Green water in koi pond – Are you having problems with the green water of your new koi pond? You may have New Pond Syndrome. Balancing the chemicals in the water can be a difficult task, especially at the start of your pond’s existence or after a water change. You may have some problems with your Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. But this is very natural and usually does not require any treatment to overcome it.
What is New Koi Pond Green Water Syndrome?
In short, New pond Syndrome is a chemical imbalance that your pond will experience after it has been formed or after a water change. The symptoms are often green water reminiscent of an algae bloom, stressed fish that may be experiencing illness and chemical spikes of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.
Once you have filled your new pond with water, your pond will begin to develop its own ecosystem and the Nitrogen Cycle will begin. The Nitrogen Cycle is a natural process in which organic matter is decomposed and the resulting Ammonia is converted to Nitrite and then Nitrate.
At the start of the Nitrogen Cycle, you will see a spike in Ammonia, followed by a spike in Nitrite and then Nitrate. This can cause green water, foul odors or stressed fish. Due to the start of this cycle, it is important not to introduce Koi fish to a new pond right away.
This is because your filter didn’t start with any healthy bacteria in it; it takes time for the bacteria to thrive and overcome the chemical imbalance in the pond. While it can often take up to six weeks for healthy bacteria to develop in your filter, it may take 2 to 3 months for the pond to mature.
Due to Ammonia, you may also start to see your pond turning green. While this may be caused by Algae, it is important that you test your water first, with a Pool Health Test Kit. This will help identify if the discoloration is caused by the Ammonia spike or if it is algae.
Read Also : Why Koi Fish Die In Ponds
New Pond Syndrome Fish Symptoms
If your pond is under 3 months old and you notice any of the following symptoms in your fish, they are most likely symptoms of New Pond Syndrome:
- Fish have no appetite and are solitary
- They rubbed their bodies on the pool wall
- They were panting on the surface of the pool
- Koi pond green water is commonly called new pond syndrome
- Causes of koi pond green water
A new pond will take up to 80 days to cycle through the Nitrogen Cycle. You may notice your pH level is closer to 9, when it should be balanced as close to 7 as possible. But don’t worry about Ammonia at this point. Once this pH drops to around 8-8.4, you can start adding fish to your pond.
You can always use a Test Kit to test your pH, or you may find it easier to use a Digital pH Tester.
After 70-90 days, the pH will continue to decrease and you may start to see the development of algae, or green water. Algae develop due to increased Ammonia and decaying organic matter (decaying vegetation, fish waste, food waste).
At this point, you should test your water and measure the Nitrate, Nitrite, and Phosphate levels. Most test kits will include easy-to-read diagrams, but our Water Quality guide covers the ideal range for the chemicals in your pool.
The healthy bacteria in your pool help break down Ammonia into Nitrites; these chemicals are easily consumed by your plants. But your plants can’t consume enough Nitrite to detoxify your water; other types of healthy bacteria can metabolize Nitrite to Nitrate.
Nitrates are only toxic to your pool when levels are high and must be removed through plants, algae, water changes or bacteria. Usually, the pond will have enough healthy bacteria and plants to manage levels of these chemicals.
It is very important that your pond has a sufficient amount of aeration in your pond to help healthy bacteria thrive; please see our blog post on aeration for more information.
What can affect the Nitrogen Cycle?
While the Nitrogen Cycle the wildlife pond will cycle through a cycle that has a higher pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate; the addition of fish can affect this cycle. Fish produce waste, which decomposes and releases Ammonia; further contributing to chemical changes in your pool.
Additionally, overfeeding fish can have a significant impact. Any leftover food will break down in your pond into Ammonia; causing the nitrogen cycle to become unbalanced.
Although this new cycle must be completed through the use of a proper and effective filtering system, you can also use the manufacturer’s product.
However, if you build a koi pond, trust a professional koi pond service provider to get the best results.
Thus hopefully useful
Source : Doni Bastian @ Gila Koi – The Indonesian Koi Kichi
https://arsip.gilakoi.my.id/air-hijau-pada-kolam-baru/