Hi from Montana!

[mtpond]

Yep Addy, it's a dice game. The link you posted is exactly how it's played.

 

[HARO]

Thank you. Just never heard of it before! Heard of bunco artists, but I figured it had to be something else!!
John

 

[CountryEscape]

MT, my koi pond is somewhat murky looking, but has no filtration, only aeration all winter. Goldfish pond with water bubbler, and all pumps/filters going all winter, is much clearer. I'm convinced my koi pond could do much better with a much larger bog and lower waterfall area, so that the water pulls heat from the ground, rather than up higher like it is. Everything seems better on the goldfish pond, which has a stream and much larger bog. Much clearer water, could see my fish this morning, including a fantail!

 

[j.w]

Yahooooooooooo, CE you can now see your goldfish more and more each day! Guess you will have to start digging on your koi bog again to make it larger and just as clear as the other one is

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, I'm seriously think about doing just that. I know koi are dirtier than goldfish, but thinking the size of the bog is the real difference. Goldfish pond is smaller, and has MUCH larger bog so everything is pointing at goldfish vs. koi, and bog vs. HUGE bog.

 

[addy1]

When I was reading about building bogs and ponds, before this build, I did a lot of reading on ways to build them. I sort of sized my pond and bog to work for koi not gold fish even knowing I did not want koi. So my filtering is probably over the top for a goldfish pond, but the pond stays beautifully clean, clear of algae (string and green water)

 

[j.w]

Yep I think that's the way to do it CE. Overbuild your bog like addy did and bet you will have a much cleaner koi pond and really healthy looking bog plants sucking up all those nutrients

 

[CountryEscape]

So, here is the difference in my koi pond vs. goldfish pond right now.

Keep in mind the goldfish bog, skimmer, water bubbler have been running all winter, except for maybe a week. The koi pond's skimmer was having trouble last fall, plugged up water line to bog, so has been unplugged since probably November, so bog not running either. Tried to turn on waterfall this morning, but likely have ice in that line, so will have to wait. Therefore, the koi pond has had only AIR bubbler going all winter. Wondering if the excess green in the koi pond is because I have been pumping in air instead of circulating just water, or because no other filtration going on like in the goldfish pond ... or simply difference between goldfish vs. koi!

 

[sissy]

koi are poopers

 

[sissy]

today koi and goldies

 

[mtpond]

CE, my pond water clarity is closer to your goldfish pond, My pond is just a little murky I have only been running a bubbler all winter. My pond when I have the pump running is crystal clear. I still haven't managed to do a water change and now we are getting colder temps again . I sank a 1500 w heater and I have had it plugged in for the last couple of months cause of the cold weather. With it plugged in the lowest the temp in the pond has gone down to is 39 F. When I didn't have it plugged in the temp in the pond has gone down to 34 F ! Last two months my electricity has went up considerably . Oh well don't like it but I signed up for this and I will take care of my fish the best I can.

 

[CountryEscape]

I'm just wondering if the added green algae in the koi pond has to do with koi poop, or aeration, or a combination of both! Goldfish pond has no algae growing, but no air bubbler going in there, just water movement.
I unplugged both heaters last week, hoping to leave them unplugged, but they are both still in the ponds ... just in case needed. Murphy's law says if I remove them totally, the ponds will freeze hard again.

 

[mtpond]

My daughter was born on the first day of spring! The count down has begun, 22 days until spring. Hello Canada! Please don't send us any more cold weather !

 

[mtpond]

Five days until spring !
Changed water last weekend in my pond cause the water had taken on a light tea color. After changing the water it was a lighter color. The next day it was a little darker so checked for run off ( when I had run off once before the water was brown) there wasn't any. Next day it was even darker checked for ammonia 0, nitrate 0, nitrite 0, ph 7.9 - 8.0. Fish don't seem to be having any problems. Need to start up my pump but still a little cold. Last night pond looking clearer. No clue why this happened, there's not a lot of junk on the bottom of the pond so don't know.

 

[CountryEscape]

My koi pond remains murky, can't see the bottom. The goldfish pond is crystal clear. Beginning to wonder if koi vs. goldfish is the main reason, but this spring/summer I intend to add a very large bog to the koi pond, and then I will know if it is the very large bog on the smaller goldfish pond vs. the very small bog on the much larger koi pond that is the difference. Have had the goldfish pond running all winter (bog, skimmer runs the stream, and pump as a water bubbler, to keep the opening in the ice), and koi pond bog and waterfall had to be shut down in first week of Jan., first arctic blast this winter, and just got it back up and running this past week. Hoping things will clear up in time, and when the plants start growing, I'm sure it will clear up, as then the beneficial bacteria will begin doing it's job as well.