Messages

1

Pond Chat / Re: Fish swim above the surface of the pond

« on: July 29, 2011, 02:43:38 PM »

That is amazing.  Really dumb question; how do you get the food in there?

2

Pond Chat / Re: Starting over...what to do?????

« on: May 19, 2011, 06:32:40 PM »

I share your pain; all my fish froze above the ice layer in Feb as well. I had the pond drained, cleaned and after a couple of weeks happily bought 7 new Koi. They are the most antisocial, frustrating little buggers. They went into the milk crate and won't come out if anyone is within 20 feet of the pond. It's been almost two weeks and still hiding. Why don't they understand that I'm the nice lady with the food? Any ideas?

As far as dealing with the water; I've been using AquaOne every couple of weeks and put in my barley bales. No pea soup but having a bit of a problem with string algae. The lilies are trying but the temps are so gosh darn low. Unfortunately last fall I majorly pulled out overgrown dwarf cattails; sure wish I had them back now.

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Pond Chat / Re: best place to buy / get water plants?

« on: May 15, 2011, 07:46:13 AM »

I've gotten them here http://www.pondibilities.com/ in Malvern; not sure how far you are from there?

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Pond Chat / Re: Fish loss

« on: February 23, 2011, 05:55:16 AM »

Bonnie--Excuse my ignorance, but how would plastic help?

Cath--Where are you getting your fish; Kloubec?

I too cut everything back and netted the pond just like every other year. I have never lost a fish, except to predators, over the winter.

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Pond Chat / Re: Fish loss

« on: February 21, 2011, 07:14:45 PM »

I share your loss. My daughter just called to say that 25 of my koi and goldfish are frozen as well on the surface of my pond. She said the deicer is still working. I think during the warm spell last week they came up through the deicer hole and got trapped above the ice when the temperatures dropped. I believe that happened one year to Esther's fish. I'm at least thankful for the years I had with them and was able to watch them grow and mature. But, I'm most thankful that I'm not there to see them. My grandchildren want to have a funeral and bury them when we can dig the ground.

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Koi Corner / Re: spring wakeup

« on: January 17, 2011, 05:59:28 PM »

I don't do anything medication wise. In the spring I use a product called Aqua One that jump starts the beneficial bacteria, but other than that I just let the Koi come around naturally when the temps rise. The made it through the last three winters without a loss (crossed fingers). My winters are way colder than yours.

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Pond Chat / Re: wind & water level

« on: March 27, 2010, 07:07:39 PM »

Definitely; it's just like watering your yard on a windy day-the water goes everywhere.

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Pond Chat / Re: considering a pond...

« on: March 05, 2010, 07:41:32 PM »

Hi,
I have one tip that the guy who did my pond recommended. Use two smaller pumps instead of one big pump. If a pump fails you still have some circulation until you can repair it or get a replacement for the one that goes out.

During a heat wave a couple of years ago that was very sound advice. I don't think the fish would have made it if there wasn't some oxygenation from the uninterrupted circulation.

I started my pond with goldfish, the comets picked on the fantails and eventually the fantails that survived fell victim to a furry predator. They just can't swim fast enough to get away. I switched to koi and have been very happy. To me the koi are more social. If you have koi and goldfish they do mate and you get really dull brown little fish.

Guess that's more than one tip. Happy ponding.

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Pond Chat / Re: Welcome "Crazy Fish Lady" You came to the right place!

« on: February 21, 2010, 06:14:44 AM »

Thank-you for the re-welcome. I had a change of email and that must be why I was flagged as new. My pond is currently covered with about 3 feet of snow; if it ever quits snowing I'll put up some new pictures.

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Pond Chat / Re: Finally, some more pictures of the pond expansion!

« on: November 02, 2009, 08:10:19 AM »

You have done some beautiful work! The fishes do look so happy in their new home.

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Pond Chat / Re: koi and ryukin hybrid?

« on: October 26, 2009, 07:48:28 AM »

Must have been some good stuff to eat in there.

I have a 1 yr old that is an exact duplicate of koi mama, but no barbells.  Definitely hanky panky happens.

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Pond Chat / Re: My first winter with the pond questions

« on: October 23, 2009, 07:59:52 AM »

I'm in zone 5 so a little colder than you are. I turn off my pumps around Thanksgiving and use a stock tank heater to keep a hole in the ice. I know lots of others use and airstone, but when I tried that that it froze.

The fish will be fine without extra oxygen as long as the ice doesn't cover the pond and it doesn't freeze solid. Never break a hole in the ice. I hear it will give the fish a concussion. Use boiling water to melt a hole.

Another precaution, the first year I lost a lot of fish to a predator (probably a mink). Since then I have a milk crate (now with bigger holes) covered with rocks away from the hole in the ice. The koi happily stack themselves in there all winter. My husband calls them fishsticks, because they line up very orderly. The lack of oxygen doesn't seem to be a problem because of their low body temp.

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Pond Chat / Re: Heron made visit.....

« on: October 16, 2009, 05:11:57 PM »

I've seen snow fence used along beaches in the gulf and Florida to catch the sand to replenish the dunes.

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Pond Chat / What a lily

« on: September 04, 2009, 07:10:21 PM »

Didn't know if you had seen this lily pad. They said it was in the Netherlands and the pad could support 33lbs.

15

Pond Chat / Re: What kind a algea and a couple fishie pics!

« on: September 02, 2009, 08:37:15 PM »

I always heard that koi don't have teeth so they can't eat the tough string algae. I have a new Blue Gill in the pond this year for population control, I'm hoping he will grow and eat algae.

I have always used "beneficial bacteria" Aqua One is a liquid and is kinda pricey, but works well at lower temps. The Clarity Max Plus is a powder and goes much further. Seems to me it's like $64 for 3 months worth. The theory is the bacteria breaks down waste that feeds algae. I always buy products and food on-line it is way cheaper than the local stores even with shipping. I figure the price compared to my time and the pleasure of a clear pond is worth the price. I enjoy looking out a second story window and watching the fish and seeing the bottom of my pond.

Do you have enough plants? I have a lot of dwarf cattails growing directly in the pond, streams and bog, the have a tremendous root system and really use up the nutrients. I also always have 3 bales of barley straw floating in my bog, as well as doses of Koi Clay as a preventative.

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Pond Chat / Re: What kind a algea and a couple fishie pics!

« on: September 02, 2009, 08:41:32 AM »

I don't think winter will kill the algae. I'm in zone 5 and 2 years ago in March when the ice covering the pond finally melted; my pond was literally filled with string algae. It had grown over the winter in an ice and snow covered pond. I hadn't had any of the stuff the prior fall. All anyone could tell me is that was a weird year for algae.

If winter did kill the algae; it would drop to the bottom, decompose to feed the algae the next year. You really need to get rid of the junk before winter. Chemical usage is very much frowned upon in this forum. I totally agree, to a point. Sometimes you just have to resort to them.

After spending up to four hours a day for over 2 weeks scrubbing, twirling and hurling the stuff from the pond; only to have it seemingly grow back overnight. I caved. I used Algae Fix. I caution you to carefully follow the instructions. It can harm your fish. Remove as much as you can manually first. Apply it early in the morning, make sure you have really good aeration and if at all possible be around to monitor the behavior of your fish. Mine became motionless and lay on the bottom, I assume to conserve oxygen. About 8 hrs after the application they began to swim around normally. I had to treat 3 times 4 days apart to get rid of it. But, it did totally go away.

After the 1st application it seemed to come off the rocks easier and I continued to remove as much as I could manually. Which leads to my next caution, you have to clear the dead algae from the pond. Otherwise it will just be food for more algae to grow. Then you have to give your beneficial bacteria a boost to to get growing again because the Algae Fix can damage it. This time of year with lower temperatures is not a good time to spur bacterial growth either. Saying all that, you can see why the forum isn't fond of chemicals. If not used properly they can create more problems and cause more harm than good. But then again sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

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Pond Chat / Re: What kind a algea and a couple fishie pics!

« on: September 01, 2009, 08:01:13 PM »

I have had a real problem the previous 2 years with string algae especially in the streams. This year not at all. It is either the cooler temps this summer or I switched to Clarity Max Plus for a bacterial clarifier. It contains barley in addition to the beneficial bacteria. This summer we have had almost no string algae and crystal clear water. We don't have a UV light, do have too many fishes (they grew), rocks in the pond and very little filtration.

I used Aqua One last spring when it was cooler the switched to the Clarity Max Plus. I will definitely do that again next year.

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Pond Chat / Re: It's been a weird year...but I'm still plugging along

« on: March 27, 2009, 03:57:12 PM »

Just pm me when you're ready

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Pond Chat / Re: So, it is almost Spring time

« on: March 27, 2009, 02:18:52 PM »

I just wanted to thank Casey for the info on Aqua One; it's amazing. We came back from from our winter in Texas to one brown pond. You could only see down maybe six inches. We cleaned up the streams and turned on the pumps and added Aqua One. It's been a week and the water is crystal clear all the way to the bottom.

The Alpine Koi people are very nice and the price is half what I can get it for locally.

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Pond Chat / Re: It's been a weird year...but I'm still plugging along

« on: March 27, 2009, 01:44:59 PM »

Cath,
Sorry to hear of all your problems. Did you get your liner patched? Some things are showing life in my pond, get in touch with me and I can share some things when this current cold snap passes.

21

Pond Chat / Re: pond maintenance question

« on: March 27, 2009, 01:38:22 PM »

I also have river rock in my pond; I am willing to put up with the extra hassle because I like the look. I pick the leaves out of the streams by hand, but it's too cold to get in the pond now. I have a very fine long handled net that I use to move the rocks around on the bottom and get up the leaves and the muck. When you disturb the muck it floats up a little and you can then scoop it out. It really works pretty well.

22

Pond Chat / Re: Pond lighting

« on: February 12, 2009, 09:36:06 AM »

Speaking of water-mains when they dug our pond it was apparently centered over some major artery branch of our sprinkler system.  We had to reroute 5 different lines at various depths. What a mess!

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Pond Chat / Re: Pond lighting

« on: February 11, 2009, 10:24:57 PM »

We have 7 20W low voltage underwater lights in the pond and streams. They came with 12 foot cords that are all spliced together above water level with regular heavy gauge low voltage wire. They go around the pond and around to the side of the house to the transformer. I know we used over 150' of the low voltage wire. The farthest light is just as bright as the closest one. We were told that oversizing the transformer for the load and using heavy gauge wire will produce the most consistent light levels.

I thought they were just trying to oversell us at Lowes but it has always worked. We have 50w spots and 35W floods all around the yard and I try to keep the transformer ratings at least double for what we need. All the lights are Malibu Pro Series metal from Lowes or Menards.

We have the underwater lights on a switch instead of the timer; because algae growing on the lenses is a real problem. I had to get in the pond at night this summer to find some of them because of the algae. We only have the lights on when we're out by the pond.

Couple of other tips: Make extra coils of wire by the light so you can lift it above water level to change the bulb. Don't run the wire under your deck or the bunnies will eat it in the winter.

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Pond Chat / Re: trying to keep an opening in a frozen pond

« on: December 23, 2008, 08:09:11 PM »

Where do you put the pump? How far do you run the tubing? I tried that the first year and it froze-up.

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Pond Chat / Re: Water feature finally finished

« on: December 21, 2008, 06:47:20 PM »

They look awesome!!!

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Chit Chat / Re: Mail Box vs. Punks

« on: October 17, 2008, 07:28:16 AM »

We live near a high school for 4 years we replaced our mailbox every two to three months. One evening I even saw a grown woman back over it the drive away without saying a word. She left her taillight next to our downed mailbox, what an example for her kids.

My son-in-law made us a wonderful mailbox 12 years ago that is still standing. He encased a standard rural mailbox in 1/2 inch steel welded to a 12 inch I-beam and cemented in with for 12" steel rods. I have no idea if it has been attacked since; but sleep well knowing it will take out any ball bat or shoulder that does attempt to hit it.

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Pond Chat / Re: Waterfall on or off for winter?

« on: October 17, 2008, 06:18:14 AM »

You're right, the deicer keeps a hole in the ice. I used a bubbler initially and it did freeze up; apparently they need to be insulated and the hose insulated and kept dry and they really are a pain.

I had much better luck with this inexpensive deicer:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_34418_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1

We go to Texas for the winter and need something we can have confidence in. The fish don't need extra oxygen at freezing temps -- they do need to have a hole in the ice to let gasses escape.

I used the bubbler this summer when our electricity was out for four days. We could run it off our car batteries, I wouldn't be without one. But, for winter not the best.

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Pond Chat / Re: Waterfall on or off for winter?

« on: October 13, 2008, 08:23:16 AM »

I am in zone 5 also, we shut down last year about Thanksgiving.
We had snow cover on the pond most of the winter and by Christmas the bubbler wasn't enough to keep a hole in the ice. Bought an inexpensive stock tank heater at TSC that really did the trick.
One caution, if you have fish, provide them with secure cover. I had fish disappear over the winter. Theory here is that mink go through the hole in the ice and the sluggish fish are easy prey. I have black milk crates (file crates) on the bottom with rocks to cover and hold them down.

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Pond Chat / Re: Do algae chemicals KILL algae or simply "control" it?

« on: August 28, 2008, 09:25:49 PM »

Ester is right--if you follow the directions Algae Fix doesn't hurt anything but the algae. It starves the algae of oxygen and causes no harm to plants or birds or anything else. If your pond doesn't have proper areation, water temps are too high or it is overstocked--then it can kill fish.

I finally resorted to using it for string algae this spring--my only regret is that because of all the scarry warnings--I waited so long to use it. I agree for an algae bloom, like pea soup, it isn't needed and should be avoided. But, if I have string algae next spring like I did this spring--I will use it without hesitation,

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Pond Chat / Re: Found another land plant that will bloom in the falls.. and some pond pictures..

« on: August 20, 2008, 07:28:43 PM »

I am in total awe. I drug my husband in here and said that is how I wish my pond looked.