New reader from Canada

HI:

This is my first post although I have read your forum for a while and find the ideas and information excellent. We live in London, Ontario, Canada and have had our Koi pond for about 7 years. Our pond is about 2,500 usg and we have about 25 - 30 Koi some as large as 18" that winter in it.

We have experimented with numerous suggestions made by more experienced readers and it has been extremely helpful. I am somewhat of a back-yard inventor and love to take junk and make it into somthing that is useful, rarely throw anything out that looks like it could be useful. Believe in natural solutions to cleaning our ponds and environment.

From suggestions made by other readers we have had considerable success with: Here are some of the projects I have been working on.

- gravity flow bio filter using pot scrubbers - the round nylon round ball type as a filter media - very effective media and can be purchased at any discount store.

- Koi Breeding nests - A 3' X 6" industrial floor mop with a 2X4 inside that floats in the pond an collects eggs during breeding. We fould that if left unprotected the eggs are eaten by the other fish. - Simple idea but works well.

- Pond water level float. Similar to a float valve on a large cattle tank or the one in your toilet bowl. - Maintaines an even water level even if leak or loss to evaporation.

- Automatic pond fish feeding system. A timer adds a measured amount of feed into the pond at set times of the day. It enbles you to go away for as long as a week without having someone feed your fish. - This project is still under development - interested if any others have been built. System is similar to a layer chicken feeding system.

Interested to hear other ideas - homemade inovations

Kevin Rigg