Hi,

I recently purchased a house that came with an existing koi pond. We
have done our best to keep up the pond, cleaning the skimmer and pump
filters regularly, feeding the fish, thinning the top-of-water plants,
etc.

Now, the problem.

Last night, when I last checked on the pond, the pump appeared to be
happily pumping water in to the system. No unusual noises, no obvious
loss of power, etc.

This morning, I woke up early, and could not hear the waterfall.
Usually this occurs when the pump's filter gets gummed up and it can
not get enough water through to support both the waterfall and
wall-spouts. Went out to check the filter, and found that the pump
had stopped. Flipped it off and on, checked its circuit breaker, no
change. Checked the filter, it had some stuff in it, but it was not
yet at a level I would have been concerned about cleaning it. Anyway,
the bottom line is that the pump is dead, it does not even try to
work.

Other things which may help you:

Location: San Diego
Size of pond: Roughly 4' x 20' x 2', but really it has deep (3') and
shallow (1.5') ends, a waterfall, and is more pond shaped than the
rectangle that those numbers portray.
Fish: 6x 18" koi, 6x 6" koi, 40x 6" goldfish - will get a better
count once they start asphyxiating and come to the surface for air!
(yikes!)

Dead pump:
from the sticker: "Magnatek HP1.5 SPL (2SPD), part 7-181327-03,
type: csm, rpm: 3450/1725, time:cont"
from pump's original invoice: 15LRT 1 1/2 HP 2SP Pump, 7/1/99

Aside: How long should this sort of pump last, running 24/7? Looks
like 5 years is what this one managed, it being 8/23/04 now.


Right now, these things seem important to me:

* Where can I turn to replace the pump?

* Recommendations for someone that can do the work on a Saturday in
San Diego?

* What can I do to help the fish survive while the pump is offline?


Responses in email or post here would be appreciated. Responses after
a week will not matter, as I hope the pump will be replaced else the
fish will be dead.

Thanks for your time,
Jim
(yes, asking for SPAM, that's what SpamAssassin is
for...)

YIKES is right! you are WWWWAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY overstocked! folks here
recommend 1000 gallons for ONE koi and 100 gallons for each koi more. and 20
gallons for each goldfish.

go to the store and get another pump IMMEDIATELY! even one too small can be
used as a back up until you get one the right size.
mad

--
Remember: stressed spelled backwards is DESSERTS!

From: (Jim)
Organization: http://groups.google.com/
Newsgroups: rec.ponds
Date: 23 Aug 2003 07:21:51 -0700
Subject: Help needed: PUMP died over night

Fish: 6x 18" koi, 6x 6" koi, 40x 6" goldfish



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Or head to a pet store and get an aquarium air pump, some tubing and some long
bubble stones.
Then get a pump right away.

Ask at the pet store if they'll take your extra fish or if they know of a
koi/pond club. When I needed to thin my stock the local club put out the word
and we had a thinning party. If you do that, let me know and I'll give you some
tips about how to go about it.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

Jim wrote:

* Where can I turn to replace the pump?
Where in San Diego do you live? There is a place on the end of Claremont
Mesa called Aquatic Warehouse (858)467-9297 5466 Complex Dr.. They might
have a pump.

Alternately, I have a spare submersible pump but I would need it back very
soon for the same reason you are having trouble - always have a backup. I'm
kind of busy today, but if you need it please call me (858) 272-0211. I live
in Claremont.


* Recommendations for someone that can do the work on a Saturday in
San Diego?

Good luck. Try :
http://www.koiclubsandiego.org/
They might know someone.

* What can I do to help the fish survive while the pump is offline?
Get a pump immediately.



Joe







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Ok, I found someone that would make it out on a Saturday (David, from
Freshwater Flora & Fauna in Escondido). Determined that there were 2
clear problems:

1) GFI outlet is no longer responding properly. The pump still works,
but it was having an electrical issue. This has been temporarily
addressed. I will be replacing the GFI in the next day or two.
2) David opened up the filter and determined it was in serious need of
cleaning. So, he did some stuff to it today, and will come back in a
couple of days to get things cleaned and running smoothly again.
Looks like prior owners never cleaned it out in the years 99-03, so
needs seriously cleaning.

David or an associate will be back to help out in a couple of days.

Next we can talk about overstocking. Need to determine true water
volume and fish count. Need to continue learning more about the koi.

THanks for reading, more later I'm sure,
Jim


(Jim) wrote in message om...
[...]
This morning, I woke up early, and could not hear the waterfall.
Usually this occurs when the pump's filter gets gummed up and it can
not get enough water through to support both the waterfall and
wall-spouts. Went out to check the filter, and found that the pump
had stopped. Flipped it off and on, checked its circuit breaker, no
change. Checked the filter, it had some stuff in it, but it was not
yet at a level I would have been concerned about cleaning it. Anyway,
the bottom line is that the pump is dead, it does not even try to
work.

joe wrote in message ...
Jim wrote:

* Where can I turn to replace the pump?
Where in San Diego do you live? There is a place on the end of Claremont
Mesa called Aquatic Warehouse (858)467-9297 5466 Complex Dr.. They might
have a pump.

Alternately, I have a spare submersible pump but I would need it back very
soon for the same reason you are having trouble - always have a backup. I'm
kind of busy today, but if you need it please call me (858) 272-0211. I live
in Claremont.


* Recommendations for someone that can do the work on a Saturday in
San Diego?

Good luck. Try :
http://www.koiclubsandiego.org

The rule was 100 gallons per koi and 10 gallons for goldfish so you
are about 40 goldfish over. Look for a Magnetic drive pond pump that
will pump at least 300 gallons per hour. Mag drive are the most
economical to run. The price could be around $150-$200 depending on
the size. I would assume your pump is submersible which is quieter
than the above ground. Good luck!
They might know someone.

* What can I do to help the fish survive while the pump is offline?
Get a pump immediately.



Joe







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http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

It's always a good thing to have one or two spare pumps just in case the
one you are using at the time goes out during the midnight hour when
stores are not open.

As for the pump that went out.... open it up and try fixing it. Mine go
out from time to time and they are usually easy to fix.

BTW also keep air stones in the pond running 24-7....that way you don't
have to worry about an overnight fish kill due to a non working pump.

I know that this emergency has been taken care of, but if the pumps go out
and the fish start to gasp, 3% hydrogen peroxide, standard drug store or
grocery store variety is very good at putting oxygen in the water. It is
cheap. Those types of stores usually have better hours than the pet stores,
so it is easier to get at the time of an emergency. Just put in about a
pint for each 1000 gallons and keep an eye on the fish to know when to put
in the next pint.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"Jim" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I recently purchased a house that came with an existing koi pond. We
have done our best to keep up the pond, cleaning the skimmer and pump
filters regularly, feeding the fish, thinning the top-of-water plants,
etc.

Now, the problem.

Last night, when I last checked on the pond, the pump appeared to be
happily pumping water in to the system. No unusual noises, no obvious
loss of power, etc.

This morning, I woke up early, and could not hear the waterfall.
Usually this occurs when the pump's filter gets gummed up and it can
not get enough water through to support both the waterfall and
wall-spouts. Went out to check the filter, and found that the pump
had stopped. Flipped it off and on, checked its circuit breaker, no
change. Checked the filter, it had some stuff in it, but it was not
yet at a level I would have been concerned about cleaning it. Anyway,
the bottom line is that the pump is dead, it does not even try to
work.

Other things which may help you:

Location: San Diego
Size of pond: Roughly 4' x 20' x 2', but really it has deep (3') and
shallow (1.5') ends, a waterfall, and is more pond shaped than the
rectangle that those numbers portray.
Fish: 6x 18" koi, 6x 6" koi, 40x 6" goldfish - will get a better
count once they start asphyxiating and come to the surface for air!
(yikes!)

Dead pump:
from the sticker: "Magnatek HP1.5 SPL (2SPD), part 7-181327-03,
type: csm, rpm: 3450/1725, time:cont"
from pump's original invoice: 15LRT 1 1/2 HP 2SP Pump, 7/1/99

Aside: How long should this sort of pump last, running 24/7? Looks
like 5 years is what this one managed, it being 8/23/04 now.


Right now, these things seem important to me:

* Where can I turn to replace the pump?

* Recommendations for someone that can do the work on a Saturday in
San Diego?

* What can I do to help the fish survive while the pump is offline?


Responses in email or post here would be appreciated. Responses after
a week will not matter, as I hope the pump will be replaced else the
fish will be dead.

Thanks for your time,
Jim
(yes, asking for SPAM, that's what SpamAssassin is
for...)

J (23 Aug 2003 07:21:51 -0700):
Aside: How long should this sort of pump last, running 24/7? Looks
like 5 years is what this one managed, it being 8/23/04 now.

I'm worried about you, Jim.

--
'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`' `'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'
SLOTHEAD