Simply Koi and More Koi

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!!!

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

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.

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.

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!!!

!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