Complete guide to Air and Oxygen in the Koi pond including Q&A
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- Опубликовано: 16 янв 2021
- How much air should I have in my pond?
Not only Koi ponds but ANY pond containing fish, will need a supply of oxygen to keep things healthy and happy. In this video I will cover everything you will ever need to know to keep your fish not only alive, but to enable them to thrive.
Why we need oxygen in a pond, what uses the oxygen and why, how much is enough, can you have to much, how to measure oxygen levels in your pond, how to increase dissolved oxygen levels, and when might you need to increase the oxygen you have going in, are all covered in this video.
I finish with a little Q&A session where I answer some questions submitted by Dazzle Koi subscribers.
Check out my website at www.dazzlekoi.com/
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I used hydrogen peroxide 3% at a dose of 8 oz to 10000 gallons/40000 Liters of pond water. Lasts about eight hours with no stress. Had to use during a power outage of two days and no other aeration. Koi did not mind at all. Use also when koi sluggish, or green water. This dose will not harm healthy bio filters. Use in aquariums also but we are talking drops nor ounces. Tremendous amount of oxygen. Keep some on hand for emergencies. Very cheap also.
Hi Dave, yes I'm a big fan of hydrogen peroxide, particularly for weed control. As you say, I do always keep some handy, just in case 🍻🍻
Great blog again Darren thanks.👍
You're welcome Rex, thank you 🍻🍻
You've done it again Darren. Thank you!
Thanks George 🍻🍻
Another great informative video👍👍👍 thanks 😁👌
Cheers Andrew 🍻🍻
Yet again mate brilliant ..I've picked up on loads of info ....you video's are really helpful 👍
Thank you Rob, comments like this make it all worthwhile Sir 🍻👍🍻👍🍻👍🍻
Thanks Dazzle. Great video.
Cheers Sir 🍻🍻
Really helpful tutorial. Thank you.
Thank you very much, I'm glad it was helpful 👍👍👍
I've found your videos really helpful for a new hobbiest trying to weave his way through all the information.
Thanks very much mate, that's good to hear 👍👍
Take care 🍻
Another great instructional video, I’m going to get a kit and turn my pump up. 👍
Thanks mate, go for it !! 👍👍
Enjoyed your video. Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻
Good to hear mate, thanks for taking the time to comment 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻
Thanks for posting this. Really informative. 👍
Cheers Al, glad to hear it was useful to you 🍻🍻👍👍
Enjoyed the vid Thank you for the information. Will be getting an oxygen testing kit.
Thanks Robert, good stuff 👍👍🍻👍👍
another great video daz your video on KH was brill 7 drops. PH steady at 7.5 ALL FISH SEEM REALLY GREAT thanks daz.
No problem Gary, sounds perfect, good stuff 🍻🍻👍👍
Cheers mate! 👍
No problem Col 👍👍
Very good information mate 👍
Thanks Mark, appreciate that 👍🍻👍
Very useful information once again keep up passing it on, it ensures every one can view and appreciate the fish in their ponds 🙂
Thanks very much Paul, I appreciate that mate 🍻👍🍻👍
Another great video Darren 👍
Thanks Graham, good to hear 🍻👍🍻👍🍻
Great video again daz 👍some think for all levels
Thank you Terence 🍻
Great video very informative thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks Glynne, I appreciate that 🍻🍻
Excellent information
Thank you very much, I appreciate you taking time to leave a comment 👍👍🥂🥂👍👍
Good information, I always tell my Garden Pond friends down south to put blocks of ice in ponds on hot days to cool of there koi ponds. Warm water not good for big koi.
Yes that's good advice. We can only dream of temps hot enough to have to do that here 😁
Brill and very interesting videos mate 👍
Thanks Andrew, much appreciated 🍻👍🍻👍
I'm now 7 vids in to the channel in 1 day. Great science, thank you
haha you must be sick of the sight of me by now 😁😁😁
Thanks mate 🍻🍻
Great Info Daz, didnt know about test kits.
Thanks Martyn, yeah its surprising how many people don't realise you can test dissolved oxygen just like any other parameter 👍🍻👍🍻
I have never thought that much into air we put into our ponds I enjoyed this video and you learn something every day thanks
Cheers Barry, glad it got you thinking 🍻🍻👍👍
Great vlog again Dazzle Koi. Like yourself I NEVER turn anything off in the pond during Winter. It runs 24/7 for 365 days a year. I have tested for oxygen in the past but not done it for a few years not. It’s maybe something to start testing again 🤔. Thanks for sharing 👍🐟
No problem mate, its definitely worth just checking now and again 👍🍻👍
Hi Daz thanks for posting this informative piece.
Yes I would back you up on Medo air pumps, far superior in performance to diaphragm pumps and Medo pumps don't need their diaphragm's replacing every 12 to 18 months either.
I'm now making a start on my Bakki "style" shower, thanks for the inspiration 👍👍
Good stuff mate, I hope to get the next video done soon 🍻
Very interesting video
Cheers Wayne 🍻🍻
Excellent mate. Technical enough, so that people understand but not too technical to put folks to sleep or leave the newbies behind.
Thanks Dave, I really appreciate your feedback 🍻👍🍻👍🍻👍
@@DazzleKoi credit where it’s due mate
Nice Video. Very informative as always.
Thank you Madam 😁😁
@@DazzleKoi haha that made me giggle. Have a great day.
Thanks Lau, you too 😁😁
Great video. Personal preference for me is to have all the air going in the filters if able to. No need to have it in the actual pond. My ponds for viewing my koi.
Thanks Bobby, much appreciated. Yes that's a good option. I don't have a filter that I can add air to but if you have its a nice neat way of doing it 👍👍🍻🍻
Very good info 😃👍🏻
Cheers mate 🍻🍻👍👍
@@DazzleKoi would you say keep air on if air temp outside is under 5°C to something under 0°C ?
I personally would mate. I have never turned air off to my ponds. Air is warmed slightly when compressed but its a tiny amount. It doesn't warm the water but it does minimise the cooling. Water pumps and air pumps running all the time for me. The only thing I do different in winter is change to wheatgerm around October. Other than that its business as usual 👍
@@DazzleKoi cool cheers mate 😃👍🏻
Great video as per, these info videos are right up my street, learning loads. Thanks for answering my question on oxygen in winter. Cheers 👍 ( how’s bakki shower getting on?)
Hi Richard, no problem 👍
Slow as usual, I'm going between researching the media and trying to build the shower itself. A bit of progress but slow 😒
@@DazzleKoi cheers 👍
Great video. Very interesting. Will be getting an oxygen test kit. Not sure why I've never bought 1. I'll finally have an aerated bottom drain once I've got my pond re built. Planning to run it on a timer so it's on all night and in the day when I'm at work, just off at the times I would be viewing the fish. Will also have a shower and air pump in the moving bed so should be adequate, but like you said, best to check. Keep the videos coming 👍
Thanks Dan, sounds good to me mate, you should have plenty but always good to test to know for sure 👍👍
Good work as always, my pond water is 28c at the mo, but we are in the middle of summer here in perth WA. 👍
wow, that's awesome mate, we can only dream of 28C over here !!!
Never been to WA, I did work in Dandenong, just outside Melbourne for a while a few years back and it was a great place 👍👍
Thanks for the video 👍 will you be making a video of how you installed your Window in the pond?
Hi Christopher, yes I'm making a video on how to build that pond from start to finish so I'll definitely include all about the window in there 👍👍🍻🍻
My ponds are always pretty cool even in summer as they are deep and I have spinning balls for maximum oxygenation and circulation
Hi Colleen, how do they work? I haven't heard of that before
Great knowledge on the oxygen for the koi always keep it on ,also when is the shower vid coming mate and how’s it going ?
Hi mate, its still a little way off yet to be honest, I'm doing a lot of research in to the medias at the moment.
As usual, like first, then watch the video 😂 Interesting and informative as always, well done mate.
Just wondered, I'm in the process of building a 2000gal pond. The depth from bottom drain to skimmer is 1.40m, would an Evolution Aqua 75 air pump, be adequate to feed my spin-drifter? The drum filter will also have a moving bed.
Thanks again, keep up the great content Darren
Hi mate and thanks 🍻🍻
Yes a 75 litre air pump is more than enough to run the spindrifter at that depth. Its actually over specced if you go off Alternative aquatics data sheet but I've run much bigger through them in the past with no issues 👍
@@DazzleKoi Thanks Darren
Also you can tell if fish are low on oxygen just looking at them. If they swim slow and sluggish then they are low on oxygen, unless it's winter and ice cold water then they are in winter slumber
Great video again. My air on 24/7. But never tested for oxygen. Be getting a test kit for it now. I was one. Never knew you could get a cheap test kit.
I used a Hailea piston type pump. Just on 2 air stones. ( best air stones ? ) Any thoughts on these type. Or have I been wasting electricity on this type ?
Hi Graeme, if its working for you then I would leave well alone but they do tend to be very heavy on electricity. They are not very efficient but they are usually quite cheap to buy. I like to have a good quality diaphragm pump and then keep the piston pump for a spare just in case.
I have Oase Oxytex Pond Aerator big air stones and a 3 Foot blade and I have a Nexus 320 and i have a have a bottom drain and my pond is 2 ,500 Gallons and i got my Koi book as well for Christmas when i spoke you
Very interesting video what you did thank you for doing it
Hi Graham, good stuff, which book did you get?
Another very informative video. Like you I keep everything running throughout the winter as there are so many advantages in doing this. I notice on your pond you do not have a winter cover and as far as I can see no form of heating. Your thoughts about adding a cover and/or heating would be appreciated. I personally have never heated the pond but have thought about adding one of the floating heaters similar to what is used in a tank to switch on during the really cold spells but have never been really convinced that its necessary. Instead for many years I've used a solar weave winter cover during the cold spells and I've never known the water temperature drop lower than around 3.5C (at the surface) whilst using that and whilst the fish are pretty much dormant at those type of temperatures they soon start to swim around once the water temperatures gets a little higher.
Hi Keith, I heated in the past because I had some more expensive fish that had potential I wanted to realise but I'm not in that position now so I see no need. I have never covered my ponds as I don't really see how there can be a lot of benefit unless the rest of the pond is insulated to and you use an insulated cover of some form. You need to leave space for gas exchange so any air that is warmer than ambient is going to escape anyway. The only benefit I can see is reducing wind chill but I'm in a fairly sheltered garden and I don't know how much benefit you would see from that anyway.
@@DazzleKoi Going from the water temps before I had the cover and after then the cover has definately helped keeping the water temps up. If you have videos of your old pond(s) maybe you could include this on a future video.
Good stuff, hopefully we will see some warmer weather soon and we don't need to worry about covering, already feels like a lot worse winter than the previous couple of years.
Sadly I don't have any video on the previous pond. I do have a few pictures during construction and when complete but I don't know if it would make an interesting video or not. I'll give it a go though 👍
Hi daz ,another great vid full of info. Silly question mate but does the air need to be coming from the pond floor ? Cheers 👍
Hi Darren, it doesn't have to come from the bottom, no, but its all about surface area and the time the air is in contact with the water so the lower it starts in the pond the longer that contact time is and the more oxygen can be transferred to the water.
Thanks bud👍. Any chance of a get ready for spring vid when the time comes ?? Cheers
Hi Darren, yes definitely, I've added that to my list 👍👍
What’s the aeration system you have going in this pond? Thanks!
Hi there, its an EA 70 air pump, the one that comes bundled with the Eazy Pod Air, and its running through a Spindrifter bottom drain. Its the original Spindrifter from Alternative aquatics.
Hi Darren, great video. I have often wondered if blowing air in would cool the water. I suppose this is only true if using a venturi. Blowing air from bottom could be different as in the winter the water temperature is warmer at the bottom of the pond. What is your thoughts? Thanks
Hi Anthony, I'm conflicted on this. My science background says this is possible, but in reality I've never seen it and if it where to happen it would be fractions of degrees and not worth the downsides from having it turned off.
Stratification is another thing I have never seen in a koi pond. In huge still lakes it is definitely real but koi ponds are to small to have warmer water at the bottom , and when you add fish movement as well, stirring the water it simply doesn't happen. Koi don't sit at the bottom because its warmer, they sit at the bottom because they need least amount of energy consumption to sit at the bottom.
Another thing to consider is the fact that when you compress air it warms up. Its not a lot but the air you pump to the bottom of your pond is very slightly warmer than ambient air temp.
In my opinion they are all just to small margins to consider in a pond environment of this size.
@@DazzleKoi Thank you for taking the time to give a comprehensive answer to my question. Your chemistry background shines through. Looking forward to the next video😁
Cheers Anthony. I think I'm ready to tackle chlorine next 😁
Who knows, one day I might even do a video on sal....sal........sa......no I can't !!!
sir, what is the type and thickness of Window glass and what are the dimensions of the glass
Hi James, I used two pieces of 10mm thick toughened glass laminated together to give 21mm total. I used Pilkington Optiwhite as its a low iron glass that has higher transmission and doesn't give you the green tinge you see with standard float glass. Its a bit more expensive but I think its worth it. The size is 1400 x 700mm. If you go any bigger I would step up to 12mm glass and even thicker if you go a lot bigger.
Any glass merchant local to you will make this for you.
Have you ever had water back up through the spindrifter membrane into the pipework when the pump is switched off (not that you turn yours off often so silly question). It is a problem I am getting. I have a one way valve to try but I doubt it will hold the back pressure for long.
Hi mate, is it a genuine spindrifter drain or a different make? The clever bit about the spindrifter is that it is a membrane that inflates with the air pressure from the pump and expands. When it expands millions of tiny slits in the rubber open up and let tiny bubbles out. As such when the air is turned off the slits close and water cant get back in. I've never had any water in mine.
In theory though you should just be able to turn it back on and it might be slow or inconsistent for a while but it should clear itself.
@@DazzleKoi it was sold to me as a spindrifter but who knows if it is genuine? I have been thinking about it and if it won't clear I will go for a swim and pull the hose off that goes between the body and membrane/lid. Less resistance for the air pump to push the water out. As you may have seen my videos are less educational than yours so a pond swim will be par for the course - although 7C is a bit chilly!
I have seen mate but bloody hell, I don't think you can get in there at that temp can you?
Hi mate is there a test to find out how much oxygen for a pond and is to much oxygen bad
Hi Sam, no you can't realistically add too much oxygen with normal air pumps.
Test kit is in the video but I just use the normal jbl dropper test kit. Its cheap enough and works really well 👍👍
whats your view on venturi for oxygen
Hi Paul, I must be honest I'm not particularly familiar with venturi's but I've been chatting to another gentleman about them and had a look in to them and they look like a really good option to get air in without spending any more money. If you can incorporate one on a filter return it sounds ideal. 🍻👍🍻👍
How do koi thrive in mud ponds in Japan with no aeration ?
Hi Andy, mud ponds do have aeration if its necessary. They use air lift type aerators, paddle aerators or water movement / spray type systems. I think a lot of the time when you watch videos of mud pond harvests they have just turned them off ready for the netting but they do have them 👍
I have plenty of oxygen from massive ring airstone. Will this help maintain the health of the fish? One thing I notice the water quality is excellent. Is it due to providing more oxygen for the bacteria in the filtration? I have 2 koi always have a small patch of fin or tail rot. Will this oxygen heal the issue over time? Thanks
Hi Wilson, definitely the more oxygen you can get in to the water the better. It helps in many ways. It can help create flow and circulation to help move the waste material in to your filter to make your water cleaner. As you say, bacteria benefit from more oxygen and grow so they can do their job better. Your koi will benefit from more oxygen in many ways to. It will definitely help to provide a better environment for healing but it wont directly cure the fin rot. It will help make any treatment more effective and speed up healing . You should still treat them for fin rot though.
@@DazzleKoi many thanks for your advice.!
will degassing help oxygenate water at any given temp.? If so, how to DIY a cheap degasser
Hi mate, sorry I don't fully understand your question. When you say degassing, are you referring to bubbling air ?
@@DazzleKoi Hi, I am asking about the removal/stripping of dissolved Co2 and other gases from the water before oxygenation.
Ah ok, I understand.
Removing of CO2 doesn't necessarily improve oxygenation of water , no. But CO2 does impact on a kois ability to use the oxygen that it has available. So a koi can use the available oxygen more efficiently if the CO2 level is lower. So for example, in water with a low level of oxygen, if the CO2 level is low the koi may be ok, but if the CO2 was high , the low level of oxygen would be a problem. High CO2 affects a kois bloods ability to carry oxygen.
I don't think it is necessary to degas CO2 specifically other than with strong aeration. The aeration will remove CO2 and add oxygen to the water at the same time.
Hi Daz, a bit off topic but I hope you can help. Recently I’ve had a slight rise in nitrite , as a result I’ve notice blanket week growing like nobody’s business (not what I expected for this time of year). Pond is 5500 litres, pump fed easy pod, bakki shower, plenty of uv and air and its heated to 12 degrees. I’ve been doing water changes which drops the nitrite but then it creeps back up and the blanket weed keeps coming. Any suggestions? Do you think a bio chamber would help me here? Many thanks
Hi Alex, I trust you mean nitrate and not nitrite? It is nitrate that provides nutrients for weed and algae. Also phosphates do to so its worth measuring your phosphate level if you can.
For nitrate, ceramic BHM in a shower will take out nitrate but it needs to be the genuine media to colonise the anaerobic bacteria you need. What media is in your shower? Other than that, its plants or dilution through water changes.
If you can set up a constant trickle in to dilute nitrate that's the best option.
I've had good success with cloverleaf blanket answer in the past if you need to treat it but you really need to address the food source at the same time or it is likely to come back.
@@DazzleKoi hi, thanks for the reply/advice. It was definitely the nitrite that went up and has been for a month or so. The nitrate did go up a bit on one test but then has remained at 0 (or according to the test results, that I don’t think are that accurate).
In the shower I’ve got a mix of kockney koi bio balls and mountain tree. I did use the EA stop blanket weed, but the blanket weed swiftly returned. Agreed I wanted to find the source rather than the quick fix. I wasn’t sure if a bio chamber or bead filter would help, I just didn’t want to spend time and money installing one if it won’t help.
Hi mate, nitrite is harmful to your koi at elevated levels but it wont cause blanket weed. Blanket weed needs nitrate or phosphate for nutrition.
I'd be very suspicious of a reading of zero nitrate (although its not impossible), particularly if you have blanket weed.
I think I'd be tempted to get a second test kit and confirm those readings are correct before you go any further.
A bio chamber or bead filter will help to tackle nitrite but it wont help with your weed problem.
Nitrite is purely down to your biological filtration not being mature enough to handle the level of nitrite it is getting. Pure+ gel I found to be good for speeding up that process but essentially its just a case of monitoring it and waiting it out really. you have enough capacity there to hold enough bacteria, so you just need to give them time to grow.
What water do you use for water changes? My tap water is very high in phosphate, so I try to avoid water changes as much as possible, as I always get an algae spike afterwards. I have a pump fed multi bay filter that gravity feeds a wildlife pond with plenty of plants like irises to out compete algae before going over a waterfall into the koi pond. Do you have any kind of plants to deal with the nitrate to out compete the algae.
Hi Martin, I use water straight from the tap. Its fed in at a constant trickle just after my filtration, on the return line. Never used a dechlorinator and never seen a trace of chlorine in the pond, even when I'm trickling in up to 100% a week. I test it periodically just to be sure but never anything there.
I do , when I remember, throw a bit of sodium thiosulphate in to mop up any chloramine that may be in there but my water report shows none.
No, no plants at all, I keep a completely clean environment. I use a bacci shower for the nitrates. This harbors anaerobic bacteria that consume nitrate. Never had any reading since fitting the shower. Plants work well to if you can manage them but not really for a formal koi pond, more for an informal or in ground natural pond.
Phosphate is a problem for me, I have 2 out of the tap and so I have 2 in the pond. I just have to live with this unfortunately, nothing I can do about it. I use good quality food and minimise run off etc to make sure I have none from sources other than my tap water.
So do you think that is to much for my Pond do you for 2 ,500 Gallons I have been doing Koi for two years now
Hi Graeme, I honestly don't think you can have to much. I would highly recommend getting hold of an O2 test kit and measuring your dissolved oxygen level. Bare in mind that it is going to be higher at the moment than it will be in summer when feeding is high.
Them jbl kit are like rocking horse poo. Unless you order from Germany 🤯
Really? I didn't realise that. Maybe that's the one I need to try and source first then. Thanks mate 👍
is too much oxygen bad?
Hi Moni, no you can not have to much air in a koi pond. As long as you use pond air pumps you will be fine. The only way would be if you used air from a compressor at high pressure 🍻🍻
Just a thought... what about talking about other ways of introducing oxygen, such as venturies and airlifts (I make my own)?
One other thing... in the UK, you’re pretty safe to leave everything running because the weather is quite mild throughout the year. However, I live in Ontario, Canada and our lakes can freeze over up with ice up to 2 feet thick, for 4 months! I’m adding both an airlift and a heat pump to mine and insulating the crap out of everything. If you get on the FB koi forums, and trust me, they desperately need the kind of knowledge you impart, you will be speaking to people from all over the World. All the northern US States get weather similar to ours. So it’s not a one size fits all. I also found that North America is quite a bit behind the UK on filtration, as they entered the hobby much more recently.
Keep up the good work mate. You are providing the best information that I have seen so far.
Hi Dave, yes some great points. I do keep forgetting that I'm not just talking to people in the UK. I need to do better at catering for other countries and climates 👍
I'll be honest, venturis have all but disappeared from the UK koi pond these days as far as I'm aware and airlift systems are much the same, they had a burst of popularity maybe 10 years ago but I don't see many nowadays. As such I have to confess to not knowing a great deal about either.
I will do some research on both though and hopefully do an update covering all these things 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻
@@DazzleKoi it’s very easy to do. Right now, you will mainly be talking to folks in the UK, I would think. But if you get on the forums, it’s a much wider audience. You’re doing s great job. I’ve seen your confidence improving with each video. Once you get the idea just how good you are, there’ll be no stopping you!
@@DazzleKoi I used to have a fishing lure company and put up something like 80 videos on RUclips. I hated watching myself at first and felt very self conscious. But then, I’d been in sales for 40 years and soon got over it. I quickly changed to watching myself as though I was another person and the quality of the videos went right up. If you want to watch any of my videos, some are still up. Just go on RUclips and punch in Black Mama Fishing and they should come right up. I’ve lost a lot of weight and some hair, since they were done.
@@DazzleKoi I make my own ventures, they are a lot cheaper than an air pump and if you wish, you can make them directional. I just get a Y connection and glue in a restricting washer just before the Y, so that the water changes to more of a jet. You have a piece of pipe in the vertical portion, which is above the water level. The water jet now draws in air from the vertical pipe and voila... a Venturi. Cheap as chips and vey effective, for a few quid. I like to add a final chamber to the water return, where I mineralized (lava and Canterbury Spar), PH BUFFER (a bag of seashells) and mop up any leftover ammonia and nitrites that the filter didn’t get (zeolite). I use a Venturi to aerate the water.
@@DazzleKoi there’s a couple of excellent videos by AquaTechNobel on making airlifts. If you wanna send me your email address, I’ll fire you off my plans for my new place nd, which show you how I am going to incorporate an airlift.
dont put your products ads ..viewers will hate your product istead of buying it
Sorry mate, I don't follow. I don't have any products, I'm just a hobbyist. I don't sell anything.