Messages

1

Pond Chat / Flake Fish Food

« on: January 02, 2008, 05:25:10 PM »

Anyone know a source of cheap(er) bulk flake food ? The price of the small containers at the pet stores is ridiculous.

2

Pond Chat / Re: Pond Maintenance Business?

« on: November 15, 2007, 04:16:59 PM »

While I do my own pond maintenance gladly, I'd work at Walmart before I'd clean ponds for a living.

3

Pond Chat / Infected Koi

« on: November 05, 2007, 03:12:23 AM »

I just got around to draining the pond and sorting the koi. Several of the mid-size fish have an infection or parasite. They have raised gelatenous(s) areas which are white to off-white in colour. These occur mostly in the fin area though other areas of the body are also affected. These "sores" are not open or bleeding.In handling the fish I feel they are overly slimy. I have separated these fish and will do the raised temperature and salt thing with water changes. Can you identify the malady and help me with a cure?

4

Pond Chat / The Most Destructive Pest?

« on: September 29, 2007, 05:38:48 AM »

I vote for the Muskrat after my first experience with one. My pond level was down due to evaporation and a shortage of water . The surface , at this time of year,  was practically smothered with hyacinths and water lettuce and, because of that, it was a while ,apparently, before I noticed this guy chowing down among the vegetation. I won't go into details but I got rid of him as soon as possible. I've discovered that the rat chewed a 6" diameter hole in my liner just above the lowered water-level and then proceeded to borrow for about 15 feet  just under the exposed liner . It also ate a half a dozen of my best lilies, getting at the roots by chewing through the sides of the pots. Ditto for 2 large pots of Floating Heart. This was my first and hopefully last Muskrat experience.

5

Pond Chat / patching PVC liner

« on: August 24, 2007, 06:10:05 PM »

I have to patch a 3" diameter hole in a 10 year old 35 mil PVC liner. I have some 6" EPDM repair tape and solvent. Anyone ever do a repair using these dissimilar materials?

6

Pond Chat / Trout Food

« on: August 21, 2007, 06:02:15 AM »

How many of you guys feed your koi on a diet of commercial trout food as available from your local farm and feed depot? I do, and have for years. There are some who think this is detrimental to the fish in one way or another.Some (including a local supplier) claim the fish are rendered sterile by something intentionally put in the food , the thought being the purpose is to grow trout and not to reproduce them. I'm here to tell you this is a "crock" and can prove it by my yearly harvest of new-born koi.The other story ,and I've seen it proclaimed by so-called experts (what the heck is a Koi vet, anyways? Is there a Koi veterinary college somewhere?) is that the over-rich ingredients in trout food causes fatty build-up in the organs, proving fatal in a relatively short time. We have hundreds of fish and ,aside from winter-kill (and we lost only one adult fish last winter) we've been very lucky. We've never witnessed a "fatty organ" die-off. I suspect both these stories are simply "opinions" that became fact after being posted in print a couple of times. What do you think?

7

Pond Chat / Re: Plant Identification

« on: August 08, 2007, 06:18:52 AM »

Thanks for the input. It is, indeed, Bloody Dock. Now, in case I can't find it in my books, can you tell me it's hardiness ( zone ) and how to best winter it?

8

Pond Chat / Re: Plant Identification

« on: August 07, 2007, 05:31:22 PM »

The plant is relatively small.It is not an elephant ears.

9

Pond Chat / Plant Identification

« on: August 07, 2007, 03:08:03 PM »

Just bought a pond plant that was tagged as a "rhubarb". It is not the Rhubarb in my plant book. The plant consists of a group of plantlets ,each with several narrow red-veined green leaves  about 6 to 8 inches in heighth. The leaves remind me of beet tops ,but narrower. Anyone know what it might be?

10

Pond Chat / Re: What Should I Do With My Cull Fish?

« on: July 26, 2007, 06:11:09 PM »

This solution worked for me .Years ago, when faced with the same problem, I placed a home-made sign at the end of my driveway advertising pond fish for sale. I sold out in no time and have done the same every year since then, selling  about 150  koi and about the same number of goldfish. I then found a water plant wholesaler and began retailing plants . Now I grow my own lilies and hardy marginals and  only buy in my tropicals.I make a good dollar dealing with interesting people.  Problems sometimes are opportunities in disguise.