New pond but new to ponding

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I just finished my pond. The build, start to finish can be found here:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=SV9qdFd4QjFVdHNscWR5NFl6ZnZnWGN6VVBtaUp3

I used advice I got on another forum, and some DIY filter designs posted by one professional (birdman).

It's been in operation since early July. In Sept. I put in 20 small gold fish just to test it out. A friend just gave us a few 6-8" fancy goldies. They all seem very happy. I do not plan to put in Koi until the spring. I'm posting, because I'm guessing ponders like to see ponds, and in all my looking at pond designs, I've never seen one quite like mine. Filtering isn't unique, but I think my filter house/waterfall are. Maybe there are others out there that have built an earth building, but I couldn't find any. We've planted a few water plants, and installed young, low maintenance shrubs on the waterfall house. Once the plants mature, I expect it will look much better.

I do want to say that I have no interest in showing, breeding, or selling koi. I did this to have a tranquil place to hangout and enjoy the fish and water plants. I don't want to, and will not, over think this ponding thing. To do so would not make it enjoyable. I don't know the difference from one koi to the next and mostly want to keep it that way. My wife and I are huge gardeners. Our gardens had grown too many and too big. The pond is meant to replace one of these large gardens with something a little less labor intensive to care for. Yeah, I know. There is still plenty to maintain, but at least not on our hands and knees pulling weeds and deadheading flowers for hours on end. At least that is the hope.

That said, I suspect we'll go overboard with water plants anyway. The trick is protecting them from the koi. And that is an area I'll be looking for help with. Many have told me you can't have koi and plants. I don't accept that because I see many ponds that are successful with both. In the end, if that is the case. There will be no koi. For my tastes, a pond with no natural plant life, is not a pond I want.

My pond is new and I'm new to ponding. So, I look forward to advice I can act on (not should-haves that I cannot practically correct). I understand the ph, kh, nitrite, nitrate, etc. thing. So, we don't need to go there. I know sooner or later I'll have to deal with disease. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes too.
 
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Thanks. I do not know the capacity,exactly. I just ordered a salt meter to find out. I'm guess around 9000 gallons, but that may be high. I'm using a 7800 gph pump. With head, probably 6500 or so. I have another smaller pump 3500 gph that is plumbed in parallel that I will run in the winter when I turn off the waterfall. I'm currently not running both pumps at the same time because I don't see the need right now.
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
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Welcome to our group! Very nice pond you have built!
 
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Very nice!

The only thing you said that I will take issue with is "I know sooner or later I will have to deal with disease". There's no reason to assume your fish will ever become diseased. Keep your fish load low, your pond free of excess debris, don't overfeed, and your fish have a good chance of living long, healthy lives! One less thing for you to worry about!
 
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Very nice!

The only thing you said that I will take issue with is "I know sooner or later I will have to deal with disease". There's no reason to assume your fish will ever become diseased. Keep your fish load low, your pond free of excess debris, don't overfeed, and your fish have a good chance of living long, healthy lives! One less thing for you to worry about!


I sort of agree. But, many other "experts" are telling me otherwise. I will keep in clean and not lose any sleep over it.... at least not until I have too. Measured PH today at 7.4.
 
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Flippin eck, that's what I call a pond! Have you been watching that TV ponding programme I'm addicted to? It's called 'Insane ponds', the guy is called Lucas Congdon from Sarasota, Florida and it's about his company, Lucas Lagoons. They go all over the US building these amazing ponds with grottoes, waterfalls like Niagara and rock work like the Himalayas. He built a pump house and clad the whole thing in rock, it just blended into nowhere.

Yours is impressive I must say. I assume you are US based?

I agree, plants and koi can go hand in hand. Whilst I've only got two ghost koi, they are both 18inch and my pond is well planted with several water lilies in baskets, also mats of starwort and elodea that's not in baskets, it's just weighted down. Plus I've three large orfe and 24 or so assorted other fish. My pond is 11x10x2.5 feet and in my opinion, my koi don't cause any problems that I'm aware of. They're around 25 yrs old btw and I'm in the UK.
 

sissy

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My koi seem to like 8 and if it goes lower I can tell but keeping crushed oyster shells in the filter helps .I am going to test today after all this rain we have had .This is the first year koi have not destroyed my plants and guessing it is because there are to many
 
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Flippin eck, that's what I call a pond! Have you been watching that TV ponding programme I'm addicted to? It's called 'Insane ponds', the guy is called Lucas Congdon from Sarasota, Florida and it's about his company, Lucas Lagoons. They go all over the US building these amazing ponds with grottoes, waterfalls like Niagara and rock work like the Himalayas. He built a pump house and clad the whole thing in rock, it just blended into nowhere.

Yours is impressive I must say. I assume you are US based?

I agree, plants and koi can go hand in hand. Whilst I've only got two ghost koi, they are both 18inch and my pond is well planted with several water lilies in baskets, also mats of starwort and elodea that's not in baskets, it's just weighted down. Plus I've three large orfe and 24 or so assorted other fish. My pond is 11x10x2.5 feet and in my opinion, my koi don't cause any problems that I'm aware of. They're around 25 yrs old btw and I'm in the UK.


Thanks for the compliments. I'll have to check out the pond TV show. I haven't seen it. Yes, I'm in the U.S. It seems some have problems with koi eating plants and some don't. I guess it's a personality think :D
 
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My koi seem to like 8 and if it goes lower I can tell but keeping crushed oyster shells in the filter helps .I am going to test today after all this rain we have had .This is the first year koi have not destroyed my plants and guessing it is because there are to many
How can you tell?
 

sissy

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I can see how they react to feeding and the way they interact with me .I hand feed mine since I got them .They seem to prefer on the higher side of 8 .I follow ponddigger Eric Tripplets feeling on PH for koi .He knows lots of breeders of koi .My pond I just rebuilt in 2014 and went bigger and use 2 filters and the plants i the filters really help keep the water clean .I am old fashioned and use lava rock .It was good enough for the pond my dad and I built it is good enough now
 

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