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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

HELP! Koi pond pump went out

16 years ago

I have a 7,200 gallon koi pond in my backyard that is has a biofilter and pump that cycles the water out at one end where the skimmer is, and over a waterfall for aeration and back into the pond at the other end. Today I went out to discover that the waterfall had no water running over it. I know there is still power going to it because the UV filter light is on and I can still feel vibrations near the intake. Also, there is some water being pulled in. Do you think there is a clog somewhere in the line or could the pump be having problems? The fish seem ok right now but I don't know how long they will survive without the waterfall running? Any advice is appreciated!

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Comments (3)

larryl
16 years ago
I think you have correctly deduced that it is either the pump or a clogged line.

On most pond pumps it is pretty easy to disassemble the impeller housing to inspect the impeller. There could just be some debris wedged in the impeller. It is also easy enough to remove the output hose to see if the pump will pump water when out of the system. Try one of these things for starters. If that doesn't throw some light on the problem, try the other thing.

You don't say where you are, but if it is still fairly cold, and your pond isn't overstocked, you have a little time to figure out the problem. Dormant fish don't need much oxygen, or produce much ammonia.
sleeplessinftwayne
16 years ago
I am assuming you have a submersable pump. Unplug the pump and pull it out. Remove the intake hose and the protective ring around the impeller. See if there is any debris caught in the impeller. Make sure it rotates easily. If it does not, Pull the impeller straight out and remove the thread or hair or plant material that is wrapped around the impeller shaft. I have had to cut some of it out and the really fine stuff is hard to see. I suspect the very long blond hair I found in the impeller was carried to the pond by birds or else we have mermaids. It is not likely there is any debris in the output hose but check for a pinched or kinked hose. Put the impeller back firmly. Keep it straight and make sure it rotates easily. Put the protective ring back over the impeller. Reattach the input hose after making sure it is clear of any debris or kinks. Even if you did not find something blocking the hoses or impeller you have done a routine maintenance that needs to be done several times a year. Put the pump in the water and plug the pump back in. If it doesn't work now, you probably have a damaged or burned out pump but I guess it will work just fine. We would enjoy seeing pictures of your pond. Sandy
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How did you eliminate electrocution as a cause? It would be my first guess. Second guess, if the pond had a very, very high fish load would be low O2. I think this is less likely because it would have to be a really high fish load and the water in your area is cold which holds O2 better. It does fit with larger fish dying in a short time. Another guess would be poor pH buffer and high fish load would cause CO2 to build and pH crash. Pretty unlikely though, normally a pH crash isn't that deadly so fast. Chemical coming off the pump seems unlikely to me. Smaller fish should have been effective first and the chemical would still be in the water and kill all the fish. Plus what chemical could this be? I can't think of any a pump could generate that would act like this. I read a case once of a pond heater shorting out and burning up. It was an indoor pond and the flumes filled the air in the basement and the fish all died (if I remember correctly). Chemical poisoning is more likely there because once in the air chemicals could then get into the water, but electrocution was still a better guess imo. Chemicals entering the water directly from the pump is difficult (impossible) because the temp can't get very high. Plastic will melt at a pretty low temp but chemicals from plastic and oil need really high temps like a fire or arching. That's hard to accomplish in water. Chemicals in general, from any source, would be really difficult to see how it could kill all the large fish in an extremely short period and leave small fish alive. Over a long period, weeks, months, I could see. Electrocution is the only reasonable guess I can come up with. If you wanted to reduce risk of electrocution in the future the pond water can be grounded and/or the pump placed on a GFI circuit. GFI circuits don't last forever so if you're keeping a large fish load I would suggest 2 separate circuits, 2 separate pumps. Or one water pump and one air pump.
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Some photos would help. When cleaning be very careful and don't over do it. The pond has a delicate balance of bacteria that eats the fish waste and that green algae by the waterfall is probably good if it hasn't gone to crazy. You want a pond to be well established, when you clean to much it messes it all up and then you get gross looking green water and unhealthy water that can kill the fish. Chlorine from tap water can kill the good bacteria as well. So be careful to only use very little tap water at once. Actually to much tap water at once can kill fish too. Never wash the filter with straight tap water. Rinse it out with pond or well water or dechlorinated water. There is a LOT to learn about keeping a pond and Koi. There are many resources out on the internet and great forums. If you are serious about keeping the pond you'll need to do a lot of learning and reading. All those plants though are a huge benefit to the pond, keep as many around and alive as you can.
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tuxedofish
Original Author
16 years ago
I went out this morning in the light of day and found the problem very easy to fix. The pump intake was just completely clogged with grime and debris. I unplugged it, took it out, cleaned it off, and put it back in place, and voila, the waterfall started running shortly thereafter. I'm glad it wasn't something more serious. Thanks for the advice! I will try to dig up my pics of the pond from this summer and post on here.

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