Good suggestions from Kathy. I don't have a skimmer though. So I just
netted
the pond. Worked out fine. I didn't add snails... they just create a mess
of their
own.

Good Luck ...

Nedra in Missouri

Lotus Garden:
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118
Backyard Pond:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836

"Ka30P" wrote in message
...
Hi Rick,

Koi love snail snacks so if you end up with snails (they will sometimes
come in
as eggs on plants) they usually only hang out in the filter, save from
predation.

Your best bet for dealing with debris is the skimmer, followed by netting
the
pond to keep leaves out in the fall, trimming decaying plants and a yearly
cleaning.

When my garden was overrun with garden snails, we'd gather them up and
toss
them in to the pond for koi snacks. Once in a while a snail would land on
a
lily pad. The koi would cruise around the lily pads like sharks.If the
snail
was unlucky enough to stretch his head out over the edge, a splash and a
bite
and the snail would be gone. Cue the Theme from Jaws.


kathy :-)
3000 gallon pond
800 gallon frog bog
home of the watergardening labradors
zone 7 SE WA state