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  1. We have a 10x8 2.5 foot deep koi pond with 10 to 12 inch koi in it. Last year we took them in to a 55 gallon tank for the winter. This year we purchased a stock heater (used for water source for cattle) which will keep the water above 40. I was planning on covering the water with mylar to insulate a little better. Do you think they will survive? (Added 9-25-07) —See reply.


  2. ...Today, I was very surprised to see that one of the larger frogs had swallowed about half of one the goldfish. We quickly scooped up the frog with a net, and the goldfish popped out its mouth. We put them both back in the pond, and they both are swimming around with no ill effects that we can see. We are concerned about leaving this large frog in the pond because we don't know if this was a freak occurrence; or if this frog will try to eat the fish again. (Added 9-25-07) —See reply.


  3. We just had a 4500 gallon pond put in our back yard this summer, with waterfalls, a spitter and submersible pump. We are so very new to this wonderful koi hobby. We live in Illinois.

    We noticed the algae problem on the very warm days and I was instructed to use Pond Clear. There were no koi in the pond at this time (I'd already lost them).

    How can we properly operate our pond to insure that we can have healthy/happy koi? What equipment is needed, etc. (Added 9-25-07) —See reply.


  4. I am completing a modest sized pond, with a 40ml rubber liner. I have also lined the inside of the pond (to hide the liner) with these blocks I got from Home Depot, called rumble wall...a nice, large heavy rustic concrete block that looks great as I'm needing more of a formal look than a natural pond scheme.

    I was told that since these blocks are formed from concrete that I would have trouble keeping the PH balance because of the limestone in the concrete, and should have used some type of natural rock instead. I won't be putting any fish in there til next spring, but am wondering if it's gonna be a chore to keep this water balanced because of it. (Added 9-25-07) —See reply.

  5. My pond is 12 feet deep center and about 80 by 110 feet. Can I put either a Catfish or some other fish that will not harm my Koi in the pond?

    (Added 6-15-07) —See reply.


  6. I am a first year Koi owner having inherited a large Koi, about nine inches, and five smaller ones. I built a 6' by 9' pond, about 21/2 feet deep and now it is September here in Minnesota. I don't want to try to heat the pond but when do I transfer them indoors and what size tank do I get? It is getting down to a high of 50 here some days this week. (Added 9-25-07) —See reply.


  7. is it safe to put catfish into a rubber lined pond? is it advisable? what would be the advantages and disadvantages of having catfish in the pond? (Added 6-15-07) —See reply.



  8. ...There are many trees in the area and a weeping pine tree all of which, in the fall, causes major work on a daily basis to keep the pond clean. I would like to place pond netting, but it would be very difficult to remove and replace on a regular basis to remove the leaves. I assume that using a power blower to blow the leaves off the netting is probably not a good idea... (Added 9-25-07) —See reply.


  9. The plumbers connected a water source to our new pond. We have our own well, not city water, but the auto fill will be connected to our house soft water.

    Is this soft water a problem for the fish? We would have to drill an additional water line to connect direct to the well but would if the soft water is harmful to them. I thought since adding salt is good for fish and soft water has salt in it that would be alright but I want to make sure.

    Also if you know of any members with large show quality Koi that are needing to find a home for them we would be interested in looking at them for this pond. It will be at least 35,000 gal. (Added 9-1-07) —See reply.


  10. I built a pond outside and for the past two years when we clean the filters there are little red worms. Should I be concerned or is it normal. Also someone told me the frogs would eat baby fish. Is that true? (Added 9-1-07) —See reply.


  11. This past Fall I had a deeper pond dug and kept it full over the winter. I had a bubbler pump going 24/7 to stop the ice from forming completely over the pond. I am noticing what appears to be string algae on the rocks where I did not have any last Fall. I have heard that nitrites from the snow will cause algae to "bloom". Do I have to do anything "special" to avoid green water or will the natural process of getting the biofalls going again and natural growth of my pond plants take care of controlling algae in the "pond season" months? (Added 4-19-08) —See reply.

  12. Hi, I have a small 1,000 gal pond for over 15 yrs.I've always had great success. This is the first yr. I used a pond deicer. Well now I have lots of algae. Each spring I empty and clean out the pond to start fresh. Can I add algae fix to the water thats been in the pond all winter long? Or should I wait till I'm ready to clean it when nicer weather gets here, if it ever will. It may be too cold to get in there to change the filter for awhile. I put my hand in there today to grab some algae and I didnt last long! (Added 4-19-08) —See reply.

  13. ...Where I would like to place a bio-filter is after the Sequence pump and slightly hidden in a covered trench that contains the pump and therefore below pond water Ievel. So below water level I'm thinking that a pressurized filter is the way I have to go? I think I need bacteria to solve or counter this sludge problem? (Added 4-19-08) —See reply.

  14. ...This "survivor" fish has been healthy since December and is showing no signs of developing the ulcers again. My question is: is it safe to mix this fish with other koi? (Added 4-19-08) —See reply.


  15. ....The only time the pond is clear is when the temperature of the pond is <45F. At 50+ it becomes cloudy again. The green string algae forms in the upper falls in about 2-3 days. I tried using a fine prefilter and a finish filter which would become full of a brown colored mud like substance in 3-4 days. (Added 4-19-08)—See reply.


  16. My dad has a 15 X 8 15 inches deep pond in south east Texas (my pond is in Chicago). filtration includes a large skimmer w/ pads and bio balls, a large bio falls w/ ribbon material. He has a unusual type of algae. Wondering if you could help identify the type and if it will be a problem in the future? (Added 2-23-08) —See reply.


  17. Started the winter with four 4" comets and two 3" fantails. Now left with 2 comets. Orange comet has white fungus or something on his head. Other fish is white so who knows... (Added 2-23-08) —See reply.

  18. I'm enlarging my pond for the 4th time and moving it closer to the house. I have never had the Koi outside in the winter. This is going to be a large and fun project. I'm looking for all the info I can get to help to keep them safe outside all year long. (Added 2-23-08) —See reply.

  19. This morning my koi pond was empty. Then I found the two largest ones hiding under the bridge. The others (about 12) are all gone. There is no evidence of eaten or damaged fish, nothing at all, so could the thief still be a heron? I haven't seen one. I live in Cape Town, South Africa. (Added 2-23-08) —See reply.


  20. ...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.


  21. .... 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.


  22. 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.


  23. 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.


  24. 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.


  25. 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.


  26. 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.

  27. 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.


  28. 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.


  29. #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.


  30. 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.

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