I have become 'involved' with Koi by accident! I'm presently building a pond but have rather strict deadlines. By the end of this month (JUNE) my pond construction must be completed - it will be! By 10th July I need to take the fish. A friend is moving to a townhouse. He has given me a 3 bag koi sandfilter, pump, 2 x biofilters, UV light ....on condition I take his koi 'family'....13 koi ranging in size from 20 - 60 cm. Unfortunately I can't take the pond!
My concrete pond will hold 16000 litres, (1,3 m deep), has two bottom drains (110mm) and a settlement chamber (capacity 800 litres).

1) I need assistance with final sealing of the pond.
2) Is borehole water 'better' than Pretoria municipal water? I imagine it is..
3) If I move the fish (and say 2000 l of the water from his pond), do I still have to wait for the 'maturing' process in my pond?
4) We can set up his biological filtration system with my pond within a day. Will the biological equilibrium be maintained?
5) I've read in the forum about the transporting of the fish, and that seems manageable.

I would appreciate any advice.

Hi Jack

Phone me I am in PTA not far from you. I will send my cell no to you in a PM.

Collin

Hi Jack

Colin is definately the guy to speak to as he lives in Pretoria(just outside) and has many years experience.

With the final sealing, it depends on what you have done with your plastering.

A concrete pond may still have a very high PH, irrespective of what sealer you are using. I would not rush anything. If your ph is fine by the end of the month, you can safely introduce the fish. If not, just buy a portapool (R 1000.00) and keep the fish in there until your pond is 100% fine. You will need a quarantine and hospital facility anyway. When your pond is complete, you purely pack it away untill further need.

There is no need to transport some of the water to your facility. Purely take some of the media, keep it in water, and transfer it to your new pond or portapool as the case may be. It is winter, and this aspect and maturity is not crucial. As long as you limit feeding and do regular water changes initially, and monitor your Ammonia and Nitrite levels.

As far as the borehole water are concerned, you have to test it. Put the parameters on the forum or compare it to the figures given on the forum under water conditions. Normally municipal water is better, as long as you take the chlorine out before using it. Colin will help you here. Some areas in Pretoria may have excellent borehole water, and a few hundred meters away it might be bad.

Hi Collin and Paul
Thank you for the advice. I am certainly more confident that the 'operation' is manageable. Collin, I appreciate you providing me with your contact details, and our chat really allayed many of the concerns I had, but the pressure is certainly still on. The pond floor was cast today. Fortunately the weather has been accommodating (touch wood) and all's on target!
I will be plastering the structure with a Sikalite or Coprox additive to the plaster mix. How long do I have to wait for this to 'cure' before I can marbelite (or any other waterproofing sealer). The supplier said 21 days in winter. Is this accurate?
I can get black marbelite @ R136 per bag ex VAT. Is this a reasonable price or can anyone recommend an alternative source. Apparently 1 bag covers 2 sq m.
Thanks for the inputs. Collin, I will call you again next week.
Regards
Jack