Pump - do I leave it running?

[andy pondy]

I have just filled up my pond and got everything up and running. (Obviously no fish in it yet!) Do I need to leave the pump running 24/7 while it has no fish in it? All advise greatly appreciated!!!

[vippymini]

what sort of pump are w talking about ? air or filter pump?

[gingeletiss]

Well yes....this will run the water through your filters, which needs to happen, to enable them to mature. It would help, to throw in a couple of mutts to aid this.

[Jagger]

I'm of the opinion that the longer you can leave it set up and running with no fish in then the longer it will have to establish a biofilm on all the available surfaces making it easier for the system to get going fully when fish are introduced.If everyone left the pond running empty for a couple of months before introducing fish then there'd be a lot less new pond syndrome going around.

Once you've got a fully mature biofilm then it's available for whichever bacteria are required to colonise it when water conditions change ( ie: when ammonia becomes available).A mature bioflim is almost indestructible and will form on virtually any constantly wet surface.

So I'd leave it going 24/7.

[eds]

You could also add an ammonia source to start the maturation cycle without any fish present. This is the best way to mature a tank as you never cause any fish to be subjected to raised ammonia levels, but you'd need to add a lot more ammonia to a pond obviously!!!

[B.Scott]

!00% with Eds

If you don't load it natuarally or chemically, the filter will not mature. If the temperature drops below 16*C the filter will stop the maturing as well but will continue as soon as the temperature rises again.

B.Scott