Foam, and Koi-Goldfish coexistence

[cerceau]

1. Our small pond has just been expanded to ab. 1,400 gal. with an Aquascape skimmer and waterfall. After three days the muddy water has cleared but now there is some light bubbly foam forming every once in a while. MicrobeLift cleaner has been added, and when I lifted the skimmer lift I could see beige scum on the surface of the pad. Question: should I wash the filter pad at this point, or leave it, for the beneficial bacteria benefit, and the foam will eventually dissipate? Could added lettuce and hyacinths be the source of this foam?

2. We have three large koi, about a foot each, that has lived in that pond for about ten years. The builders who expanded it added half-a-dozen small goldfish, from 2 to 5" long (their other client wanted to get rid of them). But I don't see how they can be fed, since the koi give them no chance. Can such disparate in size fish coexist? If so, how does one feed them?

 

[snoozer]

I have 3 koi and not sure how many goldfish but there are alot of them, and they all seem to get enough to eat. I only feed them 4 or 5 times a week. When the koi are pushing each other out of the way for food i toss some the other way for the goldies. Not sure about the foam so I don't know what to tell you.

 

[cas]

Are you talking about the filter that is in the skimmer? I rinse my skimmer filter daily. I do not touch the filters that are in the bio-falls box where the beneficial bacteria are established.
I sometimes get foam accumulation in the skimmer. Sign of high nutrients in the water or my fish spawning.

 

[HARO]

OK, that was my first question. Any chance your fish have spawned? Your goldfish are certainly old enough to spawn, as are the koi. 'Added lettuce and hyacinths' could certainly CONTRIBUTE to this condition, as they give your fish a place to spawn. My goldfish start spawning when the plants are added, and this activity continues every three or four days for about 3 to 4 weeks.
John
P.s. How long since the pond was started up? Sounds like just a few days. If so, the possibility of excess nutrients in the water is pretty slim.

 

[sissy]

koi and goldfish also and they get along .But do have to be careful at spawning time the goldfish get rough with each other .The koi are less aggressive I have noticed over the years

 

[cerceau]

Are you talking about the filter that is in the skimmer? I rinse my skimmer filter daily. I do not touch the filters that are in the bio-falls box where the beneficial bacteria are established.
I sometimes get foam accumulation in the skimmer. Sign of high nutrients in the water or my fish spawning.

Thank you. Yes, in the skimmer: a brownish layer of scum, the color of the microbe-lift powder which was added. Daily rinsing? I was told to do it every other week or until it's clogged and starts gargling.

 

[cas]

Depending on how dirty the filter is will depend on how frequently it needs cleaned. If you are rinsing it daily and notice not much accumulation, then you could increase the days between cleaning. I wouldn't wait until it starts gargling - that would mean your pump is having to work too hard because the filter is clogged. The most I have gone between rinsing the skimmer filter has been a few days.

 

[cerceau]

I have 3 koi and not sure how many goldfish but there are alot of them, and they all seem to get enough to eat. I only feed them 4 or 5 times a week. When the koi are pushing each other out of the way for food i toss some the other way for the goldies. Not sure about the foam so I don't know what to tell you.

Thank you for this. Trouble is, the big koi are so voracious and quick and the small goldies so shy (or silly) that by the time they realize what's where the food (Tetra sticks) is gone. Is there a point in feeding them two different kinds of food, e.g. Hikari mini-balls or some goldfish flakes?

 

[Dave 54]

Thank you for this. Trouble is, the big koi are so voracious and quick and the small goldies so shy (or silly) that by the time they realize what's where the food (Tetra sticks) is gone. Is there a point in feeding them two different kinds of food, e.g. Hikari mini-balls or some goldfish flakes?

The problem with flake is you never know if the fish has eaten its fill or no,t I'd give up on Tetra sticks and give them real koi food in the form of pellets, you can always crush them up a little for your Goldfish to eat .

Dave

 

[Tula]

I've been having to clean my skimmer daily recently. Today I'm setting up a new shower / bake , filter, so am hoping for some improvement...guess we'll see.

 

[C-Note]

Hi @cerceau ! The size difference with those fish should be fine. I have tiny little 5" koi that eat side by side with my 14" koi, no problem. I also have one goldfish in the mix, and he/she gets all the food he needs... growing strong! I feed a combo of mini pellets and medium pellets, so that addresses the needs for each size fish.

 

[Lisak1]

We make a point of tossing food in two or three directions when we feed. That way the little guys take off in one direction while the big guys are busy in another direction. Our little fish tend to stick together - it's pretty interesting, actually. They kind of segregate themselves by size so we have four or five different groups of fish at any one time, depending on how many babies we had survive each year. I guess that's why they call them "schools".

 

[cerceau]

We make a point of tossing food in two or three directions when we feed. That way the little guys take off in one direction while the big guys are busy in another direction. Our little fish tend to stick together - it's pretty interesting, actually. They kind of segregate themselves by size so we have four or five different groups of fish at any one time, depending on how many babies we had survive each year. I guess that's why they call them "schools".

Well, it seems that our new goldfish (some of which are just 2 to 4"!) are still pre-schoolers: they dart about like mad in the deep and have no chance to grab anything while the big fellows above are tearing at the Tetra sticks (should try Hikari mini-pellets). Or maybe they are just plain silly.