How to Get Crystal Clear Koi Pond Water Right Away
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Every koi keeper expects initially that him/her koi pond will have the best aesthetic view. However, it doesn’t happen for some external or internal reasons. You as a beginner Koi keeper must know that the majority of aesthetic views of a koi pond depend on crystal clear water. So initially it is mandatory to focus on getting crystal clear water instead of other decorations.
Installing pond skimmer & biological filter are the must for getting long-term crystal clear koi pond water. However, for a short-term & quick solution, adding hydrogen peroxide with water may work well. Furthermore, the addition of barley straws helps to get crystal clear pond water naturally but it’s time-consuming.
This couple of lines has given just an overview of it. We know it hasn’t satisfied you to know how to get crystal clear koi pond water. Now we’ll discuss this topic comprehensively. So without wasting time let’s dive deep into the topic.
How to get crystal clear koi pond water
Before knowing how to get crystal clear koi pond water you should know why your koi pond is unclear. Here we’ve done a comprehensive discussion with 7 common reasons for why your koi pond is unclear. So check it out.
To get crystal clear koi pond water there are two different ways. One is primary and the other is secondary.
Primary ways
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Use a skimmer to get rid of debris
Three types of waste help koi pond water to be unclear. These are huge debris accumulation, excessive unfed foods, and fish waste accumulation. Now cleaning the pond is mandatory if you want to get crystal clear water for your koi pond.
Some people want to clean the pond on their own. This may save some of your initial cost but takes lots of energy. However, if you are planning something like this then you should know it will be your daily task and you will be tired very soon.
Pond Skimmer is such a great product that mechanically cleans all of these. You don’t need to do it physically. Only you need to check the box of debris inside the skimmer once in a while and throw that debris away. Your pond will be healthy enough and you can enjoy the aesthetic view well without any headache. This way you can get crystal clear koi pond water right away.
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Add biological filter to balance nitrite level
One of the major reasons for the unclear pond water is an algal bloom. Now, you have to identify this from where they’re coming from and eliminate this from the root to get crystal clear water for your koi pond.
First of all, nitrite and nitrate are the two main two culprits for your koi pond. For excessive nitrite, your koi pond water may look like pea soup. It means the color of the water turns green. At that moment the water loses all of its clarity. If you put your hand inside of the water, you may not see your hand.
On the other hand, if the nitrate level is high enough then you may find string algae instead of pea soup. This type of algae feels scummy and sticky. You can find this type of algae here and there in your koi pond. Huge numbers of string algae make the water dirty and unclear.
You must know that both of these algae are not harmful to fish unless or until they start consuming most of the oxygen of the pond. However, you must reduce the nitrites and nitrates biologically to make the koi pond aesthetically pleasing.
To get crystal clear water, you should install a biological filtration system inside of your koi pond immediately. You should consider it as an investment, not an expense. If you ignore it then your koi pond will become unclear, cloudy, and certainly stinky.
The biological filter helps beneficial bacteria to form colonization inside it. Now when water comes inside it then they consume nitrite and nitrate from water. This way pond water becomes nitrites and nitrates less and gradually algae go away. So having a good biological filter is a must to get crystal clear koi pond water.
Read More: – 15 Best Plants For Koi Ponds: With Infographics & Charts
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The addition of beneficial bacteria cleans the water quicker
To clean koi pond water quickly, the addition of beneficial bacteria is mandatory. Beneficial bacteria help to consume excessive nutrients from the water column and for this koi pond water becomes crystal clear.
Some experts may say there are some native bacteria already in the pond. So the addition of beneficial bacteria is useless.
Yes, they said it correctly. We don’t recommend using external bacteria if your pond has good health. External bacteria are required when your pond doesn’t have proper aeration or fluidity. Stagnant water conditions help to grow weed and accumulate debris. So, at this point, native bacteria start dividing (i.e. birth) exponentially. For this reason, nutrient consumption occurs at a higher speed. After that bacteria start dying off due to lack of nutrients in the pond and oxygen depletion occurs.
Now, the addition of beneficial bacteria prevents this whole process by providing nutrients for other bacteria in the pond. As bacteria are cannibalistic so when some bacteria die, others use them as nutrients and keep the water clean.
Secondary ways
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Use hydrogen peroxide to remove algae
Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical solution made of hydrogen and oxygen. Now, this chemical solution can be used to kill algae in the koi pond. However, some precautions should be taken before using it.
If you don’t have a biological filtration system then you can use hydrogen peroxide as a quick solution. 3% of ½ cup hydrogen peroxide solution you should use for 100-gallon of pond water.
Don’t use more than this measurement. You must know that it can harm fish’s gills. Pouring this solution directly on fish is prohibited. This is very useful against string algae. So try to pour it directly on this type of algae at a corner of the pond.
Hydrogen peroxide should not be used during hot summer days to kill algae in a koi pond. This time algae die off very quickly and this creates a depletion of oxygen inside of the koi pond. From the outside, it may seem okay but a few days later koi start dying off due to this. So remember this drawback as a koi fish keeper.
However, using this solution repeatedly is not the way to get rid of the problem. Algae will appear over and over. So if you want a permanent solution then installation of a biological filter is worthy enough.
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Barley straws make the pond water clear
If you don’t want to use chemicals in your koi pond then this natural method is only for you to clean the koi pond. However, this method takes lots of time to clean the pond fully.
Using barley straw to get crystal clear koi pond water is the eldest and most reliable method. However, you must use straws correctly. Otherwise, the main purpose will be hampered.
Barley straw decomposes with the help of oxygen and then it releases chemicals into the water. Those chemicals help to reduce algae growth in the water.
Now, you have to float barley straws on the water surface. This helps barley straws to decompose quickly. However, it may take time from weeks to months to decompose. So patience is the key here.
During the summer season, you cannot use hydrogen peroxide to get crystal clear water that we’ve discussed before. Barely straws can help you to get rid of this issue. You can use barley straws during this season easily.
When the water temperature is more than 20°C then the decomposition rate of bare straws becomes high. The released chemicals are 100% natural and these don’t harm koi fish. Not only that, but this method is cost-effective too.
Now, the question comes how many barley straws are required for a pond to make it clean. To clean 1000 gallons of water 1 bale (1 bale = 218 kgs) of barley straw is enough. Now, it should be in a proper ratio depending upon the pond’s water carrying capacity. For excessive algal bloom, 2 bales of barley should be used per 8-10 weeks.
Read More:- 10 varieties of Koi Fish: Origin, Description & Pictures
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Decorate the pond with various aquatic Plants
Some of you may not believe in the short term or a quick solution. Right? For them, a long-term but permanent solution should be the best option for their koi pond.
Adding some good aquatic plants in your koi pond is the long-term but permanent solution to get crystal clear water. Now, you may think you already have some plants in your koi pond. In that case, you have to check whether your plants can reduce nitrate level or not.
Pond enthusiasts put plants in their ponds for two reasons. One purpose is to make their pond look aesthetically appealing and another reason is to reduce the nitrates. You must know every plant is not good enough for a koi pond. Here we are providing a shortlist of plants that you should consider to reduce nitrate level.
- Moss Balls
- Water Lettuce
- Water Smartweed
- Callitriche Stagnalis
- Amazon Frogbit
These are five aquatic plants that we’ve chosen for your koi pond. Using Water Lettuce & Callitriche Stagnalis as aquatic plants are the must if you have a comparatively big koi pond.
You cannot expect to get crystal clear koi pond water just after putting plants. These plants start consuming nitrates by denitrification method. This way nitrate consumption by algae will be less and pond water starts becoming clear gradually. However, it is a time-consuming way.
| Note:- Koi have tendencies to eat plants and large koi can literally eat any type of aquatic plant. So it is recommended to decorate ponds with plants that should be out of reach of koi anyhow. |
Read More:- 7 Best Beginner-friendly Aquarium Plants: Why & when to choose these?
Cleaning cost of the koi pond
The cleaning cost of the koi pond depends on the pond owner’s pocket and time. To clean a koi pond, having a skimmer is a must. Now, the cost of a skimmer varies from $70-$300. A biological filtration system & beneficial bacteria is necessary to maintain the pond and get crystal clear water during every season. So in that case you have to spend approximately $150-$500 depending upon the machinery.
Here we are recommending some products for your beautiful koi pond. We have used these products for building our koi pond. These are
- Biological Bacteria House (Ceramic Rings Filter Media)
Having these three products for a koi pond is mandatory if you are just starting. You have to insert the filter pad & bacteria house into a biological pressure washer. The filter pad will attract all the scum and mud from the water and the water will be clean. The bacteria house will help beneficial bacteria to build colonies. So at that point, the pressure washer will help to improve the water quality of your koi pond in two ways.
If you want to get all in one cleaning tool then you can try this Koi pond cleaning kit. This all-in-one machinery has everything along with a skimmer 4000 with a 5” door. Not only that, but you will get a 3000 GPH variable speed pump & 16” waterfall filter. In one word it is just an amazing tool to use according to our experience. You will get a 5 years warranty and that is another specialty of this combo kit. So check this out now.
When you want to clean your pond, it is quite obvious that you want to treat the pond water. In this case, you should not compromise anything with a branded product. You must use Seachem Pond Prime Water Conditioner.
This conditioner is the most suitable when you want to build a new pond & add or change the water of an existing pond. As a dosage, you can use ⅛ cup per 600-gallon of water. However, if the water contains a high percentage of ammonia or nitrite then ¼ cup per 600-gallon of water is the most suitable.
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What is the fastest way to clean a koi pond?
Before cleaning a pond, all the existing fish must be kept separate in another tank with proper aeration. After that pond walls & gravel should be washed with a sump pump & pressure washer respectively. Next, the parts of the bio-filter and skimmer should be cleaned well. Lastly, pour the freshwater into the pond with fish.
So best of luck & happy fish keeping 