Last weekend I filled up my new 5,500 gallon liner pond. It took 18 hours to fill and I metered the gallonage. I added dechlorinator. My municipal water source has small amounts of chlorine but no chloramine.

This weekend I added some plants (some were waiting in tub ponds while the pond was being dug, some were relocated from a smaller fish pond). Right now, the water lilies and other plants look very insignificant in the big pond :). I hope it wasn't too soon, but I also added eight (8) six-inch long comet goldfish. The length is including their very long tails. So far so good, they are happily swimming around and exploring their new home.

Now, what do I have to watch out for as far as water parameters? I have had fish tanks and a small (200 gallon) pond for years and quite honestly, I have never been diligent about testing my water, just kept up with 25% water changes weekly and my fish have always done well. I pay for my water, it has to be treated with water conditioner, so obviously I don't want to drain and add 1,300 gallons weekly. I'm assuming testing would then be more critical to success.

In your experience, what test kits are a "must" and how often should I test? Are periodic water changes recommended (how often) or is it best to leave well enough alone, unless test levels are out of whack?

I don't have anywhere near the size of pond that you have but I would think that you would need to check the levels once in a while. I try to check 1x per week (but remember that I am smaller than you). You would need to check PH, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia and can't remember the rest right now. I will go check...
Here is a link to a thread that I found on the forum:
http://z2.invisionfree.com/Fishpondinfo/in...?showtopic=3153

Tia

You must have test kits for pH, ammonia, and nitrite. It helps to have tests kits for hardness, alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate, chlorine, oxygen, and salt. They make cheap "dip stick" tests that aren't all that accurate but they do measure 6 things all at once and super fast. I use them for quick tests and then the dry or liquid tests for more accurate readings.

To start, you should know the pH, hardness, and alkalinity of the pond. For example, if the pH is below 7 or above 9, you've got a problem. High pH tends to go with high hardness and alkalinity. Once you know those values (test weekly for a few weeks), they shouldn't change much. At any sign of a problem, re-test them to be sure they're okay.

For new ponds, monitor the ammonia and nitrite weekly (and nitrate if you get that test kit). If you have enough fish (and you seem to have some big ones to start), you should register ammonia within 3 to 10 days. As the nitrogen cycle progresses, you will get some nitrite and finally nitrate. See http://www.fishpondinfo.com/chem.htm for more information. If you don't have many fish, you may never read ammonia or nitrite (I didn't).

If the ammonia or nitrite get high (spike), a water change is a good idea. Your pond is pretty large so change as much as you can up to no more than 30%. You can change up to 50% if things are really bad.

As for water changes, ideally you would change 10 to 30% every week or two. In reality, since I'm on well water, all I do with my ponds is top them off. I may do a partial water change a few times a year. According to most pond experts, that makes me a bad ponder and person but my big pond is 11 years old. Everything is fine in it; I've never done regular water changes; I've never totally cleaned it because I can't (no help).

Good luck with your new pond!

Robyn, I tried to find that page that you linked to and couldn't find it??
How do I find it from this page (your homepage)? http://www.fishpondinfo.com/

The page works for me. I guess you are asking how to get there from the main page? Go to either the pond or fish index. There are links on that page to the water chemistry page. Boy do I need to update/expand that page! If only....