Bottom of pond

[c2c7390]

hey guys and gals
what can i do to the bottom of my pond to bring out the colors of my koi
specifically the black ones

i was thinking about doing a thin layer of pea gravel in a neutral color
when i say thin i mean no more than 2 pebbles thick just enough to cover the bottom
that way it wont trap that much gunk and itll be really easy to clean it by stirring it around

 

[addy1]

That might work, if you have good filtration, dirt and algae will cover it, but with stirring you could keep it clean.

 

[c2c7390]

my pond is an above ground pond under the awning of my patio so no algae
forgot to mention that sorry

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

It will get carpet algae over the liner bottom that will lighten the color, but it may take a long time to grow out. I'd really discouage you from putting rocks on the bottom, though. I mean by that, REALLY discourage. Ask anyone w/ any experience here, or any moderator.

 

[DoDad]

No matter what you put in the pond it will all turn green with carpet algae.

 

[c2c7390]

It will get carpet algae over the liner bottom that will lighten the color, but it may take a long time to grow out. I'd really discouage you from putting rocks on the bottom, though. I mean by that, REALLY discourage. Ask anyone w/ any experience here, or any moderator.

No matter what you put in the pond it will all turn green with carpet algae.

even if it doesnt get any sunlight...if it does get light its reflected off of 2 or 3 surfaces before it gets to the pond
the pond has been set up for more than 5 years without any algae the pond inside the store at work gets more light than my pond

but i understand that the algae will turn it green if it gets light

 

[shakaho]

What about sand? Because I didn't build my pond edge higher than the surrounding ground, I get an influx of silt with rain. Much of my pond has a half inch or so of sand on the bottom. It makes a nice background for the fish, and the black crud that collects on the bottom is really easy to see. By holding the vacuum about an inch off the bottom, I can pick up the crud and leave clean sand. I like it so much that when I rebuild the pond to eliminate run off, I'm thinking about putting a layer of sand on the bottom.

 

[c2c7390]

sand would look better but i like stirring up my gravel, but yea, sand would be my first pick. when my pond was a saltwater pond it was covered in about 400lbs of sand

 

[DoDad]

Your correct about the algae. I have a indoor 700 gallon q-tank ans a 150 gallon hospital tank. neither get algae. But I thought they were referring to a outdoor pond.

even if it doesn't get any sunlight...if it does get light its reflected off of 2 or 3 surfaces before it gets to the pond
the pond has been set up for more than 5 years without any algae the pond inside the store at work gets more light than my pond

but i understand that the algae will turn it green if it gets light

 

[c2c7390]

technically my pond is outdoors but has a roof over it. so its in limbo i guess between outdoor and indoor

 

[carolinaguy]

if you have a liner pond, consider that if you were to enter the pond and walk on stones, you will eventually puncture the liner. its inevitable. also a layer of stones or sand is a growth environment for bad bacteria. the bottom of the layer will eventually become anaerobic, and the bad bacteria will thrive unless you have a special way of aerating that layer and keeping it clean.

as mentioned before, algae will coat your pond, so even white rocks will blacken. as for dark fish in the pond, we have a black koi at is about 15 inches long now that we named stealth. part of the enjoyment is having very clear water and seeing stealth swim into view only to vanish a moment later.

 

[c2c7390]

thanks for the tips carolinaguy my pond is so small i wouldnt step in it but as mentioned before i would only do a thin layer 1 or 2 pea sized pebbles which will not become anaerobic and my pond is in full shade i mean FULL i need to put a light over it in order to see the koi so i will not get algae

anaerobic bacteria can be good as well. they eat up nitrate

 

[lauraleellbp]

I wouldn't go with sand, if it happens to get inside your filter sand will eat it up.

Once you put the light over the pond for viewing the koi, you'll start getting algae. Hang a couple of T5HOs shop lights over the pond and put them on a 8-12 hour timer (cheap christmas light timer will do- $10 or less) and then you should get all the algae you could possibly want... lol

Even a thin coat of pea gravel in the bottom is going to trap debris like crazy- you'll need to vacuum your pond quite a bit to compensate since it will get trapped down there instead of sucked into your filter.