A school of ottos would be cool and would help with the algea and they wouldn't destroy the plants like a pleco would.
Tropical refit
- Thread starter Andyroo
- Start date
That's some nice work on the pond.
I wish I could have kept fish like that in my pond when I had it. Too bloody cold here though.
I wish I could have kept fish like that in my pond when I had it. Too bloody cold here though.
Update(ish) & a bit of a cheeky little bump:
Apparently the property managers are still to figure out their backwashing schedule so the system still suffers excessive hair algae. Duncan's pool/pond came on with this algae when he missed a couple of back-washes, so at least it's not my ecosystem design not functioning. The manager called me the other day and asked if he could/should use Copper sulphate to reduce it..... jeeze-louise. At least they asked before they went ahead with this little treatment.
I've spent 6-months getting the permits to bring in the best part of a thousand bucks worth of groovy imported fish and I'm not sure that I've simplified the maintenance enough to keep these fish alive with this level or maintenance/awareness/apathy. Frustrating, and a bit of a moral dilemma as I'm not a fan of the "fish as decoration" (read: disposable) mindset.
A
Apparently the property managers are still to figure out their backwashing schedule so the system still suffers excessive hair algae. Duncan's pool/pond came on with this algae when he missed a couple of back-washes, so at least it's not my ecosystem design not functioning. The manager called me the other day and asked if he could/should use Copper sulphate to reduce it..... jeeze-louise. At least they asked before they went ahead with this little treatment.
I've spent 6-months getting the permits to bring in the best part of a thousand bucks worth of groovy imported fish and I'm not sure that I've simplified the maintenance enough to keep these fish alive with this level or maintenance/awareness/apathy. Frustrating, and a bit of a moral dilemma as I'm not a fan of the "fish as decoration" (read: disposable) mindset.
A
We designed it to be hyper low-maintenance so they've got the people already.
I also live >2Hrs away so would get expensive in fortnightly visits, but it may come to this.
I also live >2Hrs away so would get expensive in fortnightly visits, but it may come to this.
I think it looks really good. From the way you have set it up I think if you get them to do some fairly regular backwashing and give it some time the hair algae will resolve itself. The really experienced pond folks have all told me that for natural systems it takes around 2 years for the plants and bacteria to get going well enough to really outcompete the algae. So maybe start preaching patience to them until it gets developed enough to withstand their neglect...so they don't start dumping copper sulfate in it 
Also, are they feeding the fish? A friend of mine has been doing service for 30 years on many commercial accounts and he always tells me that on commercial accounts training one person really well on how much & how often to feed and not allowing anyone else to put food in is one of the most important things to do for commercial accounts. Otherwise he says you end up with multiple employees overfeeding and causing algae problems. He actually gets little measuring containers for the designated "feeder" so they don't overfeed.
Overall though it looks really good.
Also, are they feeding the fish? A friend of mine has been doing service for 30 years on many commercial accounts and he always tells me that on commercial accounts training one person really well on how much & how often to feed and not allowing anyone else to put food in is one of the most important things to do for commercial accounts. Otherwise he says you end up with multiple employees overfeeding and causing algae problems. He actually gets little measuring containers for the designated "feeder" so they don't overfeed.
Overall though it looks really good.
don't you have a biological filter to help deal with the algae? I know these mostly only take care of green water but I'd think it would help and I didn't see one in the filter room
Biological filter? Like an aerobic digester or fluidized sand? The bead-filter plays this role to a certain extent, but the plants and planters & bubblers and in the pond are also doing this. The algae is an issue due to excessive phosphates in the water I reckon, not nitrogen. These nutrients would be coming from the planter soil and dusts (and cleaning products used in the villa?) which are (partially) removed via backwashing, particularly once I modify the filter intakes to remove tadpoles (toadpoles) which are apparently very high in phosphates. These mods will happen once the imported fish are established.
If you're talking about UV, no. Electricity is very costly around here and the client specifically wanted hyper-low maintenance. The water is crystal, so plankton (green water) isn't an issue.
If you're talking about UV, no. Electricity is very costly around here and the client specifically wanted hyper-low maintenance. The water is crystal, so plankton (green water) isn't an issue.
