Hi! We bought a house with a 5000 gallon koi pond.... They had this
huge box that they used as a filtration system and used 2 pool pumps
for the pond (one for the pond and one for that box) When the
previous owners came to get some fo their fish, they installed a
waterfall, cut off the big filter box and just left one pool pump
running. THey also had a trough in front of pond filled with gravel
and a pvc pipe running thru it. Over the summer that pool pump broke
so we bought a pump that linked to the waterfall and also bought a uvc
lamp to cut down on the algae. I am still having alot of problems
with algae.... I have to clean the pump and waterfall out several
times a week.

Since we did not like where the pond was located we decided to move
it. We are still in the process of doing that. My husband has been
looking at different ways of doing the pond. Like, in addition to the
waterfall and fountain adding a skimmer. We visited a farm up the
road and they use a system that had a separate part filled with pea
gravel and the bio filter. their water is crystal clear. From that
part (the gravel pool) they have a stream running to the pond, they
have lines that make a water fall with out extra skimmers.

Its hard for me to explain the system that this plan t famr used. It
was like they had the pond with streams leading to it that connected
to a gravel pit that looked like a little pool (with plants in it)
they also made waterfalls from hoses and it really lookedgood. and
like I said the water was clear.

Another question, until I can get a generator, the fish are basically
dormant in the winter, I heard we should keep the fountain going.
Where I live, we lose our electric alot in the winter, will the fish
be safe?

Should I be feeding them a special feed until the water temp hits 50
degrees? I hear so many different things I should be doing. Like,
don't feed them when the algae builds up, feed them 2 times a day.
Those damn fish hear me walk on the deck and they are swarming for
food...lol


thanks for any advice

sign up for rec.ponds.moderated where most everyone is these days since this group
has been trashed.

the gravel pits you see are a version/variation of a veggie filter. pea gravel is
fabulous for a biofilter but it clogs up and goes anaerobic (not good).
I use a pure veggie filter. just the plants, nothing else except a little bucket
filter around my pump to prevent clogging.
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/mypond.htm
others on the group have the flat beds like you have filled with plants and the water
is clear. I have a UV filter attached to an itty bitty pump and that keeps the water
clear when the plants arent up and booking.

veggie filters are easy to build, easy to maintain. I clean mine once a year when I
"winterize" my pond. at that time I pull some of my plants out to overwinter them in
the basement, the water celery I just trash as I do the flowering plants in hanging
baskets.

I dont know where you are located, how long winter is. I am in zone 5, very cold and
in the past the fish would be "down" without food for 6 months, Oct - April when the
water temp would be 55oF or lower. I too experienced electrical outages and freeze
ups. A cordless drill fitted with a 1" or larger spade bit would make an air hole
without concussing and killing the fish. In areas where it freezes for more than a
week at a time it is necessary to stop fountains since it cools the water too much.

HOWEVER, I decided 6-7 months was just too long for my koi and decided to construct a
frame to go over pond and use plastic set low to the pond to keep the heat in.
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/winters/winter.htm
my pond is 1.5 feet above ground so it is more difficult to keep warm, but the
plastic works very well to keep the surface of the pond liquid for most of the
winter, I do have an air blower and keep the pump in the bucket filter going, but
divert it away from the veggie filter. NEXT, I added a 500 watt titanium tank heater
and now the temp stays at or above 50oF all but one month of the winter. 50-55oF is
when their immune system is working. I do feed them a little bit every 2-3 days when
the water temp is 50 or better.

I am now finishing a greenhouse that will go over the pond so I can actually sit
outside in winter when the sun is bright and it will also help with a bit of heat
gain. the "lean too" over the pond will also be used.

healthy fish are hungry fish. normally they eat all day long, but itty bitty
amounts. their main food are itty bitty critters, proteins and fats, they are not
herbivores altho they do end up eating the algae the critters live on. I am now
feeding my fish freeze dried krill and daphnia. less more frequently is ideal, and
feed food from the water not land based food. 1 kg of freeze dried krill superba
from brineshrimpdirect has lasted me almost all summer, earlier I bought from
jehmco.com. I dont feed anything when the temp drops below 50o as the gut of fish
slows down so much that food in their gut will rot, not good. however, DONT be lured
into feeding "wheat germ" or cheerios as those are carbohydrates that arent digested
by the fish anyway and are good food for bacteria to work on. if you must feed, chop
up some raw shrimp and feed tiny amounts as the temp nears 50oF.

algae is one of those ying/yang things. on the one hand they use up wastes that
would tox the fish out so they are good at keeping ammonia down, OTOH, they make the
water murky and in summer can suck all the oxygen out of the pond killing the fish.
and not to mention that with pea soup you cant see how the fish are doing, pea soup
means your pond is not balanced. OTOH, pea soup is exactly what farmers use to feed
fry and young fish. it is perfect food for them, the itty bitty critters feed on the
bacteria living on the algae.

good luck, report back with progress. Ingrid


On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:10:58 -0700, wrote:
Its hard for me to explain the system that this plan t famr used. It
was like they had the pond with streams leading to it that connected
to a gravel pit that looked like a little pool (with plants in it)

Another question, until I can get a generator, the fish are basically
dormant in the winter, I heard we should keep the fountain going.
Where I live, we lose our electric alot in the winter, will the fish
be safe?

Should I be feeding them a special feed until the water temp hits 50
degrees? I hear so many different things I should be doing. Like,
don't feed them when the algae builds up, feed them 2 times a day.
Those damn fish hear me walk on the deck and they are swarming for
food...lol


thanks for any advice