Koi eating my floating plants

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My koi are eating my floating plants. I knew they might nipple but I just added the plants and would guess they are half gone in less than a week. Is there anything I can do or is there something I might feed them to keep them from destroying my plants. It is a mighty expensive lunch.
 

addy1

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Most make a floating net for the plants.

My goldfish leave my plants alone. They nibble but they don't inhale
 
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I have added a ton of plants lately and have no inhalers. Are you feeding your fish? I know a lot of people on here don’t at one time or another and all have their reasons but I think that if there is not enough on the menu it is open season on the plants.
 

addy1

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I have added a ton of plants lately and have no inhalers. Are you feeding your fish?
No I don't feed them except maybe once or twice a summer, just to get them to come running so I take a good look at them. If they are eating enough of the plants to harm them I sure can't see any damage.
It keeps the fry load down
 
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I use floating nets to protect my floating plant roots. When the plants multiply, then I'll let some float freely. If I don't do that, they will eat every root. You can buy floating nets or make them.
 
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My fishes never leave anything now , many factors i guess , its environment , if too many fishes or smaller pond or warmer climate , its also habit or they learnt from each other ,if one or 2 fishes started in earlier days then all will learn and becomes habit , i had plants in start for few years and they were fine , one morning a fish thought we should try them they look tasty lol after that others followed them and now they wont leave anything , i tried even very stiff large water lily , they ate it too . You can make a portion with barrier of net or from rocks and stuff where bigger fishes cant enter , or go for above water plants , i have them , they do same job . I dont think feeding them alot will solve it , 1st of all ur pond and filter will be over burdened with that much feeding and im sure u can never fill there bellies , if they have developed habbit they will still destroy plants .
 
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Set up a bin separate, fill with pond water. Add a handful of duck weed to the bin, let it multiply, toss handfuls to fish as it multiplies, just top off with fresh pond water as needed. I started with just a pinch of duck weed left over from last year, I now have a thick mat of it covering a 2’x3’ pond bin. I have to pull out handfuls regular, which I give to a friend for his fish to eat.
 
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I use floating nets to protect my floating plant roots. When the plants multiply, then I'll let some float freely. If I don't do that, they will eat every root. You can buy floating nets or make them.
I loved my floating nets and wish I could use them, but several times I found one of my koi in them! I guess they were after the plants, I have no idea....but I was afraid they'd hurt themselves thrashing about.
 
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I loved my floating nets and wish I could use them, but several times I found one of my koi in them! I guess they were after the plants, I have no idea....but I was afraid they'd hurt themselves thrashing about.
Luckily I have never had that happen. They usually go under the nets trying to suck the roots through.
My hyacinths and water lettuce have finally multiplied enough that I pulled some out of the nets and let them float freely.
I also have some fairy moss and water lettuce growing in the bog where there is a bit of water higher than the gravel. Those fish can't get them!
 
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koi will devour water hyacinth, we rotate our hyacinth back and forth from our bio
pond to our main pond to rejuvenate them. It’s a battle...Try keeping some in large
tubs, like 5 gallon buckets and rotate them every couple of days...I call it going to hyacinth
rehab.

They do not bother water lettuce, do you have water lettuce?
 
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water lettuce...

18557BB7-C620-45DE-B1A1-7A6138D7F083.jpeg
 

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