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Q and A; or...HELP!
Do you have a question about ponding,
planting, fish, filtration? Send us an e-mail.
We will do our very best to answer it.
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Help.....I had my koi in the garage in
a self made pond all winter. I put them back outdoors
last weekend. Water conditions were a little high in PH
but fish doing fine. I added about 15 gallons of the water
the fish were in into the outdoor pond and then the fish.
This week.....wallah! hundreds of eggs and two koi are
still spawning. What do I do now? I really don't care
if they all make it to hatch but curious and hopeful if
they do. Please let me know if you can help.
(Added 4-12-05) —See
reply.
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I have a small pond and was just wondering
if there was any good way of keeping the raccoons away?
Last year, they trashed my water
plants and ate my fish. Now I'm afraid to put more fish
in this year. Also, I have a friend with a very large
pond who is also having problems with raccoons eating
his Koi. Any suggestions would really be appreciated.
(Added 4-12-05) —See
reply.
- My husband and I live in Lyons and are
going to be putting in a new pond this year. We've had a
pre-formed pond from Sam's Club, that worked nicely for
the past 5 years, but we are now ready to move up in size,
since we want a couple more Koi and the one's we have are
bigger now.
We're going back and forth with each other over whether
or not we should have a raised pond or not. I don't care
too much for a raised pond since I would like something
more natural looking. I know that to winter your fish outside
the depth needs to be below the frost level (18" sound right?).
Now, if it's a raised pond my thought is that it would still
need to be 18" below ground level. Or does it just 18" deep,
like my husband thinks?
Also, what kind of luck do people with ponds in our area
have with bog filtration? We brought in our hyacinth and
water lettuce for the winter, also, and I wonder if that's
a good choice in addition to a regular filter and skimmer
set up.
Final question; if we winter our fish outside, heater or
no heater? I understand no heater, don't feed, don't break
the ice if any forms, shut off the waterfall etc. - is this
accurate info? I can't believe how much conflicting information
is out there. It gets confusing. (Added
3-23-05) —See
reply.
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I have been reading all of the emails sent, and I have
a few more questions that hopefully you can answer/or
go into more detail for me.
1. We are installing a pond 9 ft x 35 ft. It will have
a waterfall and be circulated with the Large Clean Seep
Skimmer Filter, Standard Biofalls Filter and a 4500 Pump.
We plan on stocking both regular Koi and Butterfly Koi.
Is there any plus' and/or minus' on stocking both types
together?
2. We would also like to introduce either: Western Painted
Turtle, Mississippi Map Turtle or even a Jumbo Pond Tutle.
I hear a lot of different stories: they carry and/or create
harmful bacteria that will/could harm the koi and kill
them. How do I know what to believe. One of the emails
I was reading on your website was that they can bring
in Leeches. Is this all based on if the turtle has been
quarantined or not?
3. The Pleco (algae eater), would it be okay to get 2
of them for my pond to help keep the algae under control
and bring them in for the winter? I know if we do get
turtles that we will have to bring those in for the winter,
so bringing the Pleco in wouldn't be hard. And is the
Pleco bad for the koi?
4. Lastly, what is the scoop with the snails. Are they
good for a pond? What is the plus' and minus' to the snails
with the koi? We have a pool approx. 4 feet from our pond.
Would we need to worry about them getting out of the pond
and going into our pool? Oh and the hot tub is only 2
feet away. Your help on clearing some of these concerns
of mine would be a huge help. Our pond is being built
on April 21st and I would like to get these questions
answered.
5. I am sorry, one more question. With the koi and depending
on the answers, possibly turtles/snails; Is the Biological
Filter (BioFalls) and the Aquascape 4500 Pond Pump good
for my needs or would you recommend the bead filters?
I would enjoy a gin clear and as much as an algae free
pond as possible without harming the fish. I just don't
know which is the better route to go. What are the plus'
and minus'?
Thank you in advance for your help! (Added
3-7-05) —See
reply.
- Hi Bob, Thank you for such a prompt reply!
I admit I was a little depressed though! I can't believe
I had such flawed info. When I put the fish in the pond
(yes, it was Feb.), the temp was about 50, and 2 different
people said to just float them in their bag awhile to acclimate
and they'll be fine. I also was told they'd take care of
themselves and no feeding, my wife was skepticle on both
counts! Needless to say I went out and bought a new toliet
brush and took the old one down to the pond to scoop out
the algae like you said, I taped it on a painting pole,
looks better already! You mentioned feeding, we have a long
finned indoor goldfish that gets fed every day, do I have
to feed the pond fish like that? Year round? I sprinkled
some in yesterday and the few I saw weren't interested.
But it was real cold and they don't move much.
By the way last week it warmed up to about 45 and I saw
a whole bunch, maybe 20, which led me to believe they're
"layin' low'. Is this true? There are a lot of places to
hide in the grassy areas and also under the banks of the
stream bed, sometimes I don't see any unless I stand still
for awhile and then they come out. As far as predation goes,
I've been watching for 'coon tracks, haven't seen any, and
the pond is fed by 2 different underground streams so no
other fish can get in. Which also means a fairly constant
temp. right? I built the pond at the "Y" which makes it
longer than I told you, approx 20', but it tapers up.
For some background the stream is at the bottom of land
we cleared for horse pasture last year, we're hoping to
have the horses in by summer. This started my whole idea
of the dam for a year round pool of water for them. One
of the horses likes to stomp in the water though so the
fish better hold on! Which also means nothing artificial
for algae control. As far as the catfish idea, I don't think
I could find him to bring him in for the winter, besides
more work, and another aquarium. How about if I threw in
a handful of snails or something?
Who are the garbage men of a pond? I'd like a mini ecosystem.
I'm sorry, this is getting long, but 2 more quick questions...How
many fish will a pond this size support? I've seen at least
2 frogs in there, are they eating the fish? I know there
are turtles on the property and won't be far behind...they
don't call them "feeder fish" for nothing right? Thank you
so much for helping out a novice ponder!! Jimi (Added
3-4-05) —See
reply.
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Hello,
I'm new to this site and to ponds. I have a stream that I
dammed up to create a pond, maybe 500 - 1000 gallons.
After a couple of weeks I added 60 "feeder" goldfish and 3
crawfish. I can hardly see any of the fish, I know it's winter
(we're getting a "Noreaster" today), and the pet store said
they'd be still, also on the banks of the old stream was grass,
now submerged, and I think they are hanging out in there until
it warms up. Is this true?
Secondly, I'm seeing alot of algae, both the floating kind
and the string kind now. When there is a big rain the water
goes over the dam and helps clean the surface some. But it's
not even summer yet and I'm afraid the algae will get worse,
the water does flow under my dam a bit. My friend said the
fish would eat the algae, is this true? Do I have enough fish?
Are they just hibernating? Am I even on the right page :)
!?!
The pond is approx 2' deep in the stream bed x 6'w x 10'L
depending on the water depth, which fluctuates approx 6"-8".
Thanks for any help you can offer!
Jimi, Phoenixville, PA
(Added 3-2-05) —See
reply.
- I am new to this site and I been searching
everywhere to get the answer to my question. Your site is
very useful also. My question is that -- I have a 20 gallon
tank with 3 small comet fish , 2 inch angelfish and a black
tetra also about 2 in. I really want a KOI but do not have
a pond. I have no where to put a pond so the pond is out..
I was wondering if my tank is alright to get a baby KOI
? My tank isn't that crowded with Decor either. I have a
fake plant and a fake log in it. Is my comet fish going
to be big like a KOI ( meaning do they grow the same way
as fast ) I really want one but I don't want it to die.
Thank You , PLEASE E-MAIL ME BACK ASAP Stephanie , New York
(Added 3-2-05) —See
reply.
- Because of living
in "Heron City", we built an indoor pond (400-450) gallons
in our finished basement. We had our outdoor deck sealed
before the harsh winter weather. The basement wall has windows
that look out under the deck. We have recently begun to
see minature flying insects landing on the window crevices
and walls. The bugs are black and very tiny with wings and
3/4 legs on each side and are coming indoors. They seem
to like light and crevices.
What can we use to get rid of the bugs without harming the
fish.
Thank you
Sue
(Added 3-2-05) —See
reply.
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...With all that said, I know it is quite
a lot of info., my problem now is with the string algae.
The pond is in the backyard and receives sunlight from
morning to night since my yard new and there are no established
trees and my house creates no shade for it. I physically
remove the algae from time to time, but is really becoming
a hassle. The UV light is doing its job and keeping the
water clear, and the filters keep the water free of dead
plant material and fish waste(I clean off the filters
twice a week with a hose), so what should I do now?
There is plenty of water movement, a
55 gallon drum full of biomaterial, UV light, aquatic
plants, physical filtration, and no "dead water"
areas in the pond. The only problem is the sun light.
I am not willing to install a shade cover and I have already
planted some trees to create shade, but they will not
be usefull for a few years yet to come. The pond has no
rocks on the bottom except for a clay 1' wide chimney
tube for the fish to shelter themselves from the sun as
well as any predators that may come along.( None so far,
knock on wood). I do not use fertilizers for my plants,
there is no runoff entering my pond, I don't overfeed
my fish; if anything I underfeed them, due to me living
alone and a hectic schedule. The only thing I can think
of is to medicate the water with some bio chemicals to
break down the string algae. Now here is the long overdue
questions.
#1. What is a good brand or type of
additive I can add and at what dosage for my size pond?
and #2. If there is something else I
am overlooking that can help, please let me know.
I have a tight budget so please do not
go overboard with high cost solutions, unless that is
the only way. I have tried and believe in the "all
natural" approach by using more plant material to
absorb excess nutrients, but frankly I have no more room
for them and it still does not work. All fish are extremely
healthy, as well as the plants, so I don't want to use
anything that may put either in danger.
Sorry about the novel I just wrote, but
I figure the more info you have, the better you can understand
the problem, and the easier it will be to come up with
a more defined solution to the problem. Thanks for your
time and I hope to hear from you soon.
-Patrick Svacha, Plainfield IL (Added
2-19-05) —See
reply.
- Help, I have a 1300
filtered Koi pond. This is the first year that I've had
so much algae during the winter. We keep the pond running
for the waterfall and another water feature. I have 5 small
fish and a big one, hopefully 4 little frogs and plants
wintering over.
Help and Thanks, Vee (Added
2-16-05) —See
reply.
- OK here is my question.my
dad is building me a pretty small fish pond in our back
yard. it is only going to be like 200 gallons. It will be
filtered. i just need to know how many golfish i can put
in there, and what kind or golfish should they be? Oh! and
also what kind of plants and how many of them!
Thank you so much!
kat (Added 2-14-05)
—See reply.
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