***The Pond Discussion Thread****

Temps cooling - the larger two fish are in the habit of warming their old bones in the morning sun through the window when in spring and autumn.

The little ones are still in the eat everything and all seem to be doing well. The older two have cottoned on to the fact that if they are hungry then they need to make the effort to get to the food. Older koi over about 5y/o don't eat as much but when they do they hover it up. Given the rate of food consumption through the protein/whatgerm mix it will only be a couple of weeks before they end up on pure wheatgerm.

Pressing thing todo now is to get the tiling done. I should really pull my finger out and make the extended effort to get that done over the next couple of weeks plus get a skip to clear the old slabs, concrete etc etc.
 
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Just checked my pond after the storms and cold weather.

Noted my Showa sat on it's side at the bottom of the pond - all colours, red gills but clouded eyes and obviously it's passed away in the last day or two. :( It's the one I got in September :/

This was the Japanese one I added in September. It had grown nicely but I suspect it may have lost it in the storm - even though my pond uses airlifts..
 
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Always sad to lose any fish, especially any that you class as 'special'.
One of mine has had a growth or something growing in its stomach, been getting gradually bigger over the last year on one side.
It has been going onto its side for the last couple of months, but then gets a second wind and rallys for a few days.
It is still going and does not seem to be in any pain or discomfort, so I will leave it be.
Just a metter of time though.
 
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Well doing some maintenance and changes to the pond today.

First is this - an over flow pipe in the filter that overflows into the waste pipe. The pipe is adjustable.
76ipkyz.jpeg


I had previously had the filter at the right height to case water to overflow down that V notch before it overflowed the window, but after changing the re-fitting the height is different so it overflowed the window during winter, froze and blasted out the plaster. So this spring it needs a bit of plaster TLC and some fixing and then make that completely waterproof.

Also re-fitted the UVC in preparation for more sun and warmer temps. Don't need it yet running though.

Fish seem ok, apart from losing that one previously :(

Tomorrow I'll clean the window and sort out some more cleaning.
 
Just ordered thus year's protein food. Based on the performance of Hakiri Gold I've ordered 5Kg which should get me through the year.

So reflecting back on experience of foods:

Foods I would recommend:
1. Hakiri Gold - switched from NTLabs health last year (5Kg bag) and this seemed to pep up their colours and it's like crack, happy happy fish. Very clear water. The young fish have grown massively.
2. Hakiri Wheatgerm - used this winter for the first time (5Kg bag) and the fish seem happy, the water remains very clear. Good colour (although not a colour food) through winter.
3. NTLabs Medikoi Wheatgerm - used as the staple winter food over the years when I used Health. Again clear water.
4. NTLabs Medikoi Probiotic - was very good when I initially switched from nishikoi and left the fish looking good. Used for a year or so with clear water.
5. NTLabs Medikoi Health - was a very good staple food over the number of years I used this (5Kg comes in buckets!), fish seemed very happy and looked good. Clear water. Fish colour reasonable but not as good as Hakiri Gold.

Foods I would not recommend:
* JPD Yamato Nishiki Colour Enhancing - turn the water brown and the fish weren't looking either good or happy by the end of the bag.
* Nishikoi pellets - the small bucket left by the previous house owner. Well it's fish food but the fish didn
 
For the last few years I have been getting premium growth and colour pellets from 'Orchard Fisheries' - had good results so far, water clear and not much waste from the fish (£50 for 10kg + £5 delivery).
Going to alternate this year between that and Hikari Gold.
 
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Finally got around to starting on the area around our pond / summerhose at the weekends. Put the pond and summerhouse in a few years back, but then never actually go around to finishing it, as a toddler in the house meant everything was slow going. Actually getting around to it now shes getting old enough to play on her own, while we crack on with it.



Wed started the bog garden but half the soil from it was still heaped up next to the summerhouse, so got that back in this wekend, edged around the pond, as i'd just grassed right up to it, which was a real pain. Plan now is sleepers around the side, some edging around the lawn and then gravel the area, with some big rocks scattered about.

Parents are in the process of moving so the bog garden will mainly be populated with plants from theirs. Will sit the bridge back between the 2 ponds on a couple of railway sleepers to hopefully make the pond look like a bigger one.
 
Cleaned the filter out, added filter start gel, put in new UV's.
Tested the water and it was almost perfect.
Removed the large net as not seen the pesky heron for a long time (fingers crossed).
Just the pond plants to sort then good for Spring :-)
 
father-ted said:
I put some new UV's in and they cleared my algae/blanket weed pretty sharpish.....didnt realise how weak my others had got.
Click to expand...

UVs can only treat what goes past them - the algae there is stuck to the wall, it’s not going to see any UV other than the sun.
i did use some blanket weed answer and that cleared a lot but it looks like it needs a another shot, perhaps with the air reduced to slow the water churn and so the stuff will cascade down the threads. Maybe a long tube so it doesn’t have the opportunity to be filtered out or get pushed to away from the an hor points.

I think an option is a protected blade to cut it off.
 
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NickK said:
UVs can only treat what goes past them - the algae there is stuck to the wall, it’s not going to see any UV other than the sun.
i did use some blanket weed answer and that cleared a lot but it looks like it needs a another shot, perhaps with the air reduced to slow the water churn and so the stuff will cascade down the threads. Maybe a long tube so it doesn’t have the opportunity to be filtered out or get pushed to away from the an hor points.

I think an option is a protected blade to cut it off.
Click to expand...
Indeed, my algae was loose in the water, luckily nothing has really taken a hold around the edge.
I did have a major bloom last year and had to dose twice with blanket answer.
Caused numerous full filter cleans but did the job.
 




Got a bit more done on the Pond / Summerhouse area at the weekend. Not sure the wildlife was best impressed though!



Mutjac was a tad confussed!



Now need to get the old water pump painted and installed, and some planting around the edges of the pond to hide the liner. Might put some trellis in the corner behind the sun lounger as well to hide next doors garden a bit.
 
I had to knock one of my koi on the head a couple of weeks ago.
Had a bad case of dropsy, very bloated and pineconing - couldn't swim properly and kept going on its side.
Was a traumatic experience as I have had it around 7 years from been really small :-(
 
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