Do fish eat hornwort?

[Amy]

Just wondering about hornwort...this is the first year I have ever had it, only had anacarus. The hornwort I bought early May has grown and there in NOTHING in the water but stems! The only green plant is right at the water surface and above! Did I do something wrong or do fish gobble it up? I have koi and goldfish.....and we do feed them daily! LOL

[Pa Nancy]

Good munchies.   

[miguynmkoi]

They'll eat the young greens first then work through the rest.  Chomp-chomp!

[PondmaninAL]

Putting plants in with koi is like putting steak in with a school of piranha.

[Julles]

I was told to use hornwort in my pond because the koi won't mess with it.  At one time, at winter's end, I had it, I swear, 2' deep in my 30" deep pond - so much I could have sold it.

Then the koi must have figured out that it's edible.  I can't keep it any more.  What the fish don't eat, they tear apart, and the little pieces were clogging up my filter.

I still want underwater plants, because they filter and aerate the water, and hornowort is the cheapest around here.  Now I put the hornwort in floating mesh baskets made of plastic patio screen material, where the fish can't get to it.  It's growing and doing fine!



 

[Amy]

Thanks all! Obviously that was a waste of money! LOL!!

[Esther]

I think sometimes that Koi will behave differently from pond to pond. A lot of folks have trouble with their Koi rooting in the lily and plant pots. They are always talking about putting stones on top of the soil. I never put stones on mine and my fish never bothered the soil in the pots. I do know that I had watercress from the grocery store growing in the rocks at the side of the pond and when it leaned over to the water, my fish went after it.