WINTER!!!!!!

[pondlady]

 >:(Old man winter has paid us a visited here in utah. All of the vegies are black. The pond water is at 50* way to soon. I spent the day putting on the cover. Lost most of my Koi to canniable shubunkins this summer , got rid of the buggers and the eating other fish stopped.  Horrid think. I am so done with Koi, I just cannot stand to see them die anymore. Breakes mt heart. I think I will cultivate water plants and leave the fish thing to you experts.
None of the ponds did well this year the water never got past 70* so the plants did not flurish. Rough year. Hope next year is better. Love you all, so helpful and kind.

[jw]

What a bummer...........never knew that about Shubby's  . Don't have Koi myself and don't have the Shuby's either............just my mongrel little goldies..........they were cheap and some even free.......they keep the mosky's away and are pretty to look at  . You might just give a go at them..........they never do any harm to anything  . Sorry about all your trouble but guess what? Now....................it can only get better  . And next year will be better I'm sure of it 

[Jerry]

Pondlady. my Shubunkins seem happy, hardy and are colorful.  I have no Koi (long story)
maybe the early Winter will give us some badly needed rain!  I hope so.

Stay warm!

[Kittyzee]

Sorry to hear about your fish.  I too have regular goldfish and sarassa comets and they eat everything but each other (unless you are a baby goldfish and don't look like a fish yet)!  But it has frosted here last week and has been cool -- only in the 60's all week long.  All is still green here, but the trees are starting to change, which turns my heart and mind to getting ready for apples, pumpkins, halloween and snuggling under blankets.  My favorite time of year!!   

[pondlady]

I have done more reserch and I find that once fish get started picking on other fish they keep it up until that fish is eaten alive or dies and then they eat it then to, kind like chickens, all the other goldies followed suit. The shubys were very agressive but I did not figure they would hurt a koi 3 times there size. I had to drain the pond as I captured the fish the damage became all to clear. even in the holding tank I could see the shubunkins pickin at the koi. one pretty girl had, had the bottom of her tail eaten away until bone was sticking out. I ended up Euth. her with clove oil, I cried for them.  :'(. I worked hard to heal the damage to the rest, out of 8 I have 2 left. They will winter in a 1500 gallon pond all alone this year. Next year I will give this pond to my little herd of fantails, and lots of plants.

[Kittyzee]

Can't say that I blame you there.  I had some shubunkins, but they were the first to go when I had the giant bullfrog.  I don't have a pond large enough for koi.  Your experience would be heartbreaking for sure.  I can't sit idly by while something cruel is going on either--my condolences to you.    :'(

[Jonna]

Oh, how horrible.  I'm so sorry.  I've never had shubunkin but did have Wakin and some fantail koi and they are still getting along up in Calif.  I had to euthanize one of the Angel fish a couple days ago, I used clove as well.  I think he was butted so hard by another Angel and when I found him I separated him but he never recovered and it seemed he was just suffering and slowly dying.  It's horrible.  I guess it is to our credit that we can feel so badly for fish but it isn't easy to deal with. 

Winter eh?  What is that?      I'll be happy for some lower temps and lower humidity but also happy it won't get cold. 

[jw]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it's now in the 30's at night here and frosty mornings but we still are having some nice sunshine during the days up in the 60's  . Must bring in my 26 palms from the green house today to put up in the spare room along w/ the Salvinia  . I just don't want to pay to heat the greenhouse when I have a nice big room like that upstairs w/ big windows and a southern exposure. I hope they will be ok up there..........now if I can just remember they are up there and water them. I still don't know what I'm going to do w/ 26 tropical palms...................hmmmmmmmmmmm, maybe I will do a drive by at night and drop them on all you warm climate people's doorsteps  .

[GarryT]

We had record breaking temperatures during September here (the warmest temperatures of the year!) which didn't quite make up for one of the lousiest summers on record. Like PondLady my pond temperatures never got past 22C or around 71F. Winter is now around the corner with temperatures going from a record breaking 28C (82F)  a week ago to -2C (29F) this morning with snow flurries forecast by the end of the week. The plants did very poorly this year ...only one lily bloom and very small water lettuce. Last year I was filling the composter with water luttuce on a weekly basis! No GF babies this year probably due to the poor plant cover for them to hide in. That's probably a good thing as the GF population has trippled with last year's brood.

My DW was out hastily picking the last of the tomatoes this morning that luckily, were sheltered from the frost but I'm sure lots of the marginals along the pond will be showing the efects of frost by late day. Almost time to move the GF indoors for the winter. It's too early again! :'(

[pondlady]

Pond are covered a month early this year. Temps are crazy, low last night was 18* today only got to 48*. Ways to cols way to early.
Got the feat going and wood in for the stove. Gonna be a long one.  :'( To long. One can hope for a better year "next" year  .

[aguzzo]

I am in  Toronto and the weather is alright for now, but my koi fell prey to Red Ear Sleder Turtles.  I lost half of my koi in 2 nights.  Brought them in my 65 gallon tank, but the water is freezing cold had no prep time to do much.  I poured in some hot water as well and they seem to have juiced themselves up.  Will get them a heater as well.

[GarryT]

I moved my GF indoors last year just before the end of October when water temps were about 5C ....they were really easy to catch ....a bit on the slooooow side! My indoor tank (essentially a wood framed box with pond liner that holds a little over 70 gallons which I fill (many, many buckets) with water from the pond so there is no temperature or water quality transition for the fish. I normally keep this tank runing all year as a "hospital" tank in case it is needed. I drain it down & then refill with the chilly pond water prior to relocating the fish. I have a large pressure canister filter that I keep running & a fair number of plants that I overwinter which help to keep the bio balanced. It's amazing to see how long it takes the water temperature to come back up to basement temps - better than 36 hours. I guess the wood frame & liner provide some degree of insulation.

A plexiglass cover and a pair of 48" T8 flourescent "grow" bulbs top off the tank. The plants grow well, I've had lilies blooming in December and it keeps the cats amused for the long winter months!

[miguynmkoi]

The weather this years has been crazy.  Either very hot or very cold (for reference I like cool temps  )  Pondlady I hope you have a better Spring next year.  I was surprised to read of the cannibalistic shubs in your pond.  I hope my shubs do not hear of this as they live with fancies and walkins in my lily pond.  I do know that all the playing they did this year only produced a few survivors due to the fact that I don't feed the feesh enough.

It's a breezy 71* here now.  I'm wearing a sweater and have a thick scarf wrapped around my neck to stay cozy.  I have a mesh screen cloth over my pond to prevent all the browned juniper tree twigs from falling into the water.  Can't handle all the acidity created by the droppings.    Water is getting too cold to go wading for all the stuff that fall from trees!

[pondlady]

You all are so great. My Daughter say "things happen for a reason". I am not sure exactly what that reason is just yet, I guess time will tell. I plan in making the disaster into a new beginning. From koi pond to water Garden/fantail pond. Lots of plants and fish that move slow enough to see them. . I plan on trying to find plants I do not have to add to the new look. I HAVE A PLAN! I guess thats a good thing!  :'(  know more tears over past events, one must keep moving forward.