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A; or...HELP! Do you have a question
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We will do our very best to answer it.
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- ...My question, now that the
pond has frozen over and the temperatures have remained so cold for a prolonged
period, will my fish survive and what do I need to do if they do survive, the
temperatures start to warm up and now even though they survived are going to stress
and possibly get sick on me. (Added 2-23-08) —See
reply.
- .... I recently
bought a vacuum (suction) cleaner with the intent to clean the silt that has accumulated,
but I'm not sure how it will work with all those roots and shoots. I should clean
the silt off the bottom, right? And I should clean the dead plant life out of
the pond too, right? Is now (January) a good time or should I wait til it warms?
Will I disturb the frogs and fish? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. (Added
1-21-08) —See reply.
- I installed a 1350 gallon pond
this year. It is 3 feet at the deepest, but averages 20". I purchased 6 Koi in
April and they did great all year long (approx 7 months) as did the turtle. They
grew from 2-3" to around 7-8". Within a 24 hr period, all 6 died with what seemed
no reason. The best the local nursery said was maybe it could have been stress
from an animal or something. They said maybe put in a place for them to hide.
Water temp at the time was probably under 55F. There was also a frog (I never
seen all year) that also survived. (Added 1-21-08)
—See reply.
- we have a koi pond and it developed a leak so we thought
it would be a good time to build a bog system. We are interested in making a bog
filtration system for it. what websites do you recommend to get this info.from.
We live in hot AZ. - would a bog system be good in this type of climate?
(Added 1-21-08) —See
reply.
- I have a about
a 700 gallon pond that i put i this year. I have 3 Koi that are are approx. 8
to 9 inches and 4 that are approx. 5 to 6 inches I brought tham inside this winter
because i can't stand not to see them every day. I have 2 - 50 gallon tanks and
seperated the large ones from the smaller ones.They all are flourishing very well
always hungry and following me where ever I go. But today I noticed the small
ones laying or resting on the bottom alot and trying to hide under the plants
in a very close group practically one top of one another. I was wondering if they
were mature enough to spawn? Because they still want to eat and follow me around
but not as much. (Added 1-21-08) —See
reply.
- At the present
time, I am maintaining many score of koi and comet-tails in seven 300-gallon tubs.
(Our 44,000- gallon outdoor pond is undergoing renovations by a pond service contractor
who is taking much too long to complete the work.) I am hopeful that we can re-introduce
the fish to the outdoor pond before much longer. My question is: generally, what
considerations should I observe if I undertake this re-introduction during winter?
I am also concerned about the possibility of maintaining so many fish until the
weather again warms up. The present water temperature in the tanks is 52-54 F;
pH, ammonium, and nitrite levels are stabilized; outdoor water temperature is
approximately 50 F and, of course, falling. Thank you for your help.
(Added 1-21-08) —See
reply.
- We have a
12X16X3 koi pond. Last year I kept a hole in the pond all winter but still lost
all the koi. All the goldfish managed to survive though. This year we brought
the fish into the basement and placed in a stock tank. We have an air stone and
1,000 gal filter running but have already lost 3 of the koi. We seemed to have
the problem start when I did a 30% water exchange. I did use a declorinator. Any
ideas as to what may be causing the fish to die? (Added
1-21-08) —See reply.
- please can you tell me if i should change
my koi fish food for winter or should i feed them wheat germ just before winter
starts and then stop feeding them (Added 1-21-08)
—See reply.
- Last week I awoke to find one of the fish in my pond
floating sideways. After further inspection I surmised that he must have died
over night. I inspected the fish for any signs of obvious problems. He had no
sores or scale problems. No markings from the Blue Heron since he does not frequent
our pond at this time of the year. Later in the day I took him to a local store
that sells koi to have the seller observe my fish. Again, he reaffirmed my findings
that the fish had no outer signs of possibly why the fish died. I used my test
kit to test the water for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and salt levels. Everything checked
out OK. I had added 25 cups of salt earlier in the week, equal amounts on Mon.,
Tues, and Weds. The salt level had been down but is OK now...
(Added 1-21-08) —See
reply.
- #1 I live
in Las Vegas ,NV so not bad winters but 115 degree days in summer, I have right
now an Aquadyne 60B Bio Bead filter a 40 watt UV and an external pump that is
rated for 2900 GPH,my pond is an Oval shape 12' x 9" x 2.5 feet deep, I have
5 large Koi and one Goldfish, I am going to expand my pond to 12' x21' x 4' deep,
should I use two 3" drains or would one 4" be enough?
#2
I know my pump will not be big enough and was wondering if I made my own settlement
tank out of a 55 gallon plastic drum and a bio filter out of another, would that
be enough filtration and what would be the best way to make them, my pond also
has a water fall, where in the system would I install my pump, can I use my existing
pump and get another pump as well or just go with one bigger pump that will handle
my pond
.#3 UV...I have a 40 watt UV plastic type is it big enough, does
all my water have to go through the UV? Thanks for your help.
(Added 1-21-08) —See
reply.
- Our KOI
are doing great. We now want to bring them in for the winter. How do we acclimatize
the move into the house? We have a 110 gal aquarium in the house. Do we need to
bring the temperatures close or can they go from the pond to the house in one
move. Our pond temperature is about 55 Fahrenheit. House is about 68 Fahrenheit.
(Added 1-21-08) —See
reply.
- Since we are new to the fish, koi and ponds can you tell
me how to be sure the fish we have are Koi or something else. We have been told
that the Koi have the long whiskers and if they don't have that they are not Koi.
Is this true? Where can we look to determine how to distinguish between a Koi
and a Gold Fish? We currently have 3 Shubunkin, 14 feeder fish and 2 Koi. Our
outside pond is about 1200 gallons of water with a waterfall. Is that a good number
of fish or too many for the size? (Added 9-1-07)
—See reply.
- We have a 2200 gallon pond, 6 feet deep with 10 Koi of
various sizes but none more than 3 yrs. old. We live by a lake and some of the
algae from the lake got into the pond via the irrigation system. we have since
resolved that issue.
3 months ago I emptied the pond completely, high
pressure cleaned, added new media and filter, uv tube and the algae came back
with in 1 month and is now quite abundant. we live in Florida and the pool is
in direct sunlight 8 hours a day.
i have used a limited amount of algaefix
not wanting to harm Koi. Any ideas? (Added 9-1-07)
—See reply.
- I have a very large indoor tank with very passive
and friendly fish. I want to add Koi to the family can they adapt to water temps
between 80 to 82 degrees. (Added 9-1-07) —See
reply.
- We put in a new
pond last summer. We had it cleaned out for the winter. Is it necessary to do
a total spring cleanout. ( taking the fish out, draining and cleaning the rocks)?
Our fish seem to be doing fine and I tested the water and it was fine.
(Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
- I have a outside
yard pond with 30 koi in it and only one 3-year-old goldfish. Last spring I was
watching the fish and noticed the gold fish spawning and the same day I saw a
koi fish spawning. We ended up with around 40 surviving fish. I now would like
to only have a koi pond. Since there were no other gold fish to fertilize the
gold fish eggs I know they were fertilized by a koi fish so are the fish goldfish
or koi?
(Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
- I left the water
in my pond through the winter. What is a good time to start cleaning the debris
out of the bottom of the pond and re-open it. (Added 6-15-07)
—See reply.
- ...inherited a pond pre-form ...approx 8 x 4 about
22 in deep the max....Had 2 test koi which did really well up until the week we
froze solid.(15 DEGREES FOR A WEEK)..I had a deicer.. it was dubious to say the
least ..it pretty well froze or maybe they freaked when I tried to break the ice
with a rock...I knew about the 3 ft deep rule and now I know why.,,because I lost
my fish..do I scrap this pond ...which I would like to keep..or try a pond heater
or what. (Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
-
...Our Koi this spring are flashing. They began flashing in the fall. We treated
with Proform C for 3 days in the fall. We treated again just this past week on
the 2 warmer days, when, the water temp. was in the 50's. They still are flashing,
and, we noticed some have bloody streaking in the tails. How can we get rid of
the parasites, and, clear up the tails?... (Added 6-15-07)
—See reply.
- I live just
north of Grand Rapids Michigan & would like to build a large koi pond &
waterfall. I want to landscape around it w/ plants trees & bushes. I've looked
into pond liners but worry the tree roots will puncture it. Can I build a pond
with concrete or mortar? I would appreciate your advice on the pros & cons
on this project. (Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
- We
live in Colorado and put a 1000 gallon lined pond in last spring. We have 4 koi,
and were told by the garden shop that we needed to put in a de-icer that floats
at the top and keeps a hole in the ice. No one of course mentioned turning our
waterfall off, and we woke up yesterday to the exact scene you described in another
post - an empty pond and sad fish in the bottom.
We didn't know what
to do, so we filled a 55 gallon tank, stress-coated the water and transferred
the fish (not big - 4 inches each maybe) and some pond plants. They seem to be
doing ok, but we don't know what to do next; do we keep them indoors (how best
to care for them?), or, as we have refilled the pond, do we treat the pond water,
cool the fishes back down to pretty chilly, and put them back outside with a tarp
and heater? We want to stress them the least, given the circumstances.
(Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
- 1) Have
you ever experienced a sudden pond collapse/loss of water? If so, please tell
us your tale, and how you coped with it.
2) What causes ponds to suddenly
collapse and/or lose water (i.e. washouts, leaks, and seam failures)?
3) What can be done when building ponds to minimize the chance for collapse?
4) What can be done to reinforce existing ponds?
5) What 'clues'
does a pond provide prior to failing?
6) What facilities should you have
on hand for rescuing your fish, before a collapse occurs?
7) What are
the major mistakes people make in transferring their rescued koi to a new holding
tank? How should such a tank be prepared? (Added
6-15-07) —See reply.
- My
goldfish pond is in North Carolina. This is my first Winter with it. I stopped
feeding the first week of December when it got cold and the fish went to the bottom.
Now we are having a warm week. The fish seem to want food. Should I give them
some, until it gets cold again, or, once you stop, is it better to not resume
feeding until Spring? (Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
- Last spring/summer,
we went to Sid's Greenhouse to make our annual purchase of water hyacinths. They
had a very poor selection and at the suggestion of their staff, waited a few weeks
until they got in a new shipment. We eventually did purchase a few sprigs which
never grew or multiplied over the summer. Usually, we have to take 1/2 of our
hyacinths out of our pond to even see our Koi. Any clue why they didn't grow last
summer? (Added 6-15-07) —See
reply.
- We live in the
country and I have an old cement livestock tank that I am using for a fish pond.
The pond is 1000 Gal, about 3 feet deep, round, and is about ½ above ground.
I have had this as a pond for about 10 years.
Every winter we cover
the pond with an insulated plywood cover and put in a tank heater. Most winters
we lose our koi. The goldfish seem to survive. What can we do differently? Should
we keep our filter pump running all winter? And change the level of the flow of
water? (I have read that circulating the water will bring the warmer water up
to the top and the colder water down) We thought about putting bales of straw
around the tank and on top of the cover. Does it need to be kept warmer for the
Koi?
I trim back the plants that I have and drop the pots to the bottom
for the winter. Do you have any experience with this type of tank/pond and how
we can manage it? I have mainly been doing things by trial and error but have
had fun watching the pond and working with it. Are there any specific articles
to read that would be helpful for me? (Added 6-15-07)
—See reply.
- We live in Michigan and like most, built our pond
way too small. I have three wonderful koi, each about 7" long - they're like
little kids and eat out of my fingers - there's also 5 babies. Here's my problem,
the pond is only about 16" deep. If I remove the rocks from the bottom I
will probably get another 5". I have been told that it would be better to
leave the koi in their existing home but am afraid that it might freeze. The pond
is about 4' x 4' - about 100+ gallons I suppose. If we install a pond de-icer
and a greenhouse type of structure over the top and disconnect the biofilter will
they be okay. Do I also need to run some form of aeration, airstone or pump in
addition to the de-icer OR should I set up a 100 gal horse trough and bring them
into the garage which will stay around 25-30 throughout the winter. If I do that
will I have to run filters, aeration, etc. Since this is already September and
the weather is getting cold at night, I need to make plans now rather than later.
It will break my heart if I lose them because they froze to death when I could
have saved them by taking other steps.
Question two - I want to expand
my pond - can I do it with my fish in the existing pond and join the two via a
channel type of system and run two biofilters - one in each pond? I want to make
the new pond at least 3' deep.
(Added 6-15-07)
—See reply.
- ...We have 3 larger Cois that we have brought home
from our cottage in Northern Michigan. It is our second year keeping them in an
Auquarium in our home over the winter, they cause a terrible odor in our home...
(Added 10-31-06) —See
reply.
- ...However, we
now have a visitor that is new to us. We have researched this little snot and
found out that we have a Little Blue Heron visiting. (Added
9-24-06) —See reply.
- ... Here
is where I need your help. The winters in the midwest... Do I spend the money
to heat the water? inline heater? de-icers? It's all new to me. Or will they overwinter
okay? I'm just sick to think that they might freeze. My pond is only four feet
at the deepest part. Do I run the waterfall all winter or will it freeze solid.
It was really cold here last year. (Added 9-17-06)
—See reply.
- ... It is
in full sun around 9 hours a day and has 7 water lilies 12 oxygenators and 4 other
plants. When we first put the pond in it had 7 koi fish and the water was clear
with green rocks on the bottom looked great, then we got 20 more koi 3 days later
the water started turning green now we can only see down 3 " MAYBE...(Added
9-17-06) —See reply.
- I
have tried to make a filter myself but I have run into a leaking problem, my Mom
told me just buy one....but I am not sure about the gph. My pump that I have is
a cal pump PW4500 that runs 4500 gph so that mean that I need a filter that runs
4500 gph. I am confused because the bio filter that is to go with this pump only
runs 2000 gph. Does that mean that I can use any bio filter of my choice that
runs 2000 gph? It just does not sense to me. I am having a problem with green
water and I know that bio filter will most likely be the answer to my water problems.
(Added 9-17-06) —See
reply.
- Early
this week our pond started to get very murky, almost tea colored. Can you recommend
a method or product to use to clear it again? (Added
9-17-06) —See reply.
- My wife bought me a UV filter
for our 3000 gal pond with the hope it would kill the algae. It looks like it
would be difficult to plumb into my Biofalls filter system. Is it worth the trouble
and would it, in fact, even kill off the algae and help keep my pond cleaner.
Right now I have a pretty big algae problem. I've also tried large bales of barley
straw in the waterfall tub where the water enters the pond. Other than dying the
water a dark tea brown I'm not sure the barley straw is doing much. What are your
opinions of the UV filter and barley straw? (Added 6-22-06)
—See reply.
- I have a
question from MPKS member Carol B. . Her Koi fish have been changing colors the
last couple of years and she wanted to know what she can do to help prevent this.
This year, she had a 1 year old fish that was White with 3 Orange spots. The fish
lost all it's spots and is pure White now. She also had a 3 year old fish starting
late last year into this year, changing from Black to Gray. Also early last year
she had a 10 year old fish change from Orange,Black,and Red color to White and
Black. She has been feeding them Tetra Pond Sticks. She doesn't have a problem
with diseases and hasn't lost a fish in years. The water quality is good. The
pond is in full sun and the water is clear. Any suggestion would be helpful.
(Added 6-21-06) —See
reply.
- Over
the last 3 months (since the winter started) we have lost approximately 6 fish
to ulcers in their sides and top of head. We were told it was because we left
the pump on over the cold weather and therefore pushing cold water constantly
to the bottom of the tank - this was stressing the fish. Since the warmer weather
started we have treated the pump with an anti-bacterial treatment and also an
anti-ulcer treatment. We have a lot of lilies so the fish do get shade from them
but we have notices that during the past 3 weeks we have another 3 fish showing
signs of ulcers. We feed some flake (Tetra flake) for the smaller fish and some
pellets (also Tetra) for the larger fish. We also have a lot of blanket weed.
Do you have any suggestion as to what we can do or are doing wrong? We are getting
very desperate now. (Added 6-21-06) —See
reply.
- We
have enjoyed your many tips and advice through your web site. We hope that you
can help us with a decision on purchasing a UV sterilizer.
(Added 6-21-06) —See
reply.
- We
have a 3 year-old 3000 gal pond with plenty o' circulation. No ammonia, nitrate
problems, but pH was high, at 9, last week, which I attributed to the heavy rains
recently. We did our second 30% water changes of the season and saw the pH come
down to 8. we don't have many show quality koi, but our prized 12" sanke(of course,
the nicest, and only, one) lost a lot of color overnight. All colors faded considerably
overnight several days after a 30% water change. Is the fading related to the
pH levels, the water change, or something completely different? How do we maintain
proper pH in such a large pond? (Added 6-21-06) —See
reply.
- Our
family moved into a house w/ an enormous 17' x 22' steel pond in the backyard.
It hasn't been used for years and is rusty. We've scraped and sanded w/ a steel
brush and are now ready to paint. The trouble is, what type of paint to use that
will be friendly to aquatic [plant and animal] life? And do we need a primer?
(Added 6-21-06) —See
reply
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