comments:
To start, test strips are notoriously unreliable, even when new, and will start to deteriorate the minute you open the tube the first time. A good test kit ( API makes a reasonably affordable "Pro" kit that is easy to use and interpret. It does not contain the KH test, which you will need ) would be a place to start. Any municipal water supply will be loaded with chlorine and chloramine to keep you from dying in the next cholera epidemic. This has to be removed before the water goes into the pond. One of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 usually does the job and costs far less than bottled stuff from the pet store. Large water changes or adds with untreated water kills filters and fish. Algaecides and similar "fixes inna jug" just add to the problem and do not address the cause. They kill what's there and in the process drop the dissolved oxygen level, tank the water quality with sludge and dissolved organics and then stick around until you can get rid of them with more water changes. Please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read "Water Testing" and "Who's on pHirst?" first, then the rest of the articles. Then https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ . It'll help...
Do not use potassium permanganate unless you have an ORP meter to track its concentration. It's a powerful oxidizer and while it will kill most parasites, it'd be a good thing to confirm the presence of same before you risk the health of the fish. A partial drain and sludge removal (including any rock on the bottom), followed by a thorough dechlorinated rinse (use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 ) will probably be enough. Your planned use of disinfectants on a living pond will do far more harm than good. You will kill some bacteria, but it'd be the bacteria you needed to keep. In general, "fixes inna jug" don't work.
Please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read "New Pond Syndrome" and "Water Testing". Then the rest of the articles. Then https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ before the impending algae bloom has you looking for "fixes inna jug". You started with a pond with zero biofiltration, added too many fish too soon and then crashed the whole system again with the chlorine in the tap water. An average backyard pond takes 6-8 weeks to bring its biofilter up to speed. This involves the formation of a living biofilm on the surfaces of the pond and on your filter media. "Bioboosters" fom the pet store won't help you here. They do contain the appropriate bacteria but have been stored in a warehouse somewhere for months. The bacteria are dormant or (mostly) dead. First, NEVER wash anything destined for the pond's filter with tap water. EVER. Any water changes you do need to be done with either pond water or dechlorinated water. Pet store dechlorinators are expensive. These: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 work well and will last you a season. Next, if you want to restore your biofilter quickly, look at https://fritzaquatics.com/products/fritzzyme-turbostart-700-freshwater . This is a live culture preparation. It's expensive, but it'll get you up and running again in 5-6 days. Look hard at your filter media. If you are using pebbles or lava rock, get it gone and look at better media choices at https://russellwatergardens.com/pages/biofilter-media-ssa and https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/bio-media-comparison-information.435695/ . Do not be fooled by the favorable numbers attached to sponge and mat (other than Matala, which works well but is sorta high-maintenance). These products foul instantly and are crummy biofilters as a result.
From the photos, you've got at least one bullfrog (he's the one with the skin fold curling over his tympanum), a green frog and a toad. Now you need the Science. The best thing you can do right now is leave the pond alone until you understand what each part of the infrastructure does and how to maintain it. Do not use tap water to clean anything. The chlorine and chloramine added to keep you from dying in the next cholera epidemic will kill off your biofiltering bacteria and severely damage the ecosystem. Dechlorinators from the pet store get expensive. Try one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 instead. Way cheaper and it'll last you a season. Please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read through, starting with "The Inherited Pond" and "Water Testing". Next, read https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ . Algae happens and a beginner's immediate urge is to FIX IT. This usually involves algaecides or some other "fixes inna jug". Do not do this. Find a ponding or water gardening club in your area and join. Get run/maintenance advice from experienced ponders with no commercial axes to grind. A mature pond should never be "deep cleaned". It should not be drained completely unless there's something wrong with the liner on the bottom. Anyone approaching the pond with a power washer should be shot on sight (non-fatally, of course...). Be aware that this hobby will eat all your other hobbies. Happy ponding!
You can't do anything about the hardness, which is just a measure of dissolved minerals in your aquifer. The only folks who elect to fight this are koi keepers who enter koi shows. Hard water causes pigment changes and little black spots on a $40k fish spells disaster. If the small fish you are planning are locally raised, it won't be a problem. For details on alkalinity and pH, go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read "Who's on pHirst?". While there , read "Water Testing" and the rest of the articles. Yes, they are directed at koi keeping, but the science applies, just on a smaller scale. A stick or two of long-dead hardwood should be fine, but be aware that it'll release tannins that can stain your water brown. What it won't do is affect either the pH or the hardness. For water changes, look at one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 . It'll save you $$$$ over the bottled conditioners. Be aware that those test strips start deteriorating the moment you open the tube and aren't all that accurate to start with. If you are going to get trapped into this hobby (as you certainly will, the Three Laws of Ponding are unavoidable and permanent) you'll want a better test kit. Look at the API Pro kit plus a KH test for more accuracy and ease of use.
Oboy. Welcome to the Hobby. The Hard Way. Some pointers to start: Start with an estimate of the pond's volume. It'll determine what you are going to need down the road. The formula is (in feet) L x W x D x 7.48 gallons per cubic foot. You are going to need a pump that'll turn over the entire volume of the pond once an hour, 24/7/365 (if you don't have winters). When looking at pumps, you need to figure in head loss (its ability to pump up above water level) as well as friction loss from the pipe runs and connectors. That 1-inch pipe needs to be replaced with 2-inch PVC. Look at https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ and https://www.dutypoint.com/knowledge-point/calculators/friction-head-loss-calculator/ for helpful tables. If you are going to introduce goldfish (I recommend shubunkins, just as tough and much prettier), you are going to need to seriously upgrade your biofiltration. Mat in the falls box is not going to support healthy fish. Look at OzPonds on youtube for DIY filter designs (not the bogs-Kev loves bogs, but that pond is too small for a bog to work well) and at https://russellwatergardens.com/pages/biofilter-media-ssa and https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/bio-media-comparison-information.435695/ for media choices and some of the Science. For more Science, please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read through, starting with "The Inherited Pond", "New Pond Syndrome" and "Water Testing". Then read https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ . Resist the temptation to fix perceived problems with "fixes inna jug". Especially do not use algaecides. They will reduce some of the existing algae, but at the cost of decaying vegetable matter sludge and dissolved organics. You'll be stuck with foam on the surface that will take multiple water changes to resolve. Remember that municipal water has been treated with chlorine and chloramine to prevent your death in the next RFK Jr.-sponsored cholera epidemic. While this does make the water from your hose safe to drink, it is death on the bacteria that are the basis of biofiltration. One of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 will help. Finally, look around your area for a ponding or water gardening club. Join and get restart/upgrade/run advice from experienced ponders. Happy ponding.
You do realize that by flushing your bog with tap water, the chlorine and chloramines in the municipal supply have just destroyed any developing biofiltration that bog was trying to start. Backflushing and/or cleaning of any filter has to be done with either pond water via a sump pump or with a dechlorinator ( https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 ) attached to the faucet. For the Science, read "New Pond Syndrome" at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 . Also read https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ . You'll need the information.
Before you try to do anything with the filter, be aware that cleaning it with the garden hose will kill off all the resident bacteria in it that are responsible for converting the toxic ammonia excreted by the fish to non-toxic nitrates. Pond water or dechlorinated water (run through one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 will help) only. A pond populated with carp relatives needs to be run 24/7. For the Science, go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read through, starting with "The Inherited Pond", "New Pond Syndrome", "Water Testing" and "Who's on pHirst?". There's lots more to this hobby. Find a ponding club in your area. Join and get run/maintenance advice from experienced ponders.
Welcome to the Hobby. You are fortunate in that the prior owner left you with some direction. We'll try to fill in the corners... First, the algae. Algae loves three things. Sun, warm and nutrient. The only one of the three you've got any real control over is the nutrient, specifically the ammonia that your fish are excreting via their gills. The algae bloom is an indicator that your filters are not keeping up with the ammonia and the algae are feasting and reproducing. Your filter is the first place to look. You did not describe it to us, nor did you tell us how you are doing the cleaning. If you are clearing any portion of the filter with tap water, you have destroyed the beneficial bacterial population that was responsible for converting the toxic ammonia into non-toxic nitrates. Algae don't consume nitrate and most aquatic plants (especially water hyacinth and water lettuce) do not use ammonia as a nutrient and, as such, will not help you here. Any water changes done with tap water will inhibit the restoration of the biofiltering bacteria as well. Filter cleanout must be done with either pond water or dechlorinated water. One of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 attached to your hose will take care of some of this. The rest is detailed in https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/ from fellow redditor FelipeCODX. For the Science, please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iEMaREaRw8nlbQ_RYdSeHd0HEHWBcVx0 and read through the articles, starting with "The Inherited Pond", "New Pond Syndrome" and "Water Testing". Look around your area for a ponding or water gardening club. Join and get run/maintenance advice from experienced ponders. DO NOT try to fix this with algaecides or any other "fixes inna jug". All they'll do is tank your water quality and harm your fish. They won't solve the root problem, either.
You'll need a skimmer to limit debris collection on the bottom. Bulkhead the skimmer box at the top level of your intended water line and run a buried 3" drain pipe from the bulkhead fitting to the lowest point on your property. While you are at it, install a small float valve inside the box connected to your water source (if municipal water, use one of these in-line to keep your water level up and eliminate the toxic chlorine and chloramine : https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 ). You will eventually have fish. They'll come in as eggs on the legs and feathers of visiting birds.
All of it. "Fixes inna jug" generally add to the organic load and don't actually correct what's encouraging the algae. You are going to need repeated 10%-15% water changes every few days for a long time to clear the dissolved crud. You also need to stop dumping stuff into the pond. If you need to dechlorinate the water, use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Filter-Chloramines-Pesticides/dp/B007I6MN72/ref=dp_coos_d_sccl_1/132-2745457-2656244?pd_rd_w=gn7S6&content-id=amzn1.sym.a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_p=a07d4df5-1f4e-4f00-8e1b-5a2733ff0eb3&pf_rd_r=B02JDNNAFY5H9V5J4TGF&pd_rd_wg=hOjWS&pd_rd_r=9049aebf-9864-4fde-a91e-e770c14ab211&pd_rd_i=B007I6MN72&psc=1 .