I just purchased a weekend home that has a 11' x 17' x 16" deep (approx.) pond. Seems none of the average landscapers, nurseries, plumbers, etc.. can fully give me a solution to my situation: The pond is consistantly fed by a deep artisian well, constantly displacing the water & ecosystem. This makes any potential chemical treatment near impossible.

I would like to put koi in to help keep down algae, snails & small swimming "creatures".

The overflow runs off into a small wetland creek, connecting to a lake. The lake is naturally spring fed, and apparently the DNR want's this spring/well on-going. If I am unable to diffuse the water from this pond totally or partially, can Koi exist in summer water conditions that are about 58 degrees. I realize their digestive system slows down, but am thinking of the possibility of somewhat reversing their seasons - meaning: perhaps I can have them become partially dorman in the summer months (which would also work good for limited weekend supplemental feedings) & bring them into an adequate size aquarium in the house durring the winter & create the warmer, summer conditions for growth. Have you heard of this done before? And if so, with what kind of result?

The Koi I have access to at this time are approx. 9" long (including fins). I found your site looking for a solution to rid the pond of leeches. Will the Koi eat the leeches, or more likely would the leeches "eat" the Koi ? Lastly, could increasing a soluble, unsaturated fat product in their diet help them in these lower water conditions? If so, what would you recommend? (The books I have read do not recommend feeding dry food in lower water temps.) ?

Any info you can give me, would be very much appreciated. I have aways wanted a Koi pond, but do not know if this is the right opportunity. Thanks in advance, Tracy Plunkett

Water temps at 58 degrees are the absolute lower limit that koi can tolerate and still be able to eat and digest complex foods and operate their immune systems. At anything below 55 degrees, they just sorta shut down. In a natural pond, the koi will eat small bottom-dwelling critters, but don't expect them to do much with hair algae. They'll eat almost anything else first. They won't grow much and won't be able to spawn, either.

Trying to reverse their season leaves you with the problem of keeping up with their demands indoors during the winter. A nine-inch koi requires either 50 gallons of water per inch of fish, or mega-filtration (like a couple of *big* bioreactors) to keep up with their warm-water ammonia production.

You also do not want to run the risk of introducing a foriegn species into a natural ecosystem.

You might want to go with long-bodied goldfish, or better yet, native species like bass or perch. What you are describing is great as far as water quality is concerned, but suboptimal for koi.

(Answer courtesy Bob Passovoy)