Category Archives: Troubleshooting

Microbe-Lift 7.5 pH Buffer Stabilizer Review

Posted on July 15, 2012 by esearing

This week I tested Ecological Labs Microbe-Lift 7.5 pH Buffer Stabilizer to determine if it would stabilize my pH at 7.5. It did not. My pond continues to fall below 7.5 at both morning and night. The goal is to … Continue reading →

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Using baking soda to adjust pond pH

Posted on June 25, 2012 by esearing

If you are reading this you are probably experiencing the dreaded pH drop most of us fish keeper see sooner or later. My pH has been steadily declining this summer and my water hardness is almost zero. Most koi sites … Continue reading →

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How not to install a bottom drain

Posted on June 13, 2012 by esearing

I ran across this image and just had to rant about it. This is so wrong this pond professional should be banned from building anything. You will notice the image shows a bottom drain running to a skimmer via 2″ … Continue reading →

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Gravity flow vs Pump Fed

Posted on June 2, 2012 by esearing

New pond builders rarely learn the significant differences in water gardens vs “ideal” koi ponds. We tend to borrow ideas from aquarium technology, water gardens, water treatment, industrial processes, and even the ideas tried and tested for a long period … Continue reading →

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Pebbles in the pipeline

Posted on March 1, 2012 by esearing

I have the old pebbles from the former bog on the ground around my pump to help keep my feet from getting muddy and to facilitate drainage. Yesterday I noticed that my pond’s jets were not outputting any water, so … Continue reading →

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winter pond cover

Posted on December 31, 2011 by esearing

Today I built a winter pond cover to help hold in the warmth and reduce air to surface cooling due to wind. Sub freezing weather is expected this week so it will be interesting to see how low the water … Continue reading →

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Pond heating in winter

Posted on December 12, 2011 by esearing

I saw someone was offering a ThermaKoi pond heater for $700 on craigslist the otherday and it got me to researching more about pond heaters and other options. According to Peter Waddington at KoiKichi.com today’s Koi are not four season … Continue reading →

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Plumbing failure – Winter clean out

Posted on November 22, 2011 by esearing

It pays to check your plumbing circuits every now and then to make sure they can stand alone if necessary. Yesterday while cleaning the pond I turned off the line to the bio-filter and let the jets continue to circulate. … Continue reading →

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Pond leaks – Unusual fix

Posted on October 6, 2011 by esearing

I had been losing up to 1 inch of water every day during the summer. I tried fixing all the usual problems of liner folds, ground water, splash out, and pipe leaks. Then I did two things differently and the … Continue reading →

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Plumbing failure and repair

Posted on October 4, 2011 by esearing

I used a knife valve for my skimmer line to shut off the skimmer during feeding and maintenance. Today I pushed the lever down and the casing broke apart near the top. I was able to push the knife section … Continue reading →

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