Everyone who installs a pond has some idea of what it will look like as a finished project. How about a month or a year from then? Will it still meet your expectations? Since I talk to people everyday about their pond problems, primarily water quality issues, the number one consideration for any pond project must be the filter. A hole in the ground, with a liner and some rocks, fish, plants, maybe a nice waterfall and submerged pump, will not take into consideration the amount of pollutants generated by the fish, plants and atmosphere around the pond. A waterfall will not remove debris, even though it may circulate it somewhat. My advice to people is always the same: Buy the best filter you can afford, and then plan the pond.
If you can afford the chiropractor bills after digging your pond and moving large rocks into place, just the way you want them, then you can afford a proper filter system.
A filter should be able to remove larger debris through the mechanical filtration, then move the water into a biological filtration (section) where the (heterotroph) bacteria start to break down minute particles, and finally through a chemical section where a different set of bacteria (Nitrifiers) will convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate. An Ultraviolet light is not a necessity, but will be very helpful in starting up a pond. When starting a pond, and every spring before beneficial bacteria are fully functioning, a UV will catch that first algae bloom for you. The UV is plumbed at the end of the filter, where the cleanest water is en route back to the pond or inside of the skimmer if you have a Savio.
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Every koi has its own personality, like people; but what does it mean when one fish just doesn’t want to swim with the rest? Is there such thing as antisocial koi??
I don’t think koi are ever antisocial. Some are more skittish than others, but I have never met one that was truly antisocial. I have seen a few koi that stay apart from the rest and don’t seem to join in swimming or eating as enthusiastically. I’ve also watched those particular fish and discovered in practically every case (but not all) the fish was weakened or sick. The sick fish is trying to conserve energy, to channel it towards healing rather than eating or swimming. Sometimes it works; sometimes the fish doesn’t make it. A lot depends upon water quality. Some depends upon the water temperatures, too. Fish heal much better in 70F temperature than they can in 50-60 ranges.
The other reason, from my experience (doesn’t make it gospel) is that a smaller fish will not naturally join the large fish until it is absolutely certain it isn’t going to be on the menu. Small fish need to be camouflaged, hidden in rocks and plants, as long as possible. They are easy for herons and egrets to grab. They are also easy for larger fish to eat. I was always under the belief koi do not cannibalize their own. That is not entirely true. Mature fish generally spawn in spring. Meanwhile, the parents are eagerly eating up the eggs just laid. Those that do not get eaten will hatch. The odds are good because each female will lay around a million fertile eggs. It takes about four days for the fry to hatch. I deliberately withhold food during this time to encourage the parents to clean up their “mess”. In the next month of growth and development, the small fry will swim in the shallows and around rocks where parent fish cannot reach them. No matter how many eggs are eaten, a lot of eggs will survive.
The next stage, the maturing fry, I was told will not be eaten by larger koi, “once they are recognizable as fish” (and not look like insect larvae anymore). The major protein ingredient in koi food is fish or fish meal. Therefore, if a baby fish happens to go into the mouth of your larger fish, I don’t expect the larger fish to expel it. It will taste just like FOOD. And so, the baby fish (the fry) have to be very cautious until they are large enough not to be eaten. Until they are of a size that does not fit into their parents’ mouths, they will remain in hiding. But they may not be alone. There may be hundreds of fry hiding among the rocks with them. And hide, they must.
So, now you know why your “new” little fish isn’t out swimming and eating with the older ones. Maybe you even know why you’re “fish haven’t spawned”… Maybe they did and nobody survived.
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Koi lovers and goldfish fanciers all over are preparing to close their ponds in more northern climates now. But with the holidays charging at us, faster each year, there are hobbyist-friends on our lists that would appreciate a remembrance. After sharing a spring/summer/fall of outdoor pleasures, facing challenges together when emergencies arise, it’s a small thing to exchange a significant, or meaningful reminder as token of our friendship and happy times shared. There are chores we need to do, like take out the garbage and clean the house, but there are others which we really look forward to, like the opening of the pond in spring.
Some of the little reminiscences I’ve used in the past are photographs, attached to a holiday card, sent through an email, or framed and handed, wrapped with a pretty bow for that empty space on the wall. I’ve offered hand trowels and pruners to my gardening buddies, especially the ones who have to prune over their ponds. The long-waterproof gloves to wear while pruning lilies and the long-handled gizmo to feed them through the heavy-feeding season are very personal and caring gifts. One friend gave me a floating island for my koi pond, because she knew I was not planting anything in there that the koi could disrupt… ever again! Another friend was handy and offered me an automatic refill, so he wrote in his card, “good for 1 automatic refill installation.” Another time, when I had lost my favorite fish, sadly, several friends got together and bought me a gift certificate for a koi. One long-time friend and I exchange koi/pond tree ornaments every year and now have a wonderful collection. How about “promises” of Microbe-Lift or fish food, something that’s worked for you and you’d like to share, a gift of Calcium Montmorillonite Clay, or a lovely new spitter to enhance someone’s enjoyment of the pond?
Sometimes we know the holidays are becoming “too commercialized” but the thing that I see missing is just the personal touches. Without these, we are just “ships passing in the night.” I guess that’s what commercialization really is… depersonalization. Don’t let it happen!
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Everyone who installs a pond has some idea of what it will look like as a finished project. How about a month or a year from then? Will it still meet your expectations? Since I talk to people everyday about their pond problems, primarily water quality issues, the number one consideration for any pond project must be the filter. A hole in the ground, with a liner and some rocks, fish, plants, maybe a nice waterfall and submerged pump, will not take into consideration the amount of pollutants generated by the fish, plants and atmosphere around the pond. A waterfall will not remove debris, even though it may circulate it somewhat. My advice to people is always the same: Buy the best filter you can afford, and then plan the pond.
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