This forum deals with ponds which have been built mainly for koi similar to those featured on the KOI Cymru website. Even if you have not built your pond yet then your views are welcome. This is a chance to discuss your ideas and views with other koi-keepers. Please mention the country,and state or county,as in different parts of the World we have different methods and climate. If you are responding to a message already posted then please use the response button on the bottom of the message, and it will then appear as a subsiduary of that message and so easier for others to find.
A good site for health is KOIVET by Dr Erich L Johnson and it can be found at www.koivet.com
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Baby Koi
by John
Can anyone help me i have lots of baby Koi approx 12 weeks old and 20mm big when should they start displaying there final colours
Posted on Oct 12, 2005, 5:37 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
hi can anyone tell me where i can get hold of some koi flags of a desent size 5'*4' or somewhere near to that size i have a semi partial indoor pond and want to put them up on the walls to break up the bare walls
Posted on Oct 10, 2005, 9:42 PM from IP address 84.65.182.158
Koi Nobori are traditionally given to boys on My 5th to celebrate Boys Day. The gift of the Carp windsocks represents the young mans upstream struggle through life. Of course, the more the parents/grandparents spend on the Koi-nobori, the greater the success the child will have (a nice marketing ploy!!). Therefore small shops miraculously appear all over Japan in April selling boxes of these (including a number of variously sized Koi Nobori, a long mounting pole and lots of noisy things to go on top). Beleive me, some of these boxes cost thousands of pounds!! Most of the Koi Nobori sold are screen printed nylon and probably are made in their tens of thousands. The really nice ones are hand painted are are beautiful.(These are the really expensive ones!!).
They are certainly a stunning sight to see if you ever get the opportunity to visit Japan in May.
I brought a number back from Japan (I lived there for a couple of years) and my parents now use them as "line-litter" when flying their enormous kites at festivals throughout Europe.
As far as the little girls, they get dolls on March 3rd "Girls day" - Hina-matsuri (Doll Festival.) , which are usually limited to an Emporor and Empress and maybe a couple of servants (although the really rich get an entire Royal Household of up to 100 dolls). The Kimonos are up to 20 layers, all hand stitched and are works of art in themselves. Again, thousands of pounds may be spent.
Posted on Oct 11, 2005, 3:48 PM from IP address 88.110.14.165
thanks for your help guys i didnt know that is what they are called although i was thinking of something like a more traditional flag with a good quality pic of one of our jewels on and maybe a little bit of japanese text on one side i have seen these on ebay once and didnt take the opportunity then and i havent been lucky enough to find them since but thanks anyway much appreciate it i am looking into it
Posted on Oct 11, 2005, 7:19 PM from IP address 81.79.133.166
Adding a UV that is well over the top for you size of pond be harmful. My pond is 1500 gallons but i have the chance of a UV for a 3000 gallon pond. Should you take the manufactures guild lines for size or just go the next size up to be sure
Andy
Posted on Oct 10, 2005, 9:15 AM from IP address 62.69.46.44
This will not be a problem. I assume you are talking about a 30 watt unit.
In any case for large ponds you only have general sizes so use the one that is larger than what you need.
For a 4,000 gallon pond many people use a 55watt unit
Posted on Oct 10, 2005, 2:29 PM from IP address 86.128.124.147
Hi,I have a 5000 gallon pond and have a 55 watt uv but am changing it for a uv suitable for 15000 gallons because my pond is in full sun all day and my current unit can't cope. An oversized uv will also lower the bacteria level in the pond which has a benificial effect in that it will reduce any bad bacteria in the pond,your good bacteria in the filter will be unaffected.
Tony
Posted on Oct 10, 2005, 4:36 PM from IP address 81.158.40.115
Hi folks I,m building a waterfall at present and want to know how to test the stone and slate I,m using to see if its safe, also must I divert some of the output from my pump away from the turbocleaner as it seems to be too powerfull, can there be too much flow, thanks.
Posted on Oct 7, 2005, 9:28 PM from IP address 213.116.40.234
NO expert but I read somewhere that you can chip a piece of waterever off then boil it in some water. Then after the water cools to say room temp. Put an experimental fish in it and see if it survives. The fish should be one that is very "delicate" like a canary in a mine. Boiling the water concentrates whatever might be coming out of the stone in it. Like I said, I read it somewhere so I don't know how accurate this is but seems logical.
Posted on Oct 7, 2005, 11:00 PM from IP address 170.109.248.2
Do you know the origin of the stone? If so you may be able to find chemical break downs via web searches or if possible ask the quarry. Quite a bit of my rock seems to contain some iron ore and I also have pebbles of flint, granite and probably some chalk, so far no problem. The geology department of the nearest university might also be able to help if you ask nicely.
The only one I have seen questioned so far is a 'slate', that was on a US board and "slate" probably isnt slate of the type that comes from Wales etc, that contained yellow flakes thought to be iron pyrties?? and there was a question about it releasing sulphur, I dont know the out come.
Proper "ores" are probably best avoided.
Posted on Oct 8, 2005, 1:18 PM from IP address 81.79.214.134
Slate is fine for ponds in fact it is not uncommon to find water tanks made from slate,Slate can contain impurites such as iron pirites but theu will not leach out hope this helps
Posted on Oct 8, 2005, 2:19 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
My brother in law and I have been having a disagreement about oxygen in the filter. We have two different reference books which tell him one thing and me another. The debate is based on where to place oxygen within the filter; should it be placed in the transfer ports or in the media chambers themselves? Would be interested to hear comments. Thanks - John
Posted on Oct 2, 2005, 8:04 PM from IP address 81.131.222.114
I have mine in the transport section, I was told that it was the best place to put them. It stops the sediment from being disturbed and sent back to the pond. I believe that some keepers will put oxygen directly into K1 but it has to be safely contained and backflushed in a special way.
Hope this helps.
Posted on Oct 3, 2005, 11:26 AM from IP address 80.176.91.232
If you have transfer ports then that is the best place to put the air stones, but many filters do not have transfer ports especially vortex filter units.
If you have Japanese matting or Kaldnes K1 as the media then you should have the air coming from under the media. This is usually done with a ring of plastic pipe with small holes drilled in it.
Posted on Oct 3, 2005, 4:43 PM from IP address 86.128.124.147
I am going to build an indoor pond and was wondering if I can use radiant heating embedded in the concrete to heat the pond. I'll be building an outdoor pond as well and the temperatures freeze during the winter. The heating tubes will be thermostat controlled just for the pond only for protection and not cooked fish.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ron
Posted on Oct 7, 2005, 2:48 AM from IP address 69.227.21.139
a/ What happens if the parts embedded in the walls fail for any reason ?
How will you access it to repair/replace ?
b/ Why waste energy heating the walls rather than the water itself ?
It is possible to use some form of rigid foam insulation under say a buytl liner or fibreglass finish to insulate the water from the pond wall.
c/ Would a heater embedded in the wall affect whatever type of liner you propose to use ?
Does say PVC, butyl, fibregalss degrade with a heater right under it ?
Of course if you manage to get your idea to work then please post some details & pictures.
Good luck
Paul
Posted on Oct 7, 2005, 9:15 AM from IP address 135.196.99.93
Actually I am going to use Pex tubing and embed them into the floor (I am not going to have any in the walls). Once the concrete bottom is heated, the earth will be warm for about a foot deep and the concrete will be about the same temperature and the tubes, as for heat there is no wasted energy as heat rises and cannot go any deeper. I may use a foam insulation, just haven't decided yet.
This is from radiant floor heating like in homes and they lasf for years. The Pex can expand or stretch 3 times it's size so failure of the tube shouldn't happen. As for Radiant floor heating, it's supposed to be very energy efficient. Do a web search on radiant heating and it'll explain in better depth.
As for the liner, I plan to use Hetch rubber sealer (paint-on), a good point I didn't think of and will ask the Mfg. of the sealer.
I'll definately take photos and details of my project when it gets started.
Ron
Posted on Oct 7, 2005, 2:46 PM from IP address 69.227.21.139
hi all, ive just about finished my 3500 gallon koi pond ( another 3 weeks) but will it be too late to put fish in?i,ll also have to wait a while till my filter matures so your looking at nlate november
Posted on Oct 2, 2005, 6:15 AM from IP address 62.255.32.14
If your ponds heated then it should be ok to move fish late in the year. If its not heated then its not worth the risk (and cost) as theres a fair chance moving the fish in cold weather could increase their chance of catching something (and they probably will), as the koi's immune system is at its lowest but parasites etc are still active. Also if the pond isnt heated then the filters wont mature, as the bacteria needed to break ammonia and nitrite down are dorment at these low temperatures. hope this helps.
Posted on Oct 3, 2005, 5:19 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
i've just completed my pond (took a while) when i switched on the pump the quartz sleeve in the uv positoned directly after the pump broke could the pressure of the pump cracked it?
Posted on Oct 5, 2005, 10:16 PM from IP address 81.153.11.36
The quick answer is no.
You do not state the size of your pond or the size of the UV.
Assuming it is 30 or 55 watt then you can pump large amounts through the unit without fear of damaging the quartz tube.
The failure probably happened during transit from the shop, or was damaged during installation. One has to be very care when removing and replacing the quartz tubes as they do fracture quite easily.
Posted on Oct 6, 2005, 10:51 AM from IP address 86.128.124.147
Hi Alfie,
The comment was not aimed at you, but I think a lot of people do not realise how useful the Search facility can be and I was just pointing this out.
Posted on Oct 6, 2005, 4:20 PM from IP address 86.128.124.147
i have been feeding my fish on wheat germ for the last couple of weeks i am going on holiday in early November for three weeks if i stop feeding them would that be OK or shall i get my son to feed them while i am on holiday.
any advice would be helpful kind regards Alfie
Posted on Oct 4, 2005, 7:06 PM from IP address 80.195.204.227
Several koi-keepers are asking about feeding koi in the winter months and I think a repeat of a message posted by Alan in January is well worth repeating again and I have added it below.
When asking questions it is a good idea to use the Search facility on the Forum as this will list all similar questions and their answers, and may even answer other questions you may have.
Posted 8th January 2005 by Alan.
With temperatures hovering around the 46oF mark, if you haven't already done so, now is the time to stop feeding your koi. Here are two good reasons why this is necessary:-
1. Food moves very slowly through the digestive tract in cold water and there is a danger that it can start rotting inside the fish. Sounds like bad news to me!
2. At low temperatures, many foods actually cause the Koi to use more energy to consume it than they can extract from it. What a waste of energy!
Now is the time when our Koi make use of the "reserves" they built up during the previous three seasons. If all went to plan, they built up enough of these "reserves" to last until the Spring when warmer water and a decent wheatgerm diet help them regain some of the lost weight.
Don't make the mistake, as I did for the first 6-7 years, of thinking that a bit of feeding during a mild spell will really be of any benefit to the koi either. It's too late to build up weight now and they must survive with what they have.
If this is your first winter with an un-heated pond, keep your water quality up, stop feeding and enjoy the quietest period in the Koi keeping year.
Posted on Oct 6, 2005, 12:00 PM from IP address 86.128.124.147
i have a 2000gal pond with no heater so i will be turning of my waterfall during the winter so the water is not cooled too much( as been advised in prev messages) i will be re-directing the water from the w/fall outlet into solvet weld pipe which will be positioned into the lower half of the pond which will enable me to leave my filteration and pump running. my question is as the waterfall is no longer running will there be anough oxygen for my koi. i have no air pump in the filters.
Posted on Oct 3, 2005, 12:44 PM from IP address 80.42.36.231
Although like you say there wont be a waterfall to add air into the water for the koi, because of the cold weather it shouldnt be a problem. Especially as the water is still circulating. In colder weather its very hard for the fish to run out of oxygen in the water, more of a summer problem lack of oxygen. You could always add an air pump, for more circulation if you wanted, it will also keep the top of the pond from icing over in bad weather. But dont put it on the bottom, about a foot from the pond floor. But i wouldnt think you'll need it really. hope this helps.
Posted on Oct 3, 2005, 5:09 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
thanks adam for the advice. is it advisable to leave the filteration running throughout winter. also is it ok to leave the uv on or could the cold weather crack the quartz. i inherited my pond when i moved into the house 9 mths ago and the previous owner turned off the pump and uv from oct-march as he said it was not needed through the winter months. any advice much appreciated as i am still a novice.
Posted on Oct 5, 2005, 9:00 AM from IP address 80.42.40.127
I would leave the pump and filter on, and aslong as the pump is running then the UV wont crack. Although you could turn it off, the running cost of a UV isnt much. And the Bulb would still need replacing next year. Even though the bacteria in the filter will die off there will still be debri in the pond which if left to rot on the pond floor could produce problems so its best to filter this out. There will be less waste than in summer so probably clean the filters every 2 weeks, or whenever they need it really. That shoudl keep this fish healthy enough over winter and if they look hungry then i would feed them, but only wheatgerm as they cant digest high protein in cold weather. And when the temperature starts to pick up in spring time keep an eye out for problems with the koi, fungus, dropsy etc as this is when they are most succeptabe to illness. Good Luck
Posted on Oct 5, 2005, 1:59 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
Our original 'plastic pond' has 4 goldfish living there along with 3 koi awaiting their new home to be completed (3500 gallon proper koi pond).
The only female goldfish is exhibiting some strange (and potentially fatal) behaviour. If anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful as I would hate to lose any fish, koi or otherwise.
The small pond has a plant shelf around the perimeter. There are no plants on this shelf, just a water lilly to one side of the main pond. This goldfish lost all of its colour a year or so ago and is now a silvery pink. Yesterday I noticed it lying on its side in the plant shelf, seemingly lifeless. On closer inspection it was still breathing and I gently eased it back into the pond. It didn't need much encouragement and I got soaked in the process as it thrashed and swam back into the main pond.
I thought all was well again and it had just got stranded as the water level had dropped a bit. Unfortunately this wasn't the case as it repeatedly returns to the plant shelf and then back to the main pond. It's now a constant cycle. It end up in different parts of the shelf seemingly at random. When it moves back into the main pond it swims very fast arond the pond for a few minutes and the seems to hang by its tail for a few seconds before returning to the shelf again.
All of this is taking its toll on the fish as it thrashes its tail against the pond to move out of the shallow plant shelf and to return to the pond.
It survived last night but this odd behaviour continues this morning. I have treated the entire pond with MelaFix (natural antibiotic treatment) as a safeguard against infection although there are no obvious open wounds as yet.
I think there may be a problem with the swim bladder but why not just rest on the bottom of the pond instead of trying to isolate itself on the shelf?
I'd be grateful for any ideas!
Many thanks!
Adrian
Posted on Sep 25, 2005, 5:05 PM from IP address 82.32.152.125
hi, i would say its possibly a swim bladder problem aswell, and the goldfish i have had with swim bladder problems have tended to float and be unable to reach the bottom. If this is the case then isolating the fish and stop feeding it for a few days should help, as sometimes the swim bladder is compressed by the stomach of a fish which has over eaten. Hope this helps
Posted on Sep 25, 2005, 6:52 PM from IP address 82.38.197.142
I had a shubunkin once with a swimbladder problem ... it was fine when it was swimming but, as soon as it stopped, would end up in any position other than upright.
I read up on it at the time and I think it was generally thought to be a difficult thing to sort out. Somewhere it was suggested that the fish should be 'wedged' between two solid structures of some kind, for a few days, but achieving that is another matter!
Anyway, I couldn't sort the problem and fish eventually died. Hope you have more luck!
Posted on Sep 26, 2005, 11:24 AM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Thinking about this further, I wonder whether it actually is a swimbladder problem. I have just a remembered a young koi who, last year, kept seeking the shallowest part of the pond and remaining there, on its side.
I'm not sure how long your goldfish has been doing this but, after a few days, I managed to get this koi out and and isolate it. It actually turned out to be very sick and eventually died. This wasn't a swimbladder problem and I never did find out what was wrong.
I have numerous goldfish who have lost their colour and they are fine. I think that is probably just a coincidence.
All the best.
Posted on Sep 26, 2005, 1:23 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
I don't know if it is a positive sign of improvement but the goldfish appears to be spending a little less time on the edge and more in the pond although still having difficulties maintaining an even keel.
Perhaps the MelaFix is having a beneficial effect. I still don't hold out much hope for her though. I have been reluctant to isolate so far as we don't have a great deal of room available whilst we complete the new pond and in an isolation tank there would be no shallow resting place for her, this does seem to offer some relief for whatever reason.
I'm sure you are right about the loss of colour being a coincidence. Never did find a cause for that either!
Thansk again for your responses. I do appreciate them!
Adrian
Posted on Sep 26, 2005, 7:51 PM from IP address 82.32.152.125
if koi have been in a small pond for some time is there growth rate stunted . if taken out into a bigger pond will there growth rate increase or or stop the same size any info would be wellcome. kind regards Alfie
Posted on Sep 25, 2005, 5:21 PM from IP address 82.36.232.244
I think the general consensus is that the bigger the pond, the bigger the fish. I think a larger pond does help but, in my experience, hasn't made much of a difference.
Before changing to our very large pond, we had 2 koi in an 8 x 8 x 4 pond and they just grew and grew and grew! I also know of someone with a 6 x 6 x 3 pond, with just 1 koi, and it probably is the largest koi I've ever seen in a garden pond.
Obviously, it's better for koi to have space and depth but it doesn't seem to make alot of difference to their growth, not in my humble experience anyway!
Posted on Sep 26, 2005, 11:29 AM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Koi grow to the size of their environment as do all fish in Tanks or external environments. There may be some rare cases which go against this general rule.
As for being stunted, as soon as the Koi are placed into a larger environment they will grow - they are not permanently stunted unless they smoke cigarettes in their teenage years.
Posted on Sep 27, 2005, 12:25 PM from IP address 62.24.171.117
hello .I tend to agree with Sue .I have just bought a fish from a friend ,the fish is six years old ,lenth is 66cm and she weighs 4.5kg .His pond is only 5000L and he has got 8 fair size fish in it.
I was also told ,bigger the pond bigger the fish ,so i built a 11200L pond .
What i have noticed is that I have acheived more rapid growth rates than he has.Example in Jan this year I bought some baby koi +-8cm long I put 7 into my pond and 3 in his .4 of my koi had grown to 25cm,1 to 32cm by the end of June ,where as his at the same time where only measuring 14cm.We then tried to find out more on this ,
a lot of the research all seemed to lead to the following
1)genes of the fish
2)quality of the water
3)quality of the food(food hi in protiens,live foods ect.)
4)smaller amounts of food ,but fed 3 to 4 times a day
5)high levels of oxcygen in the water.
6) under stocking a pond ,(which as most koi keepers can agree with me is very difficult.)
hope this helps or adds to the debate
shaneA(South Africa)
Posted on Sep 28, 2005, 1:21 PM from IP address 196.25.255.242
A close friend of ours had a few ghosties in a small garden pond, they had had them from a few inches, at 15yrs of age and about 18 inches, they went into a 5.000gal. heated pond, in two years they had all grown, the largest reaching 26inches. In our own experience, we brought a doitsu hariwake at a koi auction, dont know her age, but measured 22ins. and very rugby ball shape, now 6yrs later shes 28ins. perfect body shape and never been beaten at a show in her class and was in fact was best doitsu at Worthing BKKS 2005.
Regards
Dee
Posted on Sep 30, 2005, 9:27 AM from IP address 84.13.8.190
Hello. We are moving on the 21st October and have one large red,black and white(sanke)koi carp to find a new home for. He has lived in our small garden pond along with some smaller ghost koi and goldfish for almost 4 years. He is a lovely fish and I would guess he is around 24 inches long. We will consider any offers for him as we cannot leave him as our buyers are planning to demolish the pond! If anybody is interested, I am able to e mail some photos. Many thanks.
Posted on Sep 23, 2005, 5:31 PM from IP address 86.128.103.106
hi i am interested i have been after a good sized sanke but havent found any that is what i want at the right price if you can mail me a pic and let me know what sort of money you are looking for it my e-mail is melg@spice7501.freeserve.co.uk where are you based thanks jason
Posted on Sep 23, 2005, 9:54 PM from IP address 84.68.140.133
Hello.I've just comissioned a new pond,quite large(8000gls).Water quality is now stable & the koi guinea pigs(4) are all fine.New members are welcome,cost is a secondary concern,please contact me either email or 'phone 07973 555559.
Thanks,Bobd.
Posted on Sep 23, 2005, 10:50 PM from IP address 212.100.250.214
We are open to offers, we paid £280 from the koi warehouse in cardiff, not looking to get our money back, but a good offer will do, also got 2 ghost koi approx 8ins to rehome, the goldfish can be taken also if required, but i think a neighbour will take them if there is no interest. We are in Port Talbot, S.Wales
Posted on Sep 27, 2005, 2:34 PM from IP address 86.139.7.172
Having just read a thread on Shows/Events reminded me of a experience I had at the last BKKS Show in Kent.
Before attending this show with the family last bank holiday weekend I said in the car on the way there to whoever was listening that under no circumstances were we going to buy any Koi at the show as I had read a lot of bad reports about doing this.
Obviously, no one had listened to me!! and we came away with two Usturis, can't deny that they were beautiful. I did however, take the precaution of asking the agent before he bagged the fish whether there was anything I should be aware of concerning these fish, how long they had been in the country, have they been treated, was there anything wrong.
I was assured that the fish were ok and should I have any problems with my pond to let him know and he would be around straight away.
Unfortunately to compound this error in judgement, we did not QT before putting them in the pond. Well the fishes came with baggage, to this day we are not sure what! I had to call out my regular suppliers four days later to treat my pond as my Tancho had become pink and the other Koi did not look so good.
In went the PP, followed by Formulin & Mal a couple of days later. I phoned the Agent who had supplied the Koi in the first place, he didn't want to know. This is a lesson learnt the hard way by my husband, it could have been so much worse (KHV) be very careful where you get your fish and who you are dealing with.
Glad to say my pond is nearly back to normal. We will now be QTing and treating every Koi before putting them in with the rest, the risk is too great. I have also reported this Agent to the Show's Chairman it remains to be seen whether anything is done.
Shazz
Posted on Sep 14, 2005, 5:12 PM from IP address 80.176.91.232
It is up to the dealers to ensure that their fish are of the highest health standards. In the present climate where, KHV or white spot for example can kill, a dealer must take precautions against spreading unneccesary diseases.
As I see from this website there are a lot of people taking up the hobby for the very first time, there is a lot of inexperience and a lot of learning to be done, some have not got the budget or the facilities to go out and a build a qt pond straight away enough money would have been spent on the build, some people are unaware that they've got to quarantine in the first place. They build their pond now they want to fill it with KOI
They like me have to gradually improve on what we have got to get things right. Therefore we do expect to buy health KOI and the marketplace must cater for this need.
Read the latest Koi Ponds & Gardens where there is an article about KHV and the responsibility of the industry.
How many times have you read about a new koi keeper giving up in frustration because all his Koi keep on dying? It's easy for you to say "To be honest I can't see where the dealer is at fault, you should ALWAYS QT your koi, it's standard practice" sure it is but not all NEW koi keepers are born with this knowledge.
If dealers do not buck up their ideas, they will surely kill off this industry slowing, no customers no money!!!
Posted on Sep 16, 2005, 10:26 AM from IP address 80.176.91.232
AND another thing, When I pay upward from £150 for a Koi I do not expect it to be sick!!!! Neither would anyone else, we're not talking about Goldfish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on Sep 16, 2005, 10:43 AM from IP address 80.176.91.232
I don't agree. It's up to us, the purchasers, to quarantine any new fish.
If they had looked or appeared sick, you wouldn't have bought them. They obviously appeared absolutely fine to you and, therefore, to the dealer also. I bought 2 stunning koi, a couple of months ago and, as you say, these too came with alot of 'baggage'. I didn't quarantine them and so paid the price.
It was MY fault for not quarantining them! I won't do it again!
Sue
Posted on Sep 18, 2005, 9:50 AM from IP address 195.93.21.38
The trouble is, your new fish may have been perfectly healthy but carriers of pathogoens your existing Koi had never been exposed too hence the problems. Therefore, I am not entirely sure quarantining would have helped here anyway and you could have just as easily delayed the problems by a month or two if my conclusion is correct.
The purpose of quarantine is to make sure your new fish don't harbour disease and to gradualy introduce them to your pond water. If they go through quarantine perfectly OK, its still entirely possible that problems will crop up when introducing them to an existing collection of course.
Quarantine is not the be all and end all people like to pretend it is and many fish die due to inadequate quarantine facilities which actually have to be even better and far cleaner systems than our standard koi pond.
Buying from one reputable dealer is the best advice. All the fish are then used to the same environmental conditions and your new and old fish are less likely to be exposed to something nasty.
Two dealers spring to mind: Koi UK and Yumi Koi. Both high end dealers with solid reputations, a genuine love of Koi and the hobby in general and very freindly and helpful chaps too. I bought a nice Momotaro Tancho from Koi UK this summer and he is doing very well indeed.
Alan.
Posted on Sep 23, 2005, 3:14 PM from IP address 213.120.101.21
Thanks for that Alan. Still having problems, had to double the dose of PP last Friday, but still found a live fluke Saturday Evening, persistant little B**gers. My guy is coming around tonight to take another scrape, and if needs be to dip them individually. As I've said a lession learnt the hard way!!!!!
Posted on Sep 27, 2005, 5:24 PM from IP address 80.176.91.232
I think by 6ft of head you mean the BD is 6ft under the surface.
Assuming this to be correct the "head" you are concerned about is the difference between the water level in the pond and water ever the BD feeds, the actual depth of the BD is irrelevant.
You also need to look at the length of the pipe and the number and angle of any bends.
To give you some idea, going from the flow chart of my aquamax 10000 I am shifting somewhere around 1660UKgph through my 4" plumbing, the feed is 33ft or thereabouts long with 2 90deg elbow so the effective pipe length is about 57ft. The level difference driving this flow is 1/2" or thereabouts, this is 'measured' in a sight glass and the level isnt stable so 1/2" is an estimated average.
If you do in fact mean that the surface in whatever the 4" discharges into will be 6ft below pond level then assuming you dont have miles of pipe the flow will be astronomical.
Have a look at http://www.mdminc.com/Friction_Loss_Chart.htm that lists the headloss developed per 100ft of pipe for american pipe and in US gph, divide the flowrates by 1.2 to get UK gph. It will serve to give you approximations. As you may see, if you had a 100ft long feed then a 6ft drop between the pond and whatever would pass well over 20,000UK gph
Posted on Sep 21, 2005, 11:12 AM from IP address 84.68.180.165
the answer sean is in your first paragraph.from my bd there is a12 foot run into a90 degree swept bendthen a4foot verticle rise into my nexus .this 4foot vert run is where i want to t off so i can add additional filteration at a later date thanks in advance, ron.
Posted on Sep 21, 2005, 9:54 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Over the past couple of weeks we have seen quite an amount of algae growth on the walls of the pond. This seems to be a common problem as the local koi suppliers have this, to a certain extent on their outdoor ponds.
What can be done to keep this to a minimum? Brushing the walls releases much of this into the water where it can be filtered out (over a day or so) before it settles to the bottom.But can this be harmfull to the fish? Is there any aditive that actually works (From reading the magazines, the additives to get rid of blanket weed are not very effective) or just invest in a pondvac and clean the pond regularly?
The general water clarity is good. A little tainted in colour, but I put that down to the plants and soil (lilies and floating oxygenators) in the pond.
Mosaic tiles still to be fixed in place and wall to be painted. The plants will eventually grow to touch the water. Filter box in position but hoses to be tidied (Stainless water feature is very recent).
Posted on Sep 13, 2005, 1:47 PM from IP address 88.110.243.54
Steve, a growth of algae on anything in the pond is normal. If you just have what's termed a short green baize then that's OK. Of course if you have very long & fast growing blanket weed then that's different & you need to decide how you want to try & treat it.
If it's short baize then I'd leave it alone, if not then chemicals may be the answer.
Don't forget that food/fish waste & sunlight all make the green stuff grow faster.
Paul
Posted on Sep 15, 2005, 12:32 PM from IP address 135.196.99.93
