I'M NEW TO THIS.

[jhonbee]

When i bought my house some years ago it came with an abandoned fish pool [approx 1000 gallons] in the garden. An early attempt to make a successful fish community failed as i worked away a lot and i could not really give it the attention needed. I have since retired and am determined this time to make it work but i need some expert advice on getting rid of the Chloramine from the tap water before i buy any fish. I have read that UV will do it but cannot find any info' about how much is required. I currently have a 30watt uv light in the system, would this do it?

 

[StripySnailGirl04]

Pictures?

 

[Guyb93]

I’d use 2 full bottles of seachem prime job done it will remove any chlorine or chloramine and bind heavy metals . My concern wouldn’t be the chlorine as such it would be that there would be no beneficial bacteria in the pond , I’d be adding quick start or a similar product for at least a week after adding fish . Being such a large body of water if lightly stocked Id be happy to do a fish in cycle

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Do you have chlorine or chloramine in the water?
Chlorine will come out of the water by itself after a day or two, depending on aeration. U/V light will also break it down.

Chloramine is a mixture of chlorine and ammonia and won't come out of the water by itself and is unaffected by U/V light.

The easiest way to remove chlorine or chloramine from water is to use a dechlorinater (water conditioner), which is available from any pet shop or online stores that sell fish keeping equipment. Most of them contain Sodium Thiosulphate, which neutralises chlorine. Some brands have other additives too. Get one for ponds because they are usually more concentrated. Most have one dose for chlorine and a double dose for chloramine but check the dose rates because they can vary depending on brand.

 

[jhonbee]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Do you have chlorine or chloramine in the water?
Chlorine will come out of the water by itself after a day or two, depending on aeration. U/V light will also break it down.

Chloramine is a mixture of chlorine and ammonia and won't come out of the water by itself and is unaffected by U/V light.

The easiest way to remove chlorine or chloramine from water is to use a dechlorinater (water conditioner), which is available from any pet shop or online stores that sell fish keeping equipment. Most of them contain Sodium Thiosulphate, which neutralises chlorine. Some brands have other additives too. Get one for ponds because they are usually more concentrated. Most have one dose for chlorine and a double dose for chloramine but check the dose rates because they can vary depending on brand.

.......... thanks for that Colin. Our local water company put chlorine + chloramine in the water, the chlorine does not seem to be a problem as this is quickly dissipated but i know the chloramine will need some help to neutralise its effect. I will go with adding a water conditioner as you suggest which appears to be the general advice.

 

[jhonbee]

I’d use 2 full bottles of seachem prime job done it will remove any chlorine or chloramine and bind heavy metals . My concern wouldn’t be the chlorine as such it would be that there would be no beneficial bacteria in the pond , I’d be adding quick start or a similar product for at least a week after adding fish . Being such a large body of water if lightly stocked Id be happy to do a fish in cycle

Thanks for the info Guyb i will now be looking to add a conditioner but what is involved please 'to do a fish in cycle' ?

 

[Colin_T]

Are you sure they put chlorine and chloramine in the water?
Chloramine is a mixture of chlorine and ammonia so the might be adding that to give you chloramine.

------------------
A fish in cycle is simply where you have fish in the tank/ pond while the filters develop colonies of good bacteria. It takes about 4-6 weeks. During this time you reduce the feeding to 2-3 times a week and do a big (75%) water change 4-8 hours after feeding. This is a bit more difficult in a large pond.

In your situation, i would only add a few small fish and lots of live plants. The plants will help to remove any ammonia and keep the water cleaner for longer. You still feed them 2-3 times a week but you can get away with a big water change every couple of weeks, depending on the number and size of the fish you have.

If you get an ammonia and nitrite test kit, you can monitor the levels in the pond and do a big water change any day you have a reading above 0ppm.

 

[Guyb93]

Thanks for the info Guyb i will now be looking to add a conditioner but what is involved please 'to do a fish in cycle' ?

It’s my preferred method of cycling a tank I don’t have the patience for a traditional cycle , a fish in cycle is what nearly everybody who is new to the hobby will do , from a basic point it’s just adding fish to water and letting the nitrogen cycle take its course naturally, often means a lot more maintenance to start as you have living things in there to keep alive , with a pond I’d probably use snails to cycle it simply because Most ponds will get some sort of pest snail anyways . ( this isn’t a great description of a fish in cycle others with a better understanding of chemistry could explain it a lot better )

 

[Back in the fold]

@jhonbee Greetings ! I bid you welcome. You know what ? I see that you are in the Phillippines. That's one of the areas of the world that is a Mecca , of sorts , of the tropical fish hobby. I don't think you would have any trouble at all finding some local knowledgeable fish keeper to assist you. You don't say but I assume that this pond is outside. If that's the case then just letting the water age naturally for a week or so should suffice. Good luck to you.

 

[The603]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[jhonbee]

@jhonbee Greetings ! I bid you welcome. You know what ? I see that you are in the Phillippines. That's one of the areas of the world that is a Mecca , of sorts , of the tropical fish hobby. I don't think you would have any trouble at all finding some local knowledgeable fish keeper to assist you. You don't say but I assume that this pond is outside. If that's the case then just letting the water age naturally for a week or so should suffice. Good luck to you.

@jhonbee Greetings ! I bid you welcome. You know what ? I see that you are in the Phillippines. That's one of the areas of the world that is a Mecca , of sorts , of the tropical fish hobby. I don't think you would have any trouble at all finding some local knowledgeable fish keeper to assist you. You don't say but I assume that this pond is outside. If that's the case then just letting the water age naturally for a week or so should suffice. Good luck to you.

Yes the pond/tank is outside. I will look for some plants and snails this week + some conditioner then think about fish in a week or two. Thanks for the advice all, enough to get me started i think.

 

[Colin_T]

don't add snails, they are more trouble than they are worth.

 

[jhonbee]

don't add snails, they are more trouble than they are worth.

OK i'll take them off the list.

 

[jhonbee]

OK i'll take them off the list.

I have an external canister type filter (about the size of a medium dustbin) can anybody tell me please, how long does it usually take for the biological filter part to function as intended.

 

[Colin_T]

Most filters take between 4-6 weeks to develop the colonies of beneficial bacteria that keep the water clean. You can speed this process up by adding bottles of liquid filter bacteria. These are available from most pet shops or online. I recommend adding a double dose each day for a week and then pour the remaining contents into the tank.

Warm water (28-30C) and lots of oxygen can help speed things up too. In the tropics the temperature will probably help. Have lots of aeration/ surface turbulence to help maximise the oxygen level; in the water.