh, sounds perfect, not dissimilar to how I run but mine is manual 👍👍👍👍

Hi Darren great video as always. I have almost the exact same filtration system and pond set up as yours. I have just added the Bakki shower into it following your videos again and I was wondering do you clean out your shower and if so what is the best way to clean it. I clean my Easypod everyday. I do have abit of an algae growth but I do get a lot of sun on the pond so I am possibly going to put a roof over it for some shade. I was just wondering about cleaning the shower. Thanks again for the videos.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Graham, I have never cleaned my showers. I ran a 5500 gallon pond with 3 showers fed from 2 bottom drains and 2 skimmers and I didn't clean those either. If you have sufficient flow and the correct media it will consume some solid waste and stay clean itself.

Brilliant video

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks David, much appreciated 🍻🍻

In the camp of agree and disagree on this. I think the main factor is consistency. Each pond is very much it’s own special eco system where waste products are broken down by bacteria. If we go down the route of once something is soiled it will be churning out rubbish as it’s used, which is true, but isn’t economical. Otherwise things like air conditioning filters, air handling unit filters, recycled ro systems, micro bacteria filters will have a shelf life of one use. I think sticking to a regime of once a week, twice, three times or daily is essential to keeping your own unique pond healthy. As long as water parameters are stable, mainly ph to show that the acid produced from bacteria breaking down waste isn’t fluctuating all over the place, then a pond should be pretty hygienic. Last thing you want is cleaning your filters out daily and not having the bacteria that breaks down waste to safe levels at high enough numbers, that when you’re sunning yourself on a beach somewhere and your neighbour forgets to clean your filters, the bacteria in your pond can’t handle the overload of waste. It’s not just the nitrogen cycle we should be mindful of, but the whole ecology of the pond and cleaning the filters consistently is key…

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi William, I totally agree about consistency. In every single aspect of koi keeping consistency of what we do is vital 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻

@wills1206

2 жыл бұрын

Keep up the good work Daz

Hi Daz some great info in the video I do mind every day like you no problem whots so every I pick that up on one of your earlier videos keep up the good work sorry I missed you at the BBkS I went on the Saturday I would love to speak to you 👍👍👍🐟🐟

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Peter, yeah it was a shame, I'd have loved to have got there for both days but Saturday was lost to work and then Sunday turned out not much better. Going to try and get the midland show though 👍👍

Definitely, an interesting video, thank you. I agree with the 'tame' part, fish are not tame or friendly, they are either so hungry they ignore their instinctive fear, or they, through ignoring their fear on multiple occasions, 'trust' your presence, although even then they only approach cos they fancy some food imo anyway. As for filtration and cleaning, would water parameters be a guide, or are there other factors that would dictate more regular cleaning is needed?. For example, at the beginning of the summer when my feeding had reached its max, I did a little experiment of testing my water daily for two weeks. I found that there was no change during the week for ammonia and nitrite which remained trace and "not measurable by the test" respectively. Nitrate had two peaks during the weeks, each the day after my twice a week filter clean/pond vac/water change. I now suspect this is because (as I've since found out) my tap water has more nitrate than my pond ever has (the 'peaks' were never too high, about 12.5, whereas the tap water was 25) Therefore I feel my filter cleaning regime is ok, I try not to be too complacent however and would like to know if there are other benefits to more regular cleaning aside from water chemistry? Thanks again for the video, can never have enough to think about! Cheers, Andy

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Andy, yes it does sound like your tap water is the reason for your nitrate spikes, which is common. You may have stirred up some organic debris during the cleaning process which could free some nitrate. I think for me, water chemistry (biological filtration) and water cleanliness are very different. There is the slight effect of mechanically dirty water having a negative impact on biological efficiency but I would expect any established bio filter to keep readings close to zero regardless. For me you cant measure mechanical cleanliness with an instrument (not one that we have and use anyway) although you can get a rough idea from TDS etc, but its more the effect it has on your koi's health, activity, appetite, growth, wellbeing etc. Its difficult to gauge hence why I suggest trying cleaning every day and seeing if you notice the improvement in your koi.

Helemaal gelijk 👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

bedankt maat 👍👍🍻👍👍

Rant or not it's wise words and sensible structured advice. Stay safe

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate, you to Sir. You going the Midland show?

Mate I’m with ya on this one! I don’t do mine every day but I should!!! I do my mechanic filters Wednesday and Saturday every week though like clock work without fail and actually secretly enjoy doing it! Loads of great KZread’s but recently I have seen fools saying they haven’t cleaned there filter for weeks and on there thumbnail to the video is a picture of there fish with bacterial issues! Then the next video they are buying new fish or chucking in food! Anoys me 👹

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

To true mate. Bacterial problems are the number one issue from poor maintenance and more often than not people don't realise it. They usually put it down to 'just one of those things' and carry on the same.

I use filter floss as one of my first defences as this can be cleaned everyday on black box, showers etc. Not so easy when you have to clean through loads of sponges/brushes etc a day when the floss will take the brunt of the waste first.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

That's true mate, this is why I try to encourage filters that are cleaned easily by turning a couple valves. The easier it is to do , the more often we will do it 👍👍

very interesting. I have a Koi pond we've inherited with the house, and clearly I'm not cleaning the filter anywhere near enough, in fact its months between. Which explains why my water gets so brown. I've used a pond vac a few times and so much stuff collected from the bottom. The Challenge I find is it takes a good hour + to clean the filter out. Obviously because the whole pond needs more attention, but also because its one of the Megabox layered down filer sets, which I find a real pain to get each layer out and clean before hosing the box and piping etc. would much rather have a blade or drum system, can't afford to replace it. Maybe I need to suffer doing it every day for a few weeks. Did have to replace the pump too as it kept failing despite cleaning that thoroughly, possibly the internal brushses on the motor were shot. But that contributed to downturn in water quality. thoughts welcome, love watching the advise you give on your channel!

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Lee, it sounds like you don't have enough filtration and probably the wrong type to unfortunately. Without seeing it its difficult to offer much help really but I don't think you have the type of filter that its going to be possible to clean daily. I would try to do it weekly for a month or so and see if you see any benefit. Where abouts do you live?

@leejay001

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi Hi Darren. Im definately going to do a weekly clean for a good few months. Its a 4500 to 5000L pond, Koi megabox is rated for 5500L to 16000L, and my pump @ 8800lph, which I've just reduced from 80% to 50% because after I cleaned the filters it was almost getting to overflow point in the box, skipping the filter. It may have been doing this previously and I haven't noticed making the pond dirty. was thinking of putting in completely new filters, and maybe swapping the physical media for a K+ sinking type. Can't really afford to replace the filter for a nice easypod right now. I'm located in Solihull in the west mids, happy to send some photos, if you have any advice. Thanks for your help in advance.

@leejay001

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi sorry I thought I had responded to this, I'm not sure capacity wise my filter & pump are an issue. the pond is 4500-5000L, Filter has max flow rate 9000LPH, and the pump 8800LPH. However I did have this new replacement pump maybe runnning to high, so the fitler could have been overflowing straight back to the pond. I'm sure I checked it, however when I deep cleaned last weekend I've put the pump on 50% and its nearing overflow, so I'm leaving at that for now, so how it is this weekend when I clean again. Filers look at bit shot and I'm considering buying some K+ to replace the mechanical filtration in the bottom. happy to share photos if you have some advice

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Lee, sorry , Ive been having a nightmare trying to catch up with comments since my holiday. Have you had a look for a second hand Pod? you can pick them up for £200 to £250 now and I think it would be a better investment than buying K+ for your current filter.

Great video as usual Darren, thank you. To me, removing as many solids from the pond cycle as often as possible, is the just best answer. How are you finding your shower filter, has that helped much?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate and thank you. Yes the shower is doing everything I wanted it to do. For me the main thing is nitrate removal. Since it went on I haven't had nitrate at all so I'm very happy with it 👍👍👍👍

Hi mate, I couldn't agree more. I have an oase 36000 box filter. It's a brilliant filter considering the price, however what I've found is as mech and Bio is in one box I can't clean to often as it knocks the filters back, I've found after experimentation that water parameters stay same if I clean light one week heavy the next. Its a pain as I did and want to clean more but parameters as in Bio keeps stable with this method. I'm saving to upgrade so I can give my fish a better life. I'm looking at nexus 220 with auto, which I can set to auto daily, or an oase proficlear compact M. Not sure which yet.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Jack, yeah I've heard of people having a similar issue before with certain filters. It sounds like you have it all under control though. Either of those filters will do a great job for you I reckon. The drum is definitely the better of the two though if you can afford the extra 👍👍👍👍

@JDsmudandmac

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi thanks for replying. I've decided I'm going to save the extra for the drum. 👍 will take me longer but it'll give the fish a clean living environment 👍 keep up with the great vids and info 👍

well explained

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much 👍🍻👍

hi,I flush my vortex filter with kmedia every night my ammonia levels are spot on. I also decreased the return flow back into pond to a inch , making a water jet, fish love swimming against the flow.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Robert, sounds like you have it spot on. Good free aeration to if you can create a splash with your return. Particularly during this hot weather.

Cheers daz 👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

No problem Richard 👍👍

I wish you would of done this great video at the beginning of the koi season

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jonny, yeah with hindsight that would have been more sensible 😁😁😁

I clean my Nexus200 every morning some times every night too if I get time I also have a aqua forta midi sieve and a bakki shower but can only afford pumice for now on my 10000lt pond

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds good Mark. Proper cleaning like you do is way more important than having the best (and most expensive) system 👍🥂🥂👍

I have thought the same, qt with easypod and main pond with sieve and bead. Both cleaned daily, wouldn’t like to think about amount of 💩 if cleaned weekly.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

I went away for a weekend a while back and after just a weekend the muck in there was terrible. It smelled awful to 😒 I can only imagine how it is after a week or more

Hi Daz, brilliant vid. I have a multi chamber filter. When you say clean it everyday, would you say by opening the bottom drain and flushing out on the mechanical side and just changing the floss on the biological side would be the way to go. I am not in a position to upgrade the filter at the moment.

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi Kevin, sorry, I missed a load of comments, your being one of them 😒 Yes, definitely flushing the mechanical side will give you the best benefit. The topping back up of water you lose is also giving huge benefit in terms of vital dilution of urine, pheromones etc 👍👍

Great video daz, I have 4 tier shower filled with pummace no foams in top will it clog? Been running ages no issues I'm just wondering

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, if its been running a while and its coping OK (especially in the summer) then it should be fine. Its only a problem if you feed it a lot of mechanical waste 👍👍👍

Hi daz I’ve watched nearly all you vids with great interest. I’ve only just starting looking after koi and made most of my filters and they work well. But I’ve got a house in Spain and we’re going to start to go a bit more often, do I arrange someone to clean my filters or will two weeks be ok. I’m always doing filter cleaning and injoy it as I’m out with the fish regards Chris

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Chris, I would definitely have someone trustworthy come in and clean them and check on the fish mate. Not just the filters but you need to keep an eye out for problems to. When I've gone away I've always arranged for a family member to stay in our house, is that an option for you?

Good analogy. I use aquarium analogy, What happens when you stir gravel

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Very true mate 👍👍👍

Very good Analogy , you've always stated that you do them every day ... I've followed your advice from other videos you have done ... questions for you .. if you were to set up a new filter be it a canister or nexus and so on .. would you still do it every day or leave a day or so?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, no I would still do it every day. The only mechanical filter I wouldn't flush every day is a drum but that's only because it is doing it itself so I don't have to 🍻🍻

Loved your video , I have to admit that I am guilty of the two time a week backwash mind set and now I have been educated . I just have one question , well maybe two ? How do you deal with the nitrite nitrate swings ? . I have experienced that every time I do a ( what I thought was a complete cleaning ?) backwash my ammonia levels would swing.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, sorry for the late reply. To be honest with you I have never seen any nitrite swings from cleaning. I do it every day so I think the consistency helps with this. Also, I have the shower which to be honest would handle the biological filtration on its own if it had to. So I don't think it matters to much what I do to the pod and tempest. If you keep consistent, any swings should soon stop as you will build a bigger bacteria colony to cope.

Can you please do a video on your future plans, is it to keep koi for personal enjoyment or breed koi etc?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Wayne, yes mate I can do that 👍👍

Thanks for the reviews. I would live to see a video on how to read a koi food labe correctly.. I think we all know protein but what should the other levels be? Ash? Crude fat? Ect.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard, I'll add that to the list of future videos 👍👍🍻👍👍

Great video. I have Oase Biotec ScreenMatic filter. Should I just turn pump off then squeeze the sponges then empty box daily ?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Tommey, yes I think that would work well. Give it a go for a week and see how it goes. See how much is in there each day and if your koi show any benefit 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

@tommymcclean3524

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi Cheers mate 👍

Thanks for another great video. I have a Cloverleaf Genesis 4500 which is stated to be suitable for 10125 litre koi pond. I cannot find an optimum flow rate figure anywhere, even asked manufacturer. Any suggestions? Secondly , I am considering adding a second filter would you recommend a shower or a Tempest?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi David, I have no experience of that particular filter and I've searched and cant find anything either. Even the manual doesn't say what flow to use. Its unbelievable that they cant tell you this vital information. All I suggest is that you do some trials but its not easy as it takes such a long time to see the results. I couldn't see dimensions but is each bay similar size to an eazy pod? If so, to keep the same flowrate through it as a pod you would flow approx. 5500 litres an hour. I would go for this as a starting point and see how it performs then tweak it from there depending on whether you have fines, ammonia/nitrite etc. Which filter you choose depends on what you are lacking really or what you want to improve. If its mechanical clarity, fines etc, the Tempest is ideal. If you want nitrate removal, aeration, ammonia/nitrite removal etc the shower can't be beaten.

@davidhayward8458

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi Thanks Daz for such a quick response. I'm reassured that you have also had the same problem in establishing manufacturers optimum flow rate, I will follow your suggestion. and as fish health is my priority I will go with the shower and try to replicate your build

Made some good points,you should get a drum,would save you some time,but i enjoy cleaning the filters,

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi David, yeah I'd love to mate but its just cost and the fact that I wont be in this house for to long. I wanted to run a Draco minima on it originally but when my emails where all ignored I gave up and go the Pod instead.

Daz, I'm totally with you on this but my pond is a new build and my pondbuilder told me off and said that my Nexus would never cycle and do it fortnightly. I left it a week and my water became green/murky and my Ph rose. I'm happy to clean daily. Is this OK?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Suzy, I dont buy in to that theory one bit. Bio bacteria dont get knocked off media, if they did moving beds would never colonise. I cleaned my pod every day from day one and it matured in no time at all.

Good video as always, I just had a question about the mechanical versus biological filter. Do you think flushing both very often is good practise or would you clean the mechanical more often than the bioligical? I have a old cloverleaf filter with two mechanical sides and two biological sides. Thanks

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, biological side needs clean water and a clean environment to work at its best so usually filters are ordered such that the bio stage only sees clean water. So in theory you shouldn't need to clean the bio side as often. BUT this only applies if the mechanical is doing its job and taking everything out before it goes in to the bio side. If you are getting solid waste in your bio filter then it needs cleaning just as often as the mechanical filter I reckon 🍻🍻

@bethlewis7395

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!, Just found you and really appreciate all your research and the info you have shared!! Love your videos!

Thanks for the video. How often do you clean your Baki shower?

@DazzleKoi

8 ай бұрын

Thanks Terry 🍻🍻 I dont to be honest. All the years I've had showers running I've never cleaned one. As long as you have sufficient flow and the correct media it will look after itself.

Clean my Nexus every 2nd day without fail and deep clean mechanical every 2nd weekend

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Good stuff mate, better out than in 😁😁

Hi Andy, where did you get your jump guards around your pond

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, they are just pieces of 8 or 10mm glass from any local glass merchant. The posts came from ebay. If you search 'Stainless 304 Spigots Frameless Glass Pool Balustrade Fence Clamp Post' or similar you will find loads of options 👍

Hi 👋 Darren it’s Errol again. I have just read several comments on you site reference filter cleaning. It’s great that we can share issues and receive expert advise. And yes you should write a book. I now release what started my nitrate issues, I vacuumed the bottom of my pond earlier this year and struggled to keep nitrate levels below 10.0. All other readings are ok and the baki shower is helping slowly to control the nitrate. Finally what’s your advise- I have just added some Cloverleaf to remove slight green sludge from the bottom of the pond. I am thinking of adding Swell Sludge Control to remove the broken down sludge from the bottom of the pond instead of vacuuming and stirring up the bottom again. What’s your opinion? I appreciate your advise and thanks again. Kind Regards Errol.

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi Errol, I'm sorry I have no experience of either of these products. I think you are correct that vacuuming can and does stir up the silt and spread bacteria so in that respect maybe a treatment is good but I don't know the mechanism by which they work so it hard to say which is best. The material cant just disappear, it can only be broken down or converted to something else. I think maybe careful vacuuming is the way to go and then maybe have a look if you can address the reason it is building up. It could be water movement and circulation is not pushing waste to your pump.

Daz just started up with a pond with fish in,,got a pressurised filter.Do you mean take sponges out to clean or just use spin clean handle every day

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi Philip, sorry for the late reply, I would clean with the handle daily and do a full clean using pond water less often. How often you do a full clean is hard to say, it would depend on many factors, but I would try weekly first and see how much waste is in there and then adjust accordingly.

@philiplloyd9451

Жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi cheers Daz I will do that and see if I get clear water

Does daily filter cleaning apply to echo system ponds with rocks, gravel, plants? Still learning lol

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mathew, it would be nice if that where possible but usually its not. More often than not they don't use filters that are quick and easy to clean so its not usually practical. They do seem to be more prone to bacterial issues though unfortunately.

@mathewspall8637

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi thanks for the reply Daz, best channel by far for the knowledge and great info you put out keep up the good work

I could not agree more mate every day I will be cleaning my filters come rain 🌧 or shine ✨. That’s when I have finished it, not to long now. How late can you leave it before you can not but any koi in your pond? I am assuming it is down to the temperature of your water? 👍

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Andrew, yes mainly temperature will stop you adding fish to an outdoor, unheated pond. Any good dealer will not sell koi to you if you are a lot different to the water temp at the dealers. Usually when you start getting below 10C it can become an issue as dealer ponds are usually inside and don't tend to go much lower than this.

@wozzatez6221

2 жыл бұрын

Great tips mate .... your videos have bin a big help to me...😉👍

@wills1206

2 жыл бұрын

In the camp of agree and disagree on this. I think the main factor is consistency. Each pond is very much it’s own special eco system where waste products are broken down by bacteria. If we go down the route of once something is soiled it will be churning out rubbish as it’s used, which is true, but isn’t economical. Otherwise things like air conditioning filters, air handling unit filters, recycled ro systems, micro bacteria filters will have a shelf life of one use. I think sticking to a regime of once a week, twice, three times or daily is essential to keeping your own unique pond healthy. As long as water parameters are stable, mainly ph to show that the acid produced from bacteria breaking down waste isn’t fluctuating all over the place, then a pond should be pretty hygienic. Last thing you want is cleaning your filters out daily and not having the bacteria that breaks down waste to safe levels at high enough numbers, that when you’re sunning yourself on a beach somewhere and your neighbour forgets to clean your filters, the bacteria in your pond can’t handle the overload of waste. It’s not just the nitrogen cycle we should be mindful of, but the whole ecology of the pond and cleaning the filters consistently is key…

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate, much appreciated 🍻🍻👍🍻🍻

i always clean my sand and gravel filter every day.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Good work mate, your fish will thank you for it 👍👍👍

Hi Daz great video I have just had my pond reglassed after 25 years. The fish have been in now for just over 15 days they are still flicking a lot and jumping some I have watched most of your video even the new pond one. some of the fish are over 30 years and I don't no wether to flush more or not. I don't have a scop and so I don't know if to treat any suggestion regards ken

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi Ken, the nasty stuff with fibreglass is styrene. I'm pretty sure that if there was any styrene about they wouldn't be still alive so I don't think it will be that. Usually once fully cured there is no styrene any more. Did you give it a good 48 hours or so and then fill it, wash it down, empty it and re-fill? That's the general procedure after fibreglassing. I worry that the fibreglass is a red herring, just coincidental, and you have another issue. If your water parameters are all bang on you really need to scrape 3 or 4 fish to check for parasites. Only when you correctly identify the culprit can you decide on the correct treatment. Daz

@kenn3875

Жыл бұрын

Hi Daz thanks for the reply to the fiberglass yes to all the questions the nitrite and nitrate are upkh is 4 so the pond is going through the new pond syndrome also the Amonia is 0.5 but coming down they are all feeding

@DazzleKoi

11 ай бұрын

Hi Ken, how are things going with the new pond syndrome? Have your koi stopped flicking now?

@kenn3875

11 ай бұрын

@DazzleKoi Hi Daz, thank you for the message they have carved down a lot now, thanks. The Ph is between 7.5 and 8 Ammonia is 0 , Nitrite 0.1-0.25, Nitrate 3-4 Kh 4 and ghost 8. There are some marks on the koi. So I have put some salt in to calm them a little, just 1%. I no so.e people don't like it but I used it for 30years. I havespoke to people at NT labs and they have said touse there Anti parasite treatment for 5 days that OK with salt, this is because I don't have the equipment to scrap them. Cheers ken

Silly question, do you continue cleaning filters and water trickling in when using medications? Especially those which need a week to work, I always hold off as I think I'm diluting the treatments and they won't work

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Tom, its a good question and people do it differently. Personally I've only treated once in 26 years and that was for flukes early this year. I chose to turn off my trickle in and not clean my filters for 4 days as that's how long the lernex was active. I then cleaned them and topped up for 2 days before doing the same again but with lernex pro. Then back to normal after 4 days. Worked perfect and the buggers haven't been seen since 👍👍👍🍻🍻👍👍👍

@tompriestley4720

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi thanks for that! Solid info as usual

Hi can I just ask? I’ve cleaned my eazy pod out quite a lot over the past weeks, topping off but today my koi are just sitting at the bottom to a point a thought my 45cm sankie was dead until I approached then it moved but slowly. Could this just be a coincidence.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Neil, it sounds like you have an issue there mate. You need to check your water parameters straight away, look at ammonia nitrite and pH in particular. Could be a pH crash, or maybe chlorine? If they are all ok then you need to scrape 3 or 4 fish and check them for parasites. It definitely needs diagnosing and treating quickly though mate if its having that effect on your koi.

@StokeKoiAdventures

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi hi just done a test ammonia is 0 ph is 6.4, TDS test came out at 187 , nitrite is 0.6 just lost a fish with ulcers but can’t see any parasites after scrapes.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Its definitely a possibility that a pH crash has caused this. It may be that those readings have been a lot worse and have recovered a bit. Nitrite is still to high. You need some bi carb and raise that pH up straight away. Get it up closer to 8. KH will be low/zero, you need to get that over 4 DH. Don't feed them again as your filter will not be working. Uclers are hard to diagnose as there are lots of reasons they could occur but either way you need to get the water perfect first mate.

So true mate I clean my nexus every morning And if I don’t it feels like day hasn’t started right lol Summers gone..you’re starting to look colder hhahaha 🤣😛🤣

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

haha, I know mate, I'm really soft when it comes to temperature, I hate being cold. Since you worte this though its warmed up again so I'm happy. Nearly time to break out the big coat 😁😁

@thepeoplespond

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi I know mate..I remember last winters videos hahah well we all hate the cold but you still brave it and film outdoors..looking grey haha 🤣 The sun suits you sir 😎 No big coats till next week at least 😂😂

if your whole system was running on bakki showers how often would you clean them?

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, I haven't cleaned a shower ever. If you put enough flow over and use the correct media they dont need cleaning, they stay clean. The right media and flow will consume solid material. I ran a pond with only showers (5500 gallons, 3 showers) all fed straight from bottom drains with no other filtration, and it worked perfectly and was never cleaned. If its getting clogged up it isn't working as a shower.

Could you help , new to the game moved into house which has a pond that's running with no fish in . How is the best way to approach it all?? Thanks

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi mate, thats a BIG question!!! What state is it in? Is it clean and clear or is it dirty and smelly? Does it have a filter system running? Also, what size is it as you need a lot of volume for koi, ideally 200-250 gallons per koi.

@mattelmes85

Жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi thanks for the reply the water is clear box filter but all the fish have died .. I just don't no what to do with the filter system bla bla

@DazzleKoi

11 ай бұрын

I'm struggling to think how best to proceed mate if I'm honest. My thought is, why have the fish died? If its just that they have been left and starved them you may just be able to clean everything out completely and restart it all and get a few gold fish in there to see how it works. The worry is that if they have died because the filter isn't up to scratch then you will just repeat the same disaster. Do you have anyone local to you that could come out and have a look at it?

When cleaning your pond do you remove all algy off sides and bottom or is it beneficial to the koi I do see them eating it quite regularly Nice video Cheers Stuart

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Stuart, to be honest I don't have any algae on the walls or bottom. I have the shower to keep my nitrate low and if any appeared I'd treat it with hydrogen peroxide to get rid of it. I don't clean inside the pond at all, just the filters. If you have it though and you don't mind the appearance you can leave it and , as you say, your koi will graze on it between feeds 👍👍👍

Love the video. The shearing of solid waste by mechanical filters you mentioned… doesn’t an RDF do the same thing? I would imagine any kind of fast flow would also have this shearing effect. This is the first time I’ve heard that leaving solid waste at the bottom of the pond is better than leaving them in a filter 👍.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, the thing with a drum is it basically flushes the waste out very regularly, before it has time to be mashed up and re-circulated. They constantly clean it out. I dont think they necessarily take finer solids out than some other mechanical filters but the fact they send it down the drain almost straight away makes them easily the best mechanical option out there.

@KoiRun50

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi Makes sense. Thank you.

Usually my fish come to me every morning when I feed them, but they didn’t this morning so I cleaned the filter. I know I don’t do it enough. I also drained about a third or fourth of the pond, it’s about 100 gallon pond, When I was cleaning the filter. I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but I’m just taking the hose to everything, the sponges, the box, the pump, and the filtering materials. They still haven’t wanted to come up and see me so I hope they’re OK. I got the feeling they’re not happy because they started coming up close to the surface Opening their mouth. I smelled water and it was bad. So I’ve done this partial water replacement twice in three days along with filter cleaning. I can’t see my face at all. I’ve been thinking I need to learn how to take them out and clean them pond down to the bottom, but I guess I need to find a video that shows me how to move my fish for a few hours while I’m doing this, anyway, I will subscribe and thank you so much. That analogy was perfect for me too. Try to help my fish out. I hope they don’t die and I’ll come back up to see me.

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hello there. Lots of things can effect their appetites so its impossible to guess at the cause without some investigation work but on the subject of the filter clean, you need to only clean them using pond water. The reason is that tap water contains chlorine which will kill all the bacteria in your filter and set you back to square one. As such, you need to be very careful how much you feed now for a month or two until it can build back up to full operating condition. For the same reason you also need to treat any tap water before you put it int he pond as the chlorine will also kill your fish. You need some tap water conditioner for any new water you add, assuming of course it is from a tap supply. I would also recommend some investigation in to why they were off their food in the first place, could be water conditions, parasites, temp related, pH, a predator visit, nitrates etc etc etc

@Beowulf-wt3kb

Жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi yes, this seems so complicated or complex. Or maybe both. I’m kind of new at this and don’t know much. I do have a conditioner for the pond that takes out chlorine and other heavy metals I guess. I always add that when I use tapwater. I didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to clean things with my hose. The sprayer seems to be the best way to go and I wouldn’t think there’d be that much chlorine left behind. If I use pond water am I supposed to dip some out of the pond and just rinse off the spongy things? The pump itself does seem to need the pressure of the hose to push the junk out of it. I can’t clean this out in the actual pond because that’s not cleaning anything. It has been in the 90s Fahrenheit here in south Georgia in the USA. It’s like bathwater. That’s another reason I thought bringing some cool water in would be nice. I also have a product that is a liquid I put in that supposed to clear it up. My UV light is useless now for some reason. Anyway, this product is some kind of barley or some thing. kind of works I think. Anyway, I’m binge watching pond videos these days. I hope my fish will be OK. I bought them almost a year ago. I hope my little hundred gallons is not too small of a room for them to live eat and poop in. That analogy really got to me. I so want to move them and scrub this down to the bottom, but I’m afraid it will be too clean and they’ll have to wait a few weeks to get in to the pond again, I just hate the idea of them living in their own poop. There’s gotta be something that can break it down.

@DazzleKoi

11 ай бұрын

Hi, yes I would remove some pond water in a bucket and use that to clean any filter materials. Even the tiniest amount of chlorine in your hose water will wipe out any good bacteria you have built up. It sounds like barley extract or barley straw which is used to reduce green water from single cell algae. Have you changed the bulb in your UV recently? They are getting quite weak after around 6 months and definitely need replacing once a year, ideally in spring so it is at its best when it has the most work to do. Unfortunately the poop issue can only be resolved with filtration. In our back yard ponds, the volume is tiny compared to the wild so we have to remove it ourselves.

@Beowulf-wt3kb

11 ай бұрын

@@DazzleKoi thanks for the advice. I’m cleaning it twice a week now. Replacing many buckets full nice a week. Am using a declorinator. And I do change to the v bulb. Things are getting better now. The fish are happy and I can see all that he way down to to bottom( only 20 inches deep, but still it’s good ) your advice cleaning the filter more often has really helped a lot. Thanks!

@DazzleKoi

11 ай бұрын

Thats great news 👍👍

how dften do you recommend cleaning sponge filters

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi Declan, this is a tricky one mate. I dont really recommend sponge filters for the reason that they are very onerous to clean and as such its nearly impossible to do it regularly enough. It sounds like a cop out but honestly, the only answer I can give is, as often as you possibly can.

@declanmurphy417

Жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi Thanks for the reply filter has a lot of sponges do not mind cleaning but thought it would stunt good bacteria by cleaning to frequently even though its with pond water what are your thoughts on this

@DazzleKoi

11 ай бұрын

No, as long as you are cleaning them in pond water you shouldn't impact the bacteria to much, if at all. If you think about a moving bed filter the media is constantly being buffeted around and they survive on it. Just avoid have them out of the water for more than a few minutes as once it dries out they will die off.

@declanmurphy417

11 ай бұрын

@@DazzleKoi thanks mate

the discharge of decent filter should only contain phosphorous and nitrogen all organic matter ie fish poop should be digested by the bacteria before returning to the pond

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Humphrey There is no digestion of solid waste by bacteria at all. The only bacteria in your filter are nitrosomas bacteria which consume ammonia but produce nitrite, and nitrobacter bacteria which consume nitrite but produce nitrate. Bacteria perform purely a chemical function, all solid debris must be removed by mechanically collecting it and then flushing it out to waste. Daz

@electoplater

2 жыл бұрын

@@DazzleKoi i enjoy my conversations with you, i will just make a couple of points before later in day getting into more detail regarding the range of microbes found in a filter system as you said solid waste as in a sewage plant is removed by a screen or settlement tanks the dissolved solid are then broken down by bacteria , u are saying u would clean the first stage ie screening stage every hour to reduce the load on the bacteria which also need feeding in basic terms to stay alive. as u know thats how a basic domestic septic tanks work

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Humphrey, I must admit I don't know a thing about domestic septic tanks. I assume bacteria are used in commercial sewage type plants but I could be wrong. While I appreciate there are bacteria that will consume mechanical waste we would never want or encourage them in our pond system as these are the guys (aeromonas etc) that cause the bacterial infections in koi. The only two types of bacteria that we colonise intentionally are a colony of bacteria to consume the ammonia created by our koi and a second colony which consume the nitrite which is a by-product of the first colony. These guys need water to be as mechanically clean as possible as they can't deal with solid waste and their productivity is reduced if they are supplied with solid waste. A massive cause of deadly bacterial infections in koi is waste settling in bottom drain pipework. This solid waste is food for harmful bacteria which live within it and thrive and ultimately end up finding their way in to our koi. This is another big reason why its vital to flush any solid waste out of the system as regularly as possible.

I do my pond every day

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Nice one Graham 👍👍👍

Hi Daz, yes i love your clips, and find them very helpful especially about cleaning your filters, but just a little surjection about about what I see with your pond? Do you really think that you need the amount of air going in your pond? And the amount of sound and vibration that it makes??!! Knowing that the fish will sense it??!! How ever more than we can, i have a move’g bed that puts enough air into my water??!! And i’v got shower splashing into my pond with know other air reaction going into my pond, even when the weather is really hot??!! Or? do you need to turn it down or off??!! Thx Ian.

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ian, absolutely. Oxygen is vital for every aspect of koi and water keeping. From the koi themselves to the bacteria in the filter. The closer to saturation you can keep it the better everything will function. Also vital is water movement to encourage exercise in your koi and also to move waste to the bottom drain. You then have the effect of disrupting the surface to prevent predators being able to see your koi easily. I never turn it off, 24/7/365. I test it regularly to make sure I have good levels and it does vary a lot with weather conditions. Honestly, if I could put more in I would.

@iandeeley554

2 жыл бұрын

Dazzle Koi hi yes i agree with all that, but in my case having all my oxygen from my moving bed and shower i get all the movement in my pond from the returns from my bio cube 600 etc which is pump fed that gives a great movement to my pond, but i did’t realise that you can’t post videos pictures on this add, as i would like to send you pictures of the two shows that i bought from Shirley’s and a video of my koi’s, how can i do it??!! Thx Ian.

Can you tell me what are the measurements of your pond? Thanks!

@DazzleKoi

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, its approx. 2800mm x 1700mm by 1000mm deep

I thought clearing filters out every day would crash the nitrogen cycle it happened to me and killed two of my fish so i don't do it every day now and my levels are better

@DazzleKoi

Жыл бұрын

Hi mate, no, not at all. There is nothing at all in flushing a filter that would impact the bacterial colonies unless you are doing something wrong. Mine are flushed every day, sometimes twice a day, and I've been issue free for over 20 years doing this.