Can one have too many water hyacinths?

[sharonf239]

Hi Folks,

My pond is now 70-75% covered with water lilies, water lettuce and water hyacinths? I also have them atop my filter.

Can too many damage the water quality? My koi are all under 9" so they are not really eating the roots causing removal.

Thanks...Sharon

 

[DrCase]

When you cant get the food to them....it might be to much :banana:

 

[sharonf239]

Haven't quite reached that point.:toothy12: Thanks for answering...as usual!

 

[DrDave]

I make feeding rings out of 3/4" PVC. That way the water lettuce does not interfere with the feeding. My lower pond is 100% covered except the feeding ring and Island.

 

[sharonf239]

Thanks DD...I can do that!!!

 

[DrDave]

Use the thinwall PVC, it is lighter and floats better. I don't even glue mine, but you can if you want.

 

[sharonf239]

Thank you...wouldn't have thought of that

 

[DrDave]

That is why we are here, so you can learn from our mistakes. LOL

 

[cuesport]

Dr. Dave, I'm curious about a couple of things. First, why do you have the pond completely covered with plants? Is this a pond that you use for viewing the fish or just to raise them in? Second, why do you use 3/4" pvc? That seems like an awefully small diameter.

 

[DrDave]

I use 3/4" PVC for net frames and feeder rings. It is the largest thinwall that Home Depot carries and it is lightweight so it floats easier.
I see the fish just fine when I need to. I sell Water Lettuce and it grows very fast. Also, with the summer sun in So Cal, it affords my breeder Koi a nice haven.
I am more interested in their health than being able to see the entire pond and them swimming in it.
There are a lot of baby koi hiding in that cover also, when it cools off and the water lettuce starts to shrink, I will be harvesting the baby Koi and the pond will have more exposed surface area.

 

[Priscilla]

I know this is an old thread. BUT I am obsessed with water lettuce and water hyacinths - mine all die! My koi are small still (under 8 inches). I have a single tilapia (my test fish when the pond was just starting up, can't catch the sneaky bugger now). He's quite big.

I wonder if its the koi or the tilapia eating the roots? I have them netted, but someone just pushes the net up and eats them. I recently added a weight to the bottom of the net, not sure if that will help or not.

So now reading that you can have koi and WH fascinates me ...... any tips for me? Is it the stinking tilapia eating the roots and not the koi?

 

[Big Lou]

Unhindered, given ideal conditions wild water hyacinths will cover most any pond or lake.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I know this is an old thread. BUT I am obsessed with water lettuce and water hyacinths - mine all die!

The ones I had last year started spreading like crazy. They probably tripled in no time. Then all of the sudden, they all stopped growing. Shortly after that some started dying. Some of them held on through the end of the season but it didn't turn out well.

 

[JohnHuff]

So now reading that you can have koi and WH fascinates me ...... any tips for me? Is it the stinking tilapia eating the roots and not the koi?

My koi didn't eat my WH.

 

[morewater]

I had heard that water hyacinths were a real problem in some States, where they actually choked out canals.....any truth to that?