A question about earthen ponds and my first blooms!

[Ruthie]

First the pretties...


Our first water lilies bloomed today!  I have no idea what varieties I have (they come from cuttings from my aunt) but they sure are gorgeous.  You know, when I built the pond, I just wanted a fish pond. Now I am looking at catalogs and drooling over lilies and lotuses. 

My question is about earth ponds.  I have not been able to find any information online about keeping koi in earthen ponds.  We will be digging a pond...a big one....for the dirt.  That is, since we are below sea level, we will be using the dirt from the pond for elevating the area where we intend to build a house.  This is several years away, but the excavator will be on our place repairing levees in a few weeks.  We may (or may not) start digging at that point.  We are looking at a big pond 100 x 75 maybe?  average depth of six or eight feet..... a capacity of 300,000 gallons or more?  I am just guessing, really.  Most people around here who dig them just fill them and get some ducks.  But I am wondering if it would be feasible to keep koi or goldfish in it. 

Do any of you keep koi in earth ponds?  Is it do-able?  How do you manage aeration?  If anyone could point me in the direction of information online, I would really appreciate it. 

[Julles]

A pond that size would have lots of surface area for air, plus you can put plants in to oxygen (plants will come on their own, too, prolly).  Koi being carp, seems to me they should survive just fine.  Brett's Fish Farm is all earthen ponds, I believe, and he breeds some mighty fine koi.

On the other hand, koi have been developed into refined carp so perhaps they need a little better conditions.  Someone here can tell us.

If all else fails, beings as how you're in south Louisiana, you could always stock it with shrimp.      Yummy!

[Gene]

The best koi in the world are raised in earth bottomed ponds (mud ponds).

Below are a few photos of Toshio Sakai's harvest of his best koi last October in Niigata, Japan.







Here are some photos of one of our mud ponds featuring one of my favorites.  His name is Babe.  There are about 40 larger koi in this pond and 7 koi are 11-years-old.  I've had them since they were 1-year-old.

[jools]

I would try and get a soil analysis done some soils just arnt suitable enough to sustain koi too acidic we have a huge pond near home bought by a keen angler to stock up and use as a fishing lake no matter what he does the soil is very peaty and acidic and fish just dont survive in it.......just a thought before you go ahead
jools

[El Jefe]

There was a great article in  Mother Earth news some time back and it addresses natural pools, I have an earth bottom pond and it has it's problems, the biggest of which is silt and sediment. If I had it to over again it would be this way.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-and-Environment/2002-08-01/Natural-Swimming-Pools.aspx

Andy

[jools]

thats some mean ochiba in those photographs that would look good in my pond LOL

[Ruthie]

Thanks so much for the replies....and the photographs are amazing.  Wow.  Babe is beautiful   They are breathtaking...so HUGE!  My koi babies are all of six inches long

Our family already has two large earth ponds.  One is stocked with bass and bluegills, the other is a crawfish pond. Our soil is heavy, heavy black gumbo and the pH is ok.  Both fish and crawfish thrive. 

I am going to check out the Mother Earth News article.  Do you use any external, supplementary aeration?  My father designed some wind powered turbines that aerate, but they tend to get choked by aquatic plants and aren't as efficient as he would like.  I think it would fairly break my heart to have an algal bloom or pond turnover and associated fish kill.  (It happened a few years back in the bass pond.)  And, my husband raised a legitimate concern though...how on earth will I keep the alligators out of it?  We had a nine footer in the bass pond one time.  I used to swim in there, but it kind of cured me of that, you know what I mean?

Still, I am really interested in the idea.  The feedback is greatly appreciated!

[Gene]

You would have a problem with the predators.  If you do put koi in one of your mud ponds be sure to put larger ones.  Bass and bluegill love small koi.

[Ruthie]

Oh no...the house pond would be a totally new pond...koi only.  No bass. 

The Mother Earth article was right along the lines of my thinking.  I am beginning to think this is actually feasible.
Thanks again!

[El Jefe]

I  use a fountain in the middle of the pond for aeration and I just planted some oxygenators as well. I thought you would like that article it is right in line with my thinking as well as others, especially if you are creating a BIG pond.... Andy