August 2010 and CLEAR water

[carcha koi]

Since adding a a brush filter and making a few changes My water has been clear for almost 2 months. No UV used. How are your ponds doing. Is it luck, weather or the added plants and filter.

[carcha koi]

a few more

[Peg]

Very nice Chris, My water stays clear all the time. I do use a UV and lots of clay and that helps, or I would never see the fish. A job well done :yup:

[carcha koi]

Thanks Peg. Never had clear water. not spoiled like you:lol: Don't want a UV. Never tried clay. I hear of it used all the time but don't really get it ? willing to try.

[clm]

Looks great Chris. Mine is clear with no UV either, but I have half the pond covered with lilies and a raft which I think helps too. That and cleaning the filter mats daily. I use clay as well, once a week with my water changes.

clm

[carcha koi]

How does clay work

[clm]

to be honest, I don't really know. When I had my first pond, it was unlined and was of course dug in clay. The goldies I kept thrived in it. When we put in the next pond and then this one, I started using clay as since the ponds were lined, there was no more natural source for it. I really don't know if it does any good or not, but I have an inexpensive source for it, so I use it. I use 9 heaping tablespoons when refilling during a waterchange. I just toss it in the flow of the waterfall, the hose and the output from the box filter. Clouds up the water for a brief period and then it clears. Some people soak it into their koi food. Some koi foods like Dainichi had clay in it.

clm

[Peg]

Bentonite, also known as montmorillonite clay or Koi clay, is used in Koi ponds for various reasons. It is available for water gardening in powder form. Bentonite has coagulating properties, so it will absorb any fine particles that are suspended in the water and it will settle on the bottom of a pond or a filter.

Adding bentonite to a Koi pond is also beneficial to a Koi’s immune system, for it has many good minerals in it. Koi get all of their nutrients either from the food they eat or from the water directly. Bentonite can even be added to Koi food to make it have a greater mineral content.

Koi clay (bentonite) can also be used to remove string algae from a stream. Take some of the clay, spread it over where the string algae is growing and it will detach it from the stream bed.

Bentonite is also used as a liner for mud ponds. It is moved in the pond hole with a bulldozer and then tamped until it is about a foot thick so that it forms a waterproof layer.

Bentonite is a rock that is made of claylike minerals. The most common clay minerals in bentonite are members of the smectite group (mostly montmorillonite); other components of bentonite include biotite, feldspars, illite, kaolinite, quartz, and volcanic glass. There are two types of bentonite: swelling bentonite, which is also called sodium or western bentonite, and non-swelling bentonite, which is also called calcium, or southern, bentonite. Both types formed through the alteration of volcanic ash that was deposited in a marine environment.

It can also be added to food pellets. Wet food with AM or orange juice, water if thats all you have. Coat and let absorb then feed food to the fish.

I use one cup a week with water changes, I mix it in a jug with a top and then add to the back of the skimmer. This way the pumb make sure its blended and sends it through the pond qiuckly.

[carcha koi]

I have a clay sorce where my trout are. If I was to go to the side of the pond and dig some out then let it dry. Will that work.

[Peg]

The term clay refers to a number of earthy materials that are composed of minerals rich in alumina, silica and water. Clay is not a single mineral, but a number of minerals. When most clays are wet, they become "plastic" meaning they can be formed and molded into shapes. When they are "fired" (exposed to very high temperatures), the water is driven off and they become as hard as stone. Clay is easily found all over the world. As a result, nearly all civilizations have used some form of clay for everything from bricks to pottery to tablets for recording business transactions.

The minerals that make up clay are so fine that until the invention of X-ray diffraction analysis, these minerals were not specifically known. Under extremely high magnification, one can see that clay minerals can be shaped like flakes, fibers, and even hollow tubes. Clays can also contain other materials such as iron oxide (rust), silica, and rock fragments. These impurities can change the characteristics of the clay. For example, iron oxide colors clay red. The presence of silica increases the plasticity of the clay (that is, makes it easier to mold and form into shapes).

Koi clay (bentonite) can be found in a variety of places. The best place to get Koi clay (bentonite) is from a good bulk supplier. One hundred pound bags of the stuff can be bought very cheaply. Watch out for unscrupulous dealers, they will sell bentonite at a very inflated price and will tell you that there’s “special” ingredients in it to justify the high price. Bentonite is just clay from the earth, it has no secret ingredients or special additives.

You could try, I don't think it would hurt them. Alot of wotk though.

This info was provided from the Nishikigoi web site

[carcha koi]

Thanks. I know that our clay lined ponds have a good silty feeling to them. I will try some. Can't hurt. thanks for all the info SENSEI

[Peg]

Anytime GRASSHOPPER :grin:

[carcha koi]

:lol::grin::lol:

[Peg]

Good one Chris LOL,
I am trying this right now, will see how well it works on the water falls. This has been a sore spot with me all summer.
Koi clay (bentonite) can also be used to remove string algae from a stream. Take some of the clay, spread it over where the string algae is growing and it will detach it from the stream bed.

Will let you know if and how well it works. Coated the algae with the clay, time will tell.

[Marg]

Did you turn the water off and sprinkle the clay over the algae?
When you turned the water back on,,,did you get lots of cloudy water?
If so, how long till it cleared?

We are always fighting algae one way or another.
Thanks for any info,
Marg

[Ahhuhz]

Filtration, filtration, filtration, a UV and Koi Clay. Weekly water changes too!
A good source that I get mine from is http://www.koivillage.com/

Not sure he ships North!

[philly]

Chris you can pick it up locally here from the Foundry, I think one of the group got it for around $20.00 a bag will check for the address. :grin:

[Jackie Ramo]

Milton foundry is where I get it. Got a big bag for Peg last year. Check with your local potter's they have lots of clay and most add benonite to the throwing clay to make it more plastic.

[marla]

Chris, your water and fish look great!!!!! My water was clear for a good long time this summer, but it has now darkened up and have lots of floating stuff. I use clay twice a week, it does help keep down the string algae and settle out the floating stuff. Not happy with the darker water as it is hard to see the blackish fish I have, I know they are there but even when feeding they are shyer and don't seem to see them.