Just Mozi/gnat larvae you'll get them in any still water. Water butts, puddles ect you won't notice them in the pond so much as 1its aireated and 2 they'll be lunch. The cloverleaf stuff is excellent I do mine as soon as I see green on the sides usually at the beginning of the year and I sometimes don't have to do it again for 2 years. As long as you leave the coating on the side of the pond and not clean it off it Carey's on working for quite a while. The UV light last 2 years as well.
Thanks Kev, I think the cloverleaf is good as well. I have been told to try the Renovate. They say that's as good and doesn't cloud your pond, so I'm going to have a look at that. Thanks, Terry.
We were having a problem with bacterial pressure in our 17,000 litre pond. I was advised by a dealer to give SuperTab by Air-Aqua a go. Wasn't cheap at £35 but a box should last a year. The first dose to get started as advised was quite large compared to the maintenance dose. However I followed the instructions. Dosed the pond and the fish seemed much happier, less flashing etc my Chagoi with carp pox started to look better. The upshot was though that "boom" within days the string algae that was becoming a real nuisance had gone as well (which is documented in the instructions). Water flow into my filter increased. I put in a maintenance dose every couple of weeks and that has kept the algae under control. Should also mention that the treatment is colourless.
Hi, I have looked for this as I've not heard of it before. All I could find was 12 tablets £82. Would like to know a bit more about it. Do you have a link at all please. Thank you, Terry.
Hi Terry, I got mine from Mike at Blackburn House Koi in Cumbria TEL: 016977 46519 mob 07748545651 blackburn-house-koi-online-shop.co.uk/super-tab-stabilised-chlorine-dioxide-tablets-12-tablets-1425-p.asp
Wrighty so it does use twice as much power. 1 kw in 1 hour = 1 unit of electricity. I would imagine a submersible will probably use more power as the sponge blocks though as it will work harder. As an aside a KW uses approx 3.2 amps and a HP is 745 watts. (From memory when I was at college Lol). Although the EU may have changed these figures 😉
Wrighty so it does use twice the power. I guess the submersible will gradually use more power as it has to work harder as the sponge starts to block up. 1 kw in 1 hour is 1 unit of electricity. As an aside a HP is 745 watts and a kw uses approx 3.2 amps. (Thats from memory from my college days lol) It wouldnt surprise me if the EU have changed these figures though 😉
Any plants I happen to buy always go in a bucket and PP is added. I find this the best way to introduce new plants into my pond. Leave them in there for a day or so and you'll be good to go.
Gotta be honest mate, I don't like the look of the plants. Not too worried about the larvae. So I will bin them and get some from my local koi shop. There always good. Terry.
Hiya mate have you ever tried using kusuri powder gold? That is what I used to sell when I worked for a company called springbank koi and it worked great I also used it on my pond one year and the algae has never returned.
I'm happy you said about the added cost of dry pumps . Because I was thinking about getting one.but I'm on a tight budget with my pond so I'll be keeping my wet pump . As always love the videos .
Hi mr wrighty pls let me know what can I do for my kois, as they have mouth fungus, I know you can help me I really want to show you the picture of my kois but I don't know how to, I am waiting for your response . thanks
Hi i have been following your filter/algae control videos and noticed that you filter barrels are above ground or more to the point they might be exposed to sun and or warm air temperatures. If you can keep the water temperature down it should help with your algae problems perhaps build an insulated box to go over your blue barrels. By the way those critters are mosquito larvae or from a similar fly. The fish love to eat them. Any time you have stagnant water or water without fish you get such larvae that is why you should always have fish if you have any body of water on your property, otherwise you might experience problems with biting insects. I think you would do well to add some lava rock and some clay pebbles to one of your filter drums. You have plenty of bacteria media and it's not the only factor to be considered in a filter. I was wondering to myself if some dead wood in the water might help. I might try this if i find a suitable piece. The theory is that the dead wood will use up the nitrogen so the algae doesn't have so much nitrogen available. Also the fish will love the hiding spots it provides.
Hi, I totally agree with what your saying with the algae, but I no longer have the barrel filters. As shown in the video I now have an RDF indoor with moving bed. I was trying out an electronic supposed algae killer selling on eBay for over £40.00. I probably didn't do it very well but the point I was making was the electronic algae killer are rubbish and a scam that don't work. You may have missed the previous video when I fitted it. I would have thought you'd have to be careful with wood as it can absorb things you really don't want in your pond. Thanks for your comment and input. Terry.
I'm going to check you indoor filter build now. I did see you fit the electronic filter, thanks for updating me there regarding the results. Sorry to hear about the heron. We don't seem to have many up here in the mountains but i have seen some around a natural pond up here. My pond is relatively new, just over 2 yrs old. It is also shielded from view from the sky in many directions, either by trees or by the house. Perhaps the heron did not see my pond yet. Also it is deep but not with such a large surface area. Perhaps it's being fairly near to the house also helps to deter herons. I'm not sure i fully agree with what you are saying about avoiding having a piece of dead wood in the pond. I agree that you could potentially introduce something that you don't want by putting some wood in the pond. However on the other hand you will always find dead wood in natural/wild ponds. Decaying wood consumes nitrogen. It also provides an ecosystem in itself for other beneficial bacteria, plants insects and micro organisms. I used to have an aquarium and i always had some dead wood inside, mainly for the aesthetics but now i realise that it can help to clear the water. Water snails can also help as they eat the algae. Many organisms which might be encouraged into the pond due to the dead wood could also help with the algae and the general balance of the pond. But yes there is a potential risk if you are introducing such a thing into your pond. I'll have to look a little more into it but it just feels right to me. Also a good thing for frogs to climb on if the koi don't get to them first.
I noticed you have an EVO30. This unit is the same size as the EVO55 so was wondering could you fit a 55 watt bulb in it to increase the ability of the unit to kill the algae
Hi Brian, a UV light only stops green water, caused by what's called algae bloom and is only 3 micron in size. I'm afraid they don't touch the algae in the pond. The Evo 30 is big enough to service a 6000 gallon pond and my pond is only 2500 gallon. They are a good UV as I never suffer with green water and my pond gets full sun. Thanks, Terry.
They may have been in with the plants but they are more likely to have hatched from eggs laid in your quarantine tank. leave the lid off a water butt for a day or two and it will be full of them. Fish love them and trout fishermen tie copies of them as they are so are such good fish food. The eggs aren't usually laid in moving water which is why you don't get them in your main pond and even if they were the fish would clean them up immediately. nothing to worry about and nothing to do with the plants. great channel btw cheers eric
Hi Eric, thanks for the info. looking at the state of the plants, I'm not putting them in my pond anyway mate. they really are a poor sample. thanks again, Terry.
I have a koi question. I picked up a handful of koi fry about 3 weeks ago. Starting out around 2 inches or so, since then they have tripled in size. My question is, some of them look like their bodies are growing faster than their heads. Is this normal? Will their heads eventually catch up, lol. It looks odd to me, but then again, this is my first time owning koi.
Hi Chris, Fry come in all shapes and sizes, but I must say I didn't notice this on my fry. If you look at a normal carp (which is what they originally come from) they have small heads compared to there bodies. To be honest mate I'm not sure, but I would think they'll be fine. If there not from Japanese bread koi they will differ quite a lot in shape and size. Terry.
Switch to (Saki) Hikari food for minimal waste and healthy pondwater. I've had the same problem for years due to the wrong food. Good luck Terry, your fish look stunning.
I used to feed my koi tetra because it was an affordable fish food and my fish loved it I have no stopped feeding tetra when I noticed my fish had more and more fat deposits on them making them very unattractive this is due to the high fat content in tetra foods koi do need some fat but not much. I've since switched over to Kikari fish foods although it is significantly more expensive it is worth the price for a higher quality fish food.
Hi Javier, That is right, but I do feed a lot of other things as well. They even get a lettuce now and again which they tare to pieces. I think once they get use to different foods there a lot happier, Thanks, Terry.
Terry, do you use beneficial bacteria in your pond? I had massive amounts of string algae last year, but I started using bacteria, and this year I have almost zero. It much cheaper than clover leaf that your using, and plant and fish safe. Will be interesting to see how mine will work with the RDF, might have to switch to a liquid form. Cheers
Hi Ron, Yes I do dose with a liquid bacteria about once a month during summer. You still want to run a moving bed or trickle filter with the RDF as it's only the mechanical part of the filtration. Terry.
Regards your dry mount pump. I swapped my badu top 6 to an aqua forte DM Vario 20000. Best thing I did! I've halfed my cost just on pump but am pushing same amount of water.
The mosquito larvae are great for feeding my carp fry. I just put a bucket of water out so the mosquitoes lay their eggs in them, get 1000s of them . I actually see a mosquito emerge from the larvae the other day, could just imagine Attenborough doing a voice over haha
Whenever I get blankweed or string algae I do a 50% to 70% water change. Your koi are getting bigger each month, More nutrients in the pond. You have to do water changes. Chemicals really don't work. Good old fashion water changes.
Hi David, The Cloverleaf will kill it for about 4 to 5 months. The reason it got so bad was I wanted to know if that digital algae killer worked. There selling hundreds of these on ebay and I'm trying to prove if they work or not. There charging £40 each for them. Thanks, Terry.
Look just like mosquito larvae to me as well. I often find the gray remains of them, that have that same long shape with a knobby bit at the top. I'm surprised you aren't familiar with them. That standing water is just asking for them.
Good thing you did quarantined those plants, Terry. Some would have been taken care of by the fishies, but you still would have had in infestation. May have been mosquitoes or bloodworms. Stick with the tried and true methods for the algae. Oh heck, they get fed better than I do.
Hi Harry, that's right mate. They get fed better than me lol. There's not a thin fish in my pond. In fact I think my koi have grown more this year than ever before. Even the baby's are looking chunky. Thanks mate, By the way, I've started a forum on my website diypondfilters.com when you've got a few minutes pop and have a look. I'd love you to join us. It's all pond and fish talk, but you can chat about what you like. I'd love to see you there mate. Terry
Just Mozi/gnat larvae you'll get them in any still water. Water butts, puddles ect you won't notice them in the pond so much as 1its aireated and 2 they'll be lunch.
The cloverleaf stuff is excellent I do mine as soon as I see green on the sides usually at the beginning of the year and I sometimes don't have to do it again for 2 years. As long as you leave the coating on the side of the pond and not clean it off it Carey's on working for quite a while.
The UV light last 2 years as well.
Thanks Kev, I think the cloverleaf is good as well. I have been told to try the Renovate. They say that's as good and doesn't cloud your pond, so I'm going to have a look at that. Thanks, Terry.
We were having a problem with bacterial pressure in our 17,000 litre pond. I was advised by a dealer to give SuperTab by Air-Aqua a go. Wasn't cheap at £35 but a box should last a year. The first dose to get started as advised was quite large compared to the maintenance dose. However I followed the instructions. Dosed the pond and the fish seemed much happier, less flashing etc my Chagoi with carp pox started to look better. The upshot was though that "boom" within days the string algae that was becoming a real nuisance had gone as well (which is documented in the instructions). Water flow into my filter increased. I put in a maintenance dose every couple of weeks and that has kept the algae under control. Should also mention that the treatment is colourless.
Hi, I have looked for this as I've not heard of it before. All I could find was 12 tablets £82. Would like to know a bit more about it. Do you have a link at all please. Thank you, Terry.
Hi Terry, I got mine from Mike at Blackburn House Koi in Cumbria TEL: 016977 46519 mob 07748545651 blackburn-house-koi-online-shop.co.uk/super-tab-stabilised-chlorine-dioxide-tablets-12-tablets-1425-p.asp
Thanks mate. Much appreciated. Will look into it. Thanks again, Terry.
Also take a look at the Superfish RC 20000 pump
Thanks David, Will take a look. Terry.
They like still water in particular.
Whats the wattage of the respective pumps?
Hi Gary, I believe the submersible is about 80 to 90w and my inline 160w. I did expect it would cost more but not quite that much. Terry.
Wrighty so it does use twice as much power. 1 kw in 1 hour = 1 unit of electricity. I would imagine a submersible will probably use more power as the sponge blocks though as it will work harder. As an aside a KW uses approx 3.2 amps and a HP is 745 watts. (From memory when I was at college Lol). Although the EU may have changed these figures 😉
Wrighty so it does use twice the power. I guess the submersible will gradually use more power as it has to work harder as the sponge starts to block up. 1 kw in 1 hour is 1 unit of electricity. As an aside a HP is 745 watts and a kw uses approx 3.2 amps. (Thats from memory from my college days lol) It wouldnt surprise me if the EU have changed these figures though 😉
Pretty certain it's fly larvae mate in those pots.
That's what I thought mate. They all came in on those rubbish plants. Worst £40 I ever spent lol. Terry.
Any plants I happen to buy always go in a bucket and PP is added. I find this the best way to introduce new plants into my pond. Leave them in there for a day or so and you'll be good to go.
Gotta be honest mate, I don't like the look of the plants. Not too worried about the larvae. So I will bin them and get some from my local koi shop. There always good. Terry.
Hi Terry check out the Queni koi food range...its really good and priced well...
Thanks Ross, I will have a look at it. Always like to know what's about mate. Thank you, Terry.
Hiya mate have you ever tried using kusuri powder gold? That is what I used to sell when I worked for a company called springbank koi and it worked great I also used it on my pond one year and the algae has never returned.
Hi Ethan, no mate, I've never heard of it. Does it make a mess of your pond like cba does? thanks, Terry.
I'm happy you said about the added cost of dry pumps . Because I was thinking about getting one.but I'm on a tight budget with my pond so I'll be keeping my wet pump . As always love the videos .
No problem, and thank you, Terry.
Hi mr wrighty pls let me know what can I do for my kois, as they have mouth fungus, I know you can help me I really want to show you the picture of my kois but I don't know how to, I am waiting for your response . thanks
hI MUJ2012, if you join the forum on my website we'll be able to help you better. You can also upload pictures.
diypondfilters.com/forum Terry.
Hi i have been following your filter/algae control videos and noticed that you filter barrels are above ground or more to the point they might be exposed to sun and or warm air temperatures. If you can keep the water temperature down it should help with your algae problems perhaps build an insulated box to go over your blue barrels.
By the way those critters are mosquito larvae or from a similar fly. The fish love to eat them. Any time you have stagnant water or water without fish you get such larvae that is why you should always have fish if you have any body of water on your property, otherwise you might experience problems with biting insects.
I think you would do well to add some lava rock and some clay pebbles to one of your filter drums. You have plenty of bacteria media and it's not the only factor to be considered in a filter.
I was wondering to myself if some dead wood in the water might help. I might try this if i find a suitable piece. The theory is that the dead wood will use up the nitrogen so the algae doesn't have so much nitrogen available. Also the fish will love the hiding spots it provides.
Hi, I totally agree with what your saying with the algae, but I no longer have the barrel filters. As shown in the video I now have an RDF indoor with moving bed. I was trying out an electronic supposed algae killer selling on eBay for over £40.00. I probably didn't do it very well but the point I was making was the electronic algae killer are rubbish and a scam that don't work. You may have missed the previous video when I fitted it. I would have thought you'd have to be careful with wood as it can absorb things you really don't want in your pond. Thanks for your comment and input. Terry.
I'm going to check you indoor filter build now. I did see you fit the electronic filter, thanks for updating me there regarding the results.
Sorry to hear about the heron. We don't seem to have many up here in the mountains but i have seen some around a natural pond up here. My pond is relatively new, just over 2 yrs old. It is also shielded from view from the sky in many directions, either by trees or by the house. Perhaps the heron did not see my pond yet. Also it is deep but not with such a large surface area. Perhaps it's being fairly near to the house also helps to deter herons.
I'm not sure i fully agree with what you are saying about avoiding having a piece of dead wood in the pond.
I agree that you could potentially introduce something that you don't want by putting some wood in the pond.
However on the other hand you will always find dead wood in natural/wild ponds. Decaying wood consumes nitrogen. It also provides an ecosystem in itself for other beneficial bacteria, plants insects and micro organisms.
I used to have an aquarium and i always had some dead wood inside, mainly for the aesthetics but now i realise that it can help to clear the water. Water snails can also help as they eat the algae. Many organisms which might be encouraged into the pond due to the dead wood could also help with the algae and the general balance of the pond. But yes there is a potential risk if you are introducing such a thing into your pond.
I'll have to look a little more into it but it just feels right to me. Also a good thing for frogs to climb on if the koi don't get to them first.
I noticed you have an EVO30. This unit is the same size as the EVO55 so was wondering could you fit a 55 watt bulb in it to increase the ability of the unit to kill the algae
Hi Brian, a UV light only stops green water, caused by what's called algae bloom and is only 3 micron in size. I'm afraid they don't touch the algae in the pond. The Evo 30 is big enough to service a 6000 gallon pond and my pond is only 2500 gallon. They are a good UV as I never suffer with green water and my pond gets full sun. Thanks, Terry.
They may have been in with the plants but they are more likely to have hatched from eggs laid in your quarantine tank. leave the lid off a water butt for a day or two and it will be full of them. Fish love them and trout fishermen tie copies of them as they are so are such good fish food. The eggs aren't usually laid in moving water which is why you don't get them in your main pond and even if they were the fish would clean them up immediately. nothing to worry about and nothing to do with the plants. great channel btw cheers eric
Hi Eric, thanks for the info. looking at the state of the plants, I'm not putting them in my pond anyway mate. they really are a poor sample. thanks again, Terry.
I have a koi question. I picked up a handful of koi fry about 3 weeks ago. Starting out around 2 inches or so, since then they have tripled in size. My question is, some of them look like their bodies are growing faster than their heads. Is this normal? Will their heads eventually catch up, lol. It looks odd to me, but then again, this is my first time owning koi.
Hi Chris, Fry come in all shapes and sizes, but I must say I didn't notice this on my fry. If you look at a normal carp (which is what they originally come from) they have small heads compared to there bodies. To be honest mate I'm not sure, but I would think they'll be fine. If there not from Japanese bread koi they will differ quite a lot in shape and size. Terry.
Wrighty thank you. I got them from a private breeder in the states who claimed they are F1 japanese hitokuru. (First generation american).
They should be ok then mate. They sound to be doing ok. Good luck with them, Hope they do well for you. Terry.
Another great video, thanks Mr Wright :) More please.
Thanks mate. Had a bit of bother with the weather trying to make this one lol. Terry.
So I saw but triumphed never the less :)
That's right mate. Take more than a bit of weather to stop me lol. Terry.
Great video mate
Thank you, very much appreciated. Terry.
You are welcome terry mosquitos are renowned for finding stagnant water thanks for your channel
Thanks Chris, I'd love to see you in our Forum mate. Terry.
Switch to (Saki) Hikari food for minimal waste and healthy pondwater. I've had the same problem for years due to the wrong food. Good luck Terry, your fish look stunning.
Thank you, very much appreciated. I will have a look into it. sounds good. I've heard Hikari food is good. Will give it a go. Thanks, Terry.
Great video Sir!
Thank you, Terry.
I used to feed my koi tetra because it was an affordable fish food and my fish loved it I have no stopped feeding tetra when I noticed my fish had more and more fat deposits on them making them very unattractive this is due to the high fat content in tetra foods koi do need some fat but not much. I've since switched over to Kikari fish foods although it is significantly more expensive it is worth the price for a higher quality fish food.
Hi Javier, That is right, but I do feed a lot of other things as well. They even get a lettuce now and again which they tare to pieces. I think once they get use to different foods there a lot happier, Thanks, Terry.
Terry, do you use beneficial bacteria in your pond? I had massive amounts of string algae last year, but I started using bacteria, and this year I have almost zero. It much cheaper than clover leaf that your using, and plant and fish safe. Will be interesting to see how mine will work with the RDF, might have to switch to a liquid form.
Cheers
Hi Ron, Yes I do dose with a liquid bacteria about once a month during summer. You still want to run a moving bed or trickle filter with the RDF as it's only the mechanical part of the filtration. Terry.
what's the name of the liquid bacteria as I have loads of string algae.
Regards your dry mount pump. I swapped my badu top 6 to an aqua forte DM Vario 20000.
Best thing I did! I've halfed my cost just on pump but am pushing same amount of water.
Hi Matthew, I will look into it, thanks, Terry.
Hey wrighty saw those pesky bugs in with your plants you had in the tubs those are mosquito larve
Thanks mate, to be honest they could have got in the water as soon as I put them outside. The plants are still rubbish though. Thanks, Terry.
The mosquito larvae are great for feeding my carp fry. I just put a bucket of water out so the mosquitoes lay their eggs in them, get 1000s of them . I actually see a mosquito emerge from the larvae the other day, could just imagine Attenborough doing a voice over haha
Hi, That's right, My koi spend most of there time going around the outside of the pond sucking at the sides for them. They love them. Thanks, Terry.
What make Hoover do you use ken? Regards jezza
Hi Jezza, I use Pontec Pondomatic for the pond vac. Terry.
Whenever I get blankweed or string algae I do a 50% to 70% water change. Your koi are getting bigger each month, More nutrients in the pond. You have to do water changes. Chemicals really don't work. Good old fashion water changes.
Hi David, The Cloverleaf will kill it for about 4 to 5 months. The reason it got so bad was I wanted to know if that digital algae killer worked. There selling hundreds of these on ebay and I'm trying to prove if they work or not. There charging £40 each for them. Thanks, Terry.
Oh I see kool experiment. I enjoy your videos!
Works fantastic
Try anoxic filtracion
I have had read up on it. Mankysankie has a website on it. I have had a look but never tried it. Terry.
Hi as said previously mosquito larvae nothing to do with plants it's because you have put them in standing water totally harmless and fish love em
Hi Martin, Thank you. I'm not sure if they came in the plants or not, but they were there 2 days after I planted them. Thanks again, Terry.
Lavae Wrighty. I get them in the rainbutts from time to time.
Hi Chris, I thought they were mate. Don't buy plants on line lol. Terry
Mosquitos lava
Hi Chris, I thought they were some sort of fly larvae. The plants must have been smothered lol. Terry.
That's why the crappy plants were so expensive, they were charging you for the added "live food" ;)
Look just like mosquito larvae to me as well. I often find the gray remains of them, that have that same long shape with a knobby bit at the top. I'm surprised you aren't familiar with them. That standing water is just asking for them.
That's right mate lol. Those bloody flies are expensive 😅Terry.
Hi Cris, I thought that's what they were but wasn't sure. Thanks mate. Terry.
mosquito they are not from the plants, mom drop her eggs in still water...
Thanks A.M.J. I thought they were some sort of fly larvae. Terry.
Good thing you did quarantined those plants, Terry. Some would have been taken care of by the fishies, but you still would have had in infestation. May have been mosquitoes or bloodworms. Stick with the tried and true methods for the algae. Oh heck, they get fed better than I do.
Hi Harry, that's right mate. They get fed better than me lol. There's not a thin fish in my pond. In fact I think my koi have grown more this year than ever before. Even the baby's are looking chunky. Thanks mate, By the way, I've started a forum on my website diypondfilters.com when you've got a few minutes pop and have a look. I'd love you to join us. It's all pond and fish talk, but you can chat about what you like. I'd love to see you there mate. Terry
Just subbed my dad use to show koi at shows nice channel
Thank mate. Terry.
Harmless to the pond; great food for fish fry. If you leave them for too long then you will have a yard full of hungry mosquitoes.
You need to give it time don't take the weed control off
Hi Gaz, I had to clear the algae but I am going to leave it running. It's only 3w so it doesn't matter too much. Terry.
That's mosquito larvae
Hi Jeremy, that's what I thought. I've seen them in the pond before. The fish love them. Thanks mate. Terry.
Wrighty get the water moving they will die
My koi love cat biscuits. Cheerios made me laugh.
I never thought of cat biscuits. Once you get koi use to eating different things they really start to grow. Thanks, Terry.
yep ....mosquito larvae,the fish should love to eat them, if they can see um ...the smaller ones anyway!!! or just dump um down the drain!
Hi Deb, thank you. I do see the koi going round the outside of the pond looking for them. They love them. Terry.
Mosquito larvae.
Mosquito larvae!!!
Mosquito larva
Hi Jennie, thank you. Very much appreciated. Terry.
these are mosquito larvae , i'll buy them from you , ....i'll give you $5.- / Lb. haha!
they are excellent fish food