Koi Pond Lifeguard for 4 years

[ChrisCamKoi]

Hi all,

I started 4 years ago in May. By the next year, I had about 27 fish, maybe 3" at most. I was too eager and was warned of having a small pond, and many fish...ammonia, etc. Summer got too hot, the ammonia raised and I couldn't contain it. I gave up, but my "teacher" prodded me to continue.

My pond teacher's name was Jim, he was my neighbor. He had been diagnosed with end stage lung cancer shortly after I started my own gig...by 2010, he could hardly walk across the street to teach me anymore. He was a Vietnam vet, and was battling different cancers off/on for 15 years from Agent Orange. He worked on parts of the aircraft that dropped the chemical. His inability to work gave him much free time in which he began to become interested in gardening and koi. He had lost his 5'x10'x10' pond full of 15 year old koi from the new neighbors spraying chemicals on their yard. Sad, sad memories. We lost him that summer. I do this in honor of him.

I now have a few mentors in this area, but I'd like to join a forum to ask questions from many of you.

I have 3 1/2' deep pond about 5'x10' with a waterfall and 1000gal/hour pump in a skimmer.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[sissy]

heart warming story and glad you had him when you needed him.We love to help and love to share our success stories and failures so it does not happen again.I have been lucky so far ,no one told me about koi 9 years ago and wish they had .

 

[sissy]

oh and love the lifeguard part never thought of it that way but very true

 

[Neo]

Very nice to honor his memory like this.

My Grandma introduced Me to ponding when I was 12 years old. I also built my pond the same Year she lost her battle to cancer as a way to honor her and her favorite hobby. I remember wanting her to see what we were creating so badly but she couldn't leave the house so we took pics and video almost everyday for her. It's been a few years and I still think how proud she would be at what we learned from her while growing up.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Dave 54]

Buy two large bags of zeolite large stones then put a bag in your filter or if you cant near running water , the zeolite attracts ammonia to it and takes it up .
Chage the first bag with the second after a few months or so then place the other bag in the same place.
The bag yu have removed should be cleaned and emptied into a bucket of heavily salted water for a few days this will then recharge the stones give them a wash in normal water then put stones back into the bag then repete and keep repeating you shouldnt have any more ammonia problems to worry about .
We do the same with our zeolite stones it works a treat .


rgrds

Dave

 

[sissy]

tractor supply sells PDZ horse stall refresher and that is zeolite.I buy it there

 

[sissy]

hope this will help next time

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome! What a nice story and nice way to honor your friend. Thanks for sharing.

 

[don't ask]

welcome

ChrisCamKoi, nice story and glad you decided to give it another go at life guarding

 

[addy1]

to our group

So glad you had your teacher and helped him

 

[callingcolleen1]

Welcome!! Very touching story, and sorry to hear you lost your good friend to cancer. Cancer hit my home as well, hubby got cancer last year from chewing tobacco for 30 years, but thank God his is all right now! He had stopped chewing about six years ago because it was burning his gum, but the cancer must have started then...

I never spray chemicals in my yard of any kind, as I always choose to do it organically. I worked in a green house a few years back growing pond plants, and we could not keep fish inside the greenhouse, as the chemical spray would always kill them and they would be dead very quick. I figure if it kills the fish, it will not be good for me either. Lot of people do not realize the price they may have to pay for using chemical sprays. My neighbor tired to spray for weeds right next to my fence, and I stopped him quick, thank God, cause my pond is near by the fence. I informed him that it would kill my fish and so it can't be good for his children, and he listened and never sprayed again. Now they pull their weeds too, and our grass may not be the greenest, but it is most certainly the CLEANEST!!!!

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Very emotive story - it's always nice to hear about good coming from bad events. I'm pleased to hear that you are continuing his good memory

 

[ChrisCamKoi]

Thank you everyone for your welcoming spirits, advice, and stories. The zeolite...I never heard of it! Wow! I will definitely get some. We have a magnolia tree by the pond, but it doesn't shade all day. I am thinking I will get a couple of shade sails, and do the zeolite this summer. We're in Missouri, and surprisingly, it is snowing right now! But, ,it will get super hot around July, and I'm so glad I joined here and already have some great advice on keeping my big guys happy this year.

Again, thanks and I'm glad I came!

 

[j.w]

Chris

 

[sissy]

my pond is in direct sunlight and I made shade sails .Easy I just hammered pipe with the end going in the ground bigger that the fence pipe I used to attach the shade sail .I used toggle bolts to attach the sails