How do I clear 'tea' color water
Keith & Wendy Slonecker
the droppings from my Quaking Aspen
trees into the pond are full of tannin
that colors the water. I have a bird net
to catch the leaves for a couple weeks in
the fall as they drop, but did not know
until now the damage that the shell casings
around the emerging leaves can do.
These fell into the pond this spring as
the trees leafed out and I thought that
the filter would take care of them and
that they would break down in the
gravel on the bottom.
wrong.
My water is very stained yellow-brownish.
Is there anything I can do to clear the water
color? Ive tried water changes till Im blue
in the face and that doesnt seem to be helping.
I have a 3000 gallon above-ground pond and
have even tried suction vacuum to clean the
gravel, but this stirs up a lot of stuff and
will take all summer to cover the bottom area
of the pond. In the gravel, however, I see
coming up with the gook, a lot of those leaf
casings. Im sure this is where the color is
coming from. Otherwise the water is quite
clear, just this yucky color. My white fish
look yellow except when right at the top.
Would hydrogen peroxide help? hurt? Any
ideas at all would sure be appreciated.
thanks,
wendy in oregon
SSmyth
a willow tree (For Sale!) that spits leaves and guck at an amazing rate. I
scoop and clean every day and still had the tea water you describe. On top
of my homemade Rubbermaid filter, I suspended an ice cream pail with lots of
holes in it, Inside the pail I placed a nylon stocking leg full of activated
charcoal from the fish store. The water bubbled through it and into the main
filter. The results were almost immediate, but I did have to make anther
"cartridge" and swapped them every .-4 days until the water was completely
clear.
Good luck, anyone want to buy a HUGE willow tree?
Steve
Nate
amount of good stuff...
"SSmyth" <nosmyt...@telus.net> wrote in message news:<hK_S8.49853$vo2.2...@news2.telusplanet.net>...
jan
>Activated carbon does work but I believe it also removes a tremendous
>amount of good stuff...
>
Good stuff? Could you get more information on that?
Carbon will work, but Wendy, you've been reading it here lately of how many
people have gotten rid of the gravel in the bottoms of their ponds.
Now I'm not talking rocks the size of 2 bakin' potatoes, but road gravel,
right?
IMO, Its got to go. It was probably also why you were having trouble with
mouth rot this Spring. Using Carbon in your situation will still leave you
just as blue in the face, plus a very flat bank account, changing it out.
~ jan
pond...@optonline.net
Safely clear "tea" colored pond water. Activated Carbon is highly
effective at removing dissolved organic from the pond water, such as
stains and discoloration caused by leaves and organic debris. It is also
an effective method to remove the build up of harmful chlorine and
chloramines caused by city tap water.
Five pounds will treat the average 11'x16' pond for two months.
Happy Ponding
Bullfrog-ed
pond...@optonline.net
http://www.pondguys.com
The Aquascape Design Ecosystem
Complete Pro Pond Kits
"HELPING TO CHANGE THE WAY THE WORLD BUILDS PONDS.
GA80486
skimmer feeding a biofilter waterfall.
Thanks,
Gordy
SSmyth
leg of my wifes old
panty hose (honest honey, they're for the pond!) with the stuff and using
it as a pre filter. It worked great!
"bullf...@pondguys.com" <pond...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:3D2C929F...@optonline.net...
Jim
Jim Lombardo
"SSmyth" <nosmyt...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:ZGpX8.3535$K6.1...@news2.telusplanet.net...
jan
>Five pounds? Where can I buy 5-10lb quantities?
Since many pet stores have to buy it in bulk ask if you can purchase some
in bulk, if not, www.aquaticeco.com Personally I prefer the carbon matting
myself. Part # PF3
Charcoal Briquettes are not the same thing as activated carbon. Briquettes
will leave a nice petroleum film on your pond so I've heard. ;o) ~ jan
GA80486
dust and needs to be rinsed before use. Are the carbon pads the same, or do you
just put them right in your filter?
Thanks,
Gordy
John Rutz
Activated charcoal? Do you think regular BBQ charcoal would work too?
..Activated Carbon/charcoalJust what is Activated carbbon ???? how is it activated???????? inquiring minds want to know
-- Carolann and John Rutz Email jo...@fuerjefe.com See my pond at: http://www.fuerjefe.com rec.ponds Frequently Asked Questions http://www.geocities.com/justinm090/faq.html
Stacy Millions
> Just what is Activated carbbon ???? how is it activated????????
> inquiring minds want to know
{ Charcoal is obtained by burning wood, nutshells, coconut husks, animal
{ bones, and/or other carbonaceous (carbon-containing) materials. Charcoal
{ becomes activated by heating it with steam to approximately 1000 oC in
{ the absence of oxygen (O2). This treatment removes residual non-carbon
{ elements and produces a porous internal microstructure having an extremely
{ high surface area. A single gram of such material can have 400 to 1,200
{ square meters of surface area, 98% of it internal!
You can read the rest of the article at
http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/activatedcharcoal.html
-stacy
jan
>I had some activated carbon that I put in a nylon. This stuff has considerable
>dust and needs to be rinsed before use. Are the carbon pads the same, or do you
>just put them right in your filter?
>
I give them a rinse over with the sprayer on the hose, to get it wet all
over to remove any lose dust, but they're nothing like the dusty chunks
you're talking about.... been so long I'd forgotten that awful chore, must
be another one of the reason I like the pads. ;o) ~ jan
KenCo
>
> Jim Lombardo wrote:
>
> > Activated charcoal? Do you think regular BBQ charcoal would work
> > too?
> >
> >> ..
> >>
> >> > Activated Carbon/charcoal
> >> >
> >> >> Just what is Activated carbbon ???? how is it
> >> >> activated???????? inquiring minds want to know
> >> >>
http://www.kencofish.com/carbon.htm has a pic
that may help
>
> --
> Carolann and John Rutz
>
> Email jo...@fuerjefe.com
>
> See my pond at:
> http://www.fuerjefe.com
>
> rec.ponds Frequently Asked Questions
> http://www.geocities.com/justinm090/faq.html
--
emails with attachments are deleted,
only plain text email is accepted
Update: k...@kencofish.com is the new email address.
http://www.kencofish.com Ken Arnold, 401-781-9642
Importer/Exporter of Goldfish,Koi,rare Predators
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Jerrispond
throwing it in the pond will not do the trick. :o) Jerri
http://www.fringeweb.com/Ponds/JerrisPond
John
Activated charcoal sounds like a good idea for cleaning it up, but since
this is a fairly large pond I would need a large amount of charcoal. Any
ideas on what type to use, where to get it and the amount to use (I have
about 2000 gal/hour flow rate through my biofilter and UV light. Thanks!
John
"Jerrispond" <jerri...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020714174346...@mb-mn.aol.com...
jan
>I missed this thread - I have an 8000 gal pond with tea-colored water.
>Activated charcoal sounds like a good idea for cleaning it up, but since
>this is a fairly large pond I would need a large amount of charcoal. Any
>ideas on what type to use, where to get it and the amount to use (I have
>about 2000 gal/hour flow rate through my biofilter and UV light. Thanks!
>
>John
Have you tried frequent partial water changes?
Hydrogen Peroxide is suppose to help, so I've heard, but I've never seen a
formula for doing so.
Activated carbon matting can be purchased by the yard from
www.aquaticeco.com Part No. PF3 or PF3R
Have you clean the bottom of whatever might be causing the tea colored
water? ~ jan
See my ponds thru the seasons and/or my filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/
~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website
John
biofilter crashed. When I got the system back up, the water turned from
clear to brown. Probably the asphyxiated microbes and gunk washed from the
biofilter is the cause. We are in a severe drought here in Colorado and
water changes are out of the question. I use a pool net to scrape and clean
some gunk up from the bottom, although after only a couple years of
operation there isn't a whole lot of detritus. I could make some type of
activated carbon circulating filter (pack a PVC pipe with a screen on each
end and carbon in the middle?). At $60 for 18 pounds of carbon I hope it
would have a long life span, but I don't know how much to use, or how long
it would last. The filter media coated with carbon can be had for $12 a
yard - I wonder if I could remove some of the dissolved organics by topping
my upflow biofilter with this as the last layer, or would it just clog up?
Any ideas are appreciated.
John
"jan" <JJs...@noe-mail.com> wrote in message
news:rr47juodh224d0ar7...@4ax.com...
jan
>activated carbon circulating filter (pack a PVC pipe with a screen on each
>end and carbon in the middle?). At $60 for 18 pounds of carbon I hope it
>would have a long life span, but I don't know how much to use, or how long
>it would last.
If it's the real high quality stuff (virgin coconut carbon) 1lb/400 gallons
will last 2-4 weeks, course fish load etc. could shorten it's longevity. At
$60 I'd purchase the matting. It's easier to rinse, cause as someone
reminded me here, the pellets have to be rinsed, rinsed and rinsed again to
remove the dust.
I just purchased 15 yds from AES w/shipping about $160 I expect this to
last me many seasons. This year I've used 4 yards for my 1500 gallons, but
it was much cheaper in bulk and I don't mind storing it. ;o)
>The filter media coated with carbon can be had for $12 a
>yard - I wonder if I could remove some of the dissolved organics by topping
>my upflow biofilter with this as the last layer, or would it just clog up?
That's how I do it, it's the last mat before the water goes thru the pump,
in my case (horizontal flow). ~ jan
John
there are different thicknessess to choose from) as the last layer in my
biofilter.
John
"jan" <JJs...@noe-mail.com> wrote in message
news:bra9jushvq2ca2842...@4ax.com...
MISSYMAGICGIRL
charcoal help this??