new pond,, new plants

[mr.spooky]

we just got our new pond up and runnin, and the plant life, as of now,, is,, well,, pitiful:dunno:. so today, i decided to add some duckweed. and as about as fast as i added it,, the fish started eating it.
i cant wait until the pond matures. hopefualy.. the duckweed will work faster than the fish:lol:
spooky

 

[sissy]

do you have koi ,because my koi destroy every plant I put in the pond and they are frog killers too

 

[mr.spooky]

yes, we have koi, but im thinking that if i could just get enough plants in there,,, they couldent keep up with them all. kinda like a buffet,, no matter if you have the opertunity to eat it all,,,,,,, you just cant :banana:.
and as for the frogs,,, i just noticed about 500 little tads, so,,,,, soups on.. bon apatite!!
spooky

 

[sissy]

I tried so many plants I could still not keep up with what they ate

 

[mr.spooky]

I tried so many plants I could still not keep up with what they ate

fake plants???????:banana::lol::lol:
i have a neibour that has beutiful flowers all year long.. i just reicentaly noticed that most of them were fake... just a thought? hehehehe
spooky

 

[riparks]

I've managed to grow water lillies for 4 years now. Sometimes, the koi take the rocks out of the pots, but they leave the plants alone. They've devoured everything else!!!

 

[fishin4cars]

Water Lilies have been a hit and miss with me, I have to start them in one pond but once they start getting some size usually they only get minimal damage, babies get eaten, period. (I do use plastic coated screen to protect the bulbs and new growth) hyacinths, Water lettuce, anachris, snow flake, and parrots feather get eaten regularly. Plants, Like taro's, thalia's, papyrus, pickerel rush,Iris's and cannas all seem to do much better as I have the pots rim right at water level so the Koi can't dig in the pots, All these grow above water level and do very well. as for Hyacinth's and water lettuce, I do add them to the main pond once I have a good growth going. They can't eat as much as the upper pond produces as I have to throw some out every year.

 

[RSFish1]

Hungry Koi in the Spring. Ahhh...Love to see it! I put in 50 water hyacinth last week. I have 300-400 pieces of water hyacinth in the pond. They tore in to them and destroyed them. LOL

Grab yourself a head of lettuce. Tear it up and throw some of it in there. They will ove it and maybe the duckweed and other plants will have a chance.

 

[mr.spooky]

does it matter what kind of lettuce? we have a bunch of lettuce that we grow for salads,, but its a mixed greens type.
thanks
jason

 

[RSFish1]

I do not think it matters one bit. If you can eat it so will they. I try to stick with the more tender parts for them and don't throw in the harder parts. It is so fun watching 3 or 4 koi grab a side of the same leaf and rip it apart in a big tug of war match. LOL

If you are eating it, I am assuming it is pesticide clean. If not, maybe rinse it good just like you would before eating it.

 

[fishin4cars]

I do not think it matters one bit. If you can eat it so will they. I try to stick with the more tender parts for them and don't throw in the harder parts. It is so fun watching 3 or 4 koi grab a side of the same leaf and rip it apart in a big tug of war match. LOL

If you are eating it, I am assuming it is pesticide clean. If not, maybe rinse it good just like you would before eating it.

great advice, clean anything that you feed them to make sure any pesticides are removed. I've read about many things that you can feed koi. One thing I have read more than once is if you feed, lemons, oranges, water melon, cucumbers, zuchinni, etc is to be sure and remove the seeds. I haven't tried lettuce yet, spinach is very much liked, along with baby english peas, watermelon, orange slices, lemon slices, zuchinni squash, and I was just told about green beans, I tried a few some green beans the other night that had been split and the beans removed. They loved them!
The sheet I was given at the koi farm says romaine Lettuce. or spinach.not sure if it matters or not. I would think that any lettuce would probably be ok, but I'm sticking to what others have tried and done good with. I'm not taking any chances feeding something that may harm them. as others have learned lessons from trial and error and I feel like if they recommend it then they most have used it with sucsess.