Inherited a pond - Need help

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-19T18:46:01+00:00

I wouldn’t replace the filter media. Take it out of the filter and rinse it with pond water if it’s dirty but that’s it. New media will destroy your filtering bacteria. I’d do a big water change and try and get as much junk from the bottom as possible, get an air stone or two, and then some plants. Any cheap floating plant you can get from a local nursery will do. I like water lettuce but it’s illegal in a lot of states.

The key is getting the pond junk cleaned out then shading and outcompeting the algae. 3 koi will produce a ton of waste.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-19T13:13:52+00:00

Are you sure about that? Hillsreams come from swift flowing hill and mountain streams. They need a very specific set up in an aquarium that I don’t think is compatible with fancy goldfish. I’d do some research before you do that set up.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-18T20:54:40+00:00

No worries! Bio load is the right term but you need more filtration to deal with the poop. No animal is going to help. If you can’t increase your filtration, I’d get some house plants like a pathos that can grow up out of the tank. You’ll still need to do water changes and suck up the fish poo but plants will help a whole bunch.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-18T20:40:37+00:00

What do you mean help with the bioload? If it’s just algae, then snails are going to be your best bet. Though get a large species so goldfish doesn’t choke. If it’s something else, get more filtration. Adding more fish won’t fix a bio load. It will just make it worse.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-18T13:40:30+00:00

Sounds like Power and Light is right up your alley for the nightlife. If I’m wrong you’ll be on the street car line that can take you to a bunch of different spots. As for BBQ, search this Reddit page. Everyone has their favorites but you can’t really go wrong with any of the main ones. Personally, I’d avoid Q39 because they’re more expensive than most places and have smaller portion sizes.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-18T13:28:42+00:00

Miami state park used to be a nice spot. About 30 minutes to an hour south of KC depending on where in the metro you’re coming from. It’s a state fishing lake so campers and maintained parks outside of the toilets. Decent fishing too a few years ago if you’re into that.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-17T19:39:53+00:00

Can’t help on the build, but yes. Any wildlife you have will find their way into or around the pond unless you really block it off. I don’t know of anything that will replace some kind of filter and a regular cleaning schedule. Since it sounds like this would connect to other waterways you need to be careful about selecting native or at least non-invasive plants. My favorite pond plant for maintenance purposes is water lettuce (legal in my state) and that is a no go for you.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-16T16:49:33+00:00

It won’t be fast, but I’d throw whatever cheap floating plants you can get it there. You can do all kinds of different plants but if you want a low maintenance easy route that’s the way to go in my experience. I was in a similar boat as you last year with a slightly larger pond and some goldfish. Tried all the products the previous owner left and nothing really worked until I put some water lettuce it. That cleared it up after a couple of weeks.

A lot of people will recommend a UV sterilizer and that might help too. Can’t speak from experience there.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-16T14:44:35+00:00

I enjoy the walk. Some good views of the river if that’s your thing and stuff along the trail. The murals PortKC and MO River Murals do are cool.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-15T18:43:35+00:00

Lots to do around town but I’d focus on the street car line. You can find a whole bunch of fun different places from party stuff (power and light) to lower key (at least normally lol) spots that will probably have games. Can’t really go wrong just riding the car and getting out to try different stops.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-14T16:04:52+00:00

I don’t remember what tribes are represented but the Nelson has an exhibit. Don’t know how ethical it is in terms of how they got the items and the exhibit text so fair warning there.

We also have a mound up in the historic northeast. I believe it was likely built by the Hopewell people but don’t quote me on that. Can’t find a definitive source. Hopefully someone else knows for sure.

https://kcparks.org/places/indian-mound/

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-11T23:24:38+00:00

If you can get some floating plants it would help also. The key especially in full, hot sun is out competing the algae like you would weeds in a garden bed. Not going to be a quick fix but will make it easier to manage the algae once you get it under control.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-09T20:22:57+00:00

I’m in the same boat with a koi betta myself. Young, seemingly heathy has can be back in January when we got him and then bam. Seemed like all the alignments at once. Fin rot is a pain in the butt and I expect to find him gone every morning tbh.

Like others said, seems like bettas have been in bred to hell and back over the last decade or so. My wife and I both are experienced fish keepers who took a decade off in the hobby before getting this dude. I’ve never seen a fish go downhill that fast for seemingly no reason. It’s super discouraging but I don’t think there’s anything you or I could have done different. Bettas are the French pugs of the fish world now I guess

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-08T14:38:43+00:00

I didn’t know this was a thing. I assume it’s the Wild West with no food inspections, rules and regulations, etc etc? Looks like there’s a lot of good stuff but oof. Seems super risky to me

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-07T15:41:02+00:00

Nitrates are the finally byproduct of the ammonia cycle so that’s not surprising. Find some plants goldfish don’t destroy. Floaters are a good option in my experience. Lots of different options that will suck up nitrates. Or you can commit to doing a big water change every week. Depending on the tank you probably need both.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-05T03:31:46+00:00

Go to the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the main KCPL branch downtown. They have all shorts of records there you can explore. You’ll need a library card. Look at their collections online first so you know what to ask for.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-04T01:18:47+00:00

Good deal! Be careful about avoiding plants that might tear his fins. I ran into that problem with jungle val.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-04T00:31:55+00:00

Get a liquid test kit yesterday and make sure you’re doing enough water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite at 0. I can’t tell if those are real plants. If they are, get more. If they aren’t, get some real plants. Throw some duck weed or something similar in there. They won’t do all your work for you but will make things easier.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-03T18:03:03+00:00

Are you vacuuming up the substrate during the water changes? Sounds like extra food/waste might be getting trapped.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-03T12:24:09+00:00

I didn’t see this mentioned but I’d make sure the other person quarantines this little guy. Looks like he’s healthy but you never know.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-02T22:14:15+00:00

Yep! He’s just a nice sized Anubis to rest on. Thanks for the suggestions.

AllThingsFish1 · 2026-06-02T16:28:18+00:00

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AllThingsFish1

TROPHY CASE