Clever & Mischievous Koi (Juvenile)

[Marshall]

I just got back from checking on the new juvenile koi (all 5" or less) I got a couple days ago from as friend of mine. They were from the pet store that was getting rid of the fish trade area of their store and were not too healthy and active when I got them. They have been staying in the QT/Stock tank that is 300 gallons but only has about 250 - 275 in it right now. While I was checking on them I noticed two things, number one, they were looking much better and were active and number two, I only saw 4 of them instead of the original six and no bodies were floating around or on the bottom so I had to do an "investigation". To make a long story short, it turns out that the pipe that runs from the reservoir (rain water) into the stock tank does not have a grate over it and so the 2 koi swam all the way up that pipe and into the reservoir lol. Mind you the pipe is only 2.5" diameter but it is about 12 foot long with a 90° bend in it but, the little rascals got through it somehow. I am glad that particular reservoir is isolated from the rest of the distribution plumbing or who knows which pond or even turtle tank they would have went too . Anyway I got the back in the stock QT and put a grate cap on the pipe and now all 6 are safe and looking better so hopefully the will survive and make a good recovery.

 

[addy1]

Laughing, they were exploring!

 

[Dave 54]

Nothing new there Marshall when we built the pond we had to retro fit a new 4" bottom drain bubbler but the problem was it kept popping up out of the fitting it was sat in .
On four or five occasions I found my Orfe had migtrated from the pond to my first filter which has no media and is there to collect large bits of detritus as they drop to the bottom of it thats a tight 90degree turn 10ft of pipe to the 4" slide valve* then another 4ft via a U bend into the filter a 32" vortex style filter
* That slide valve if deployed would if they had been in that area of pipe at the time have chopped one in half

PS cured the problem by recycling the bottom weight of an old unwanted trafic cone.
Which pressure washed then added four coats of pond paint , once dried we put it over the bubbler and the cirrcunferance of the hole in the centre of the weight is just larger than the cirrcumferance bubbler.
It saved us having to empty then upturn the whole pond to fit a new bottom drain which in time and manpower would have cost quite a bit of money on our behalf , six years in and it still works

Dave