Hello from Oregon!

[HomeRanger]

Hello. A couple of years ago we moved from Virginia to Oregon for my wifes job. We inherited a rather simple 1500 gal. Koi pond when we purchased our home. Initially the pond had 6-large Koi and 7 ornamental goldfish. We sold the goldfish to a local pet store last year and are currently looking for a good home for two of our Koi. We’ve made a few upgrades since moving in. Last year we added a Matala EZ Air Pro 1 pond aerator, and recently added a Laguna ClearFlo 4000 UVC filter kit which I just installed last week. The pond has a bio-falls filter and a skimmer filter. There is no bottom drain or filter. In the late spring/summer about 2/3rds of the pond is covered with flowering pads. The fish love to hang out under the pads, especially in front of the skimmer and under the two waterfalls. Our bio-falls empties into on stream. About halfway down the yard it collects in a small pool where it pours into two streams that empty out into the pond. It’s a the main attraction in our yard.

My biggest problems are leaf control in the fall and winter and string algae and duckweed in the summer. I’ll be investing in a good net before the fall. I use an algaecide to control the string algae. I vacuum out the duckweed when it gets too bad. Any suggestions?

 

[sissy]

welcome and any net will do for a pond .I use window screening for the sides of my pond .sorry you left VA but guessing you are loving Oregon also .For algae it is easy no over feeding fish they need to clean their home

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group! I feed very little, lots of plants, no string algae.

 

[HomeRanger]

welcome and any net will do for a pond .I use window screening for the sides of my pond .sorry you left VA but guessing you are loving Oregon also .For algae it is easy no over feeding fish they need to clean their home

Thank you for the warm welcome Sissy. Yes we miss Charlottesville a lot. We do love Oregon though. Where we live is known as the “Banana Belt” of the Pacific Northwest. No snow! Yay!!

We’ve gone through a rather warm spell this past week. Our fish are all hanging out under the pads and don’t seem very interested in eating. I’m assuming they are happy hiding under the shade and eating whatever is growing in the pond. I’ve been doing partial water changes about twice a week (using a dechlorinator). We also started a new food, Dainichi all season. They’ve been a little slow to accepting it. I probably shouldn’t have spoiled them with the brine shrimp. LOL.

Cheers!

 

[HomeRanger]

Welcome to our group! I feed very little, lots of plants, no string algae.

Thank you for the welcome. I’m looking forward to viewing your pond images.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @HomeRanger ! We'd love to see pictures of your pond and fish!

As for string algae, remember that it's sending you a message - you have an overload of organic material in your pond. The algae is not only the signal, it's also the temporary solution until you correct the problem. You can correct it by adding more plants to your pond (lilies are pretty, but aren't great at controlling string algae) and as @sissy mentioned feed your fish less and add more aeration - both will aid in reducing the amount of excess nutrients in your pond. Also remember that algaecide works - but it leaves you with a pond full of dead algae. And guess what loves dead algae - more algae. So it's one vicious cycle. And that algaecide doesn't just kill the algae - it can also kill off the microorganisms that live in your pond that you don't even know are there. And those tiny creatures are also helping keep your pond clean - losing them is tragic! Algaecide, if overdosed, can kill your fish, so it makes sense that at even "safe" doses it can kill tinier creatures.

Many pond keepers have also abandoned the practice of water changes - they aren't really necessary in a well balanced eco-pond and can actually be detrimental as they can throw off your water chemistry and may even stress your fish. It sounds like you are doing a great job of managing the fish load in your pond - goldfish can multiply rapidly and as I'm sure you've learned, koi grow big fast! It sounds like you have just about the right amount for your size pond, which is great!

We're happy you're here and look forward to hearing more from you!

 

[Stephen Noble]

Welcome HomeRanger! We are glad to have you as a member.
Stephen

 

[GBBUDD]

currently looking for a good home for two of our Koi

no better place to look for a new home then on this site we have seen people drive 100's of miles to pick up new family members.

 

[j.w]

@HomeRanger

 

[Tara]

Hello and welcome.

 

[GBBUDD]

View attachment 115234@HomeRanger

with all the imogee you have I am amazed you never duplicate not that I have seen any ways do you make these things?

 

[j.w]

with all the imogee you have I am amazed you never duplicate not that I have seen any ways do you make these things?

Nope I don't make them. Find them all over the internet and @Gemma has tons also! We share them together. She has some I don't and visa Versa. I save them on my computer in a file that's handy to just copy and paste them. Just a kinda fun thing to do