New to having a Pond & Koi

[shanezam203]

I wanted to introduce myself and show some pictures of my Pond.
I have a 100 gallon Pond in the front yard with some Koi & Goldfish.

The fish don't come up for food when I feed them, I've had them a few weeks & I am surprised.

The 2 Pumps I have going for the Fountain & the spitting Turtle & Hipo, are they Ok for the fish? I have a timer and I can set them to turn OFF at night, would that help?

Should I get some kind of an algie eater or a Plecostomus to eat some of the Algie or are they ok?

Can I over feed the fish, should I feed them less than once a day?

:fish:Thanks, Shane

 

[koiguy1969]

your first priority looks like it should be some filtration.........

 

[koiguy1969]

Yeah you need some filtration, a 10 gal tote would do you nicely ...look in the DIY section and down size... and then your pump and filter should be running 24/7..if you want to keep your fish happy and healthy.

 

[Sunshine]

I started out with a pond just like that. Minus the duck.... lol Had the little fountain in the middle and a spitting frog. Yeah, I got a better filtration system real quick. My pond got dirty real fast without it. You have a good start. If you get a Pleco, you would have to take him out in the winter. You could get some plants and put in there. I wouldn't shut off the pumps at night. Nice pond Shane ..

 

[DoDad]

There are several things you need to do.
1. Get some filtration
2. get some product like Cloram-x to bind the ammonia. I will also take care of any chlorine in your tap water,
3. get rid of the koi they grow big and need much more water. I would stick with 3 or 4 goldfish.

 

[rdk]

First thing I would do is do water changes, a lot of them, with no filter set up maybe once every 5 days. Take out 20 or 30 % of the pond water add declorinator product you buy and then pump in fresh water. This is the KEY step for ponds. RDK

 

[oldmarine]

Off to a good start. You will find that you have come to the right place for sound advice. This where I started.

I have a small 365 gallon pond simular to yours. It took awhile,but it evolved into what it is today. Check out my hodge podge of pictures below.

Happy ponding,

 

[stroppy]

the fountain does look a bit to powerfull and i could be way off but the duck might just be scaring the fish ... also you need some plants to give them some cover and like everyone else says you need some kind of filter :0)

 

[oldmarine]

Stroppy and everyone else is right. It won't take long and you will find your water green and murky without the right filtration.

In addition to an adequate filtration system you are also going to need to find a good balance of fish, plants, and filtration. If you have koi, find a good home for them because are going to get to big for your 100 gallon pond. I have a 365 gallon pond simuler to yours and I just have shubunkin's. Shubunkin's and Comet's will only get about 8" to 10" long and will do well in a smaller pond.

Happy ponding,

 

[koikeepr]

I agree with what everyone has said.

PLUS, are you allowed to have a 100g of water in your front lawn like that? This is an extreme danger to small children who are always attracted to water and can drown in only a few inches of water. Please put a fence around the pond if you are planning to keep it there as a deterrent to children and small pets (I won't even comment on the what a group of stupid teenagers looking to have fun might do there).

I urge people NOT to put ponds in the front of their properties, please. This is a big safety risk to little kids and even to the fish themselves. Ponds needs to be in protected areas behind a home--and even then if you have small children you should consider a barrier of some type. Ponds are pretty, but they are no less dangerous than a pool where a child can drown.

If you have to have a pond in your front yard, please check with your local municipality first--there are many that won't allow it precisely because of the hazard it causes--or at least put in a suitable fence to protect children (and yourself from a lawsuit).

 

[oldmarine]

Good point Esther, I put mine in the back yard for me and family to enjoy not the neighborhood and teens that may want to pour soap in my pond. That and the fact that our neighborhood is over run with morroding racoons. I have a six foot vynal fence around my back yard that they can't climb over simply because they can't get a grip on the fence to climb it. Thank GOD!

Happy ponding,

 

[shanezam203]

Where can I buy a filtration unit for a 100 gallon tank?
Thank you for the suggestions,

Shane

 

[rdk]

If i were you I would turn your hippo and turtle right around and pump out 30 gals of water right out of the pond and do a water change now. You might get by with a cheep box filter, for a 100gal pond but it did not work at all for my 300gal pond. I am telling you the truth I only saved my goldfish by doing a water change once a week. You will be surprised to find out how few of all the other problems you find on this forum you will have If you do 20- 30% water change each week. RDK

 

[shanezam203]

Would this 100 gallon filter help?

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/243969/product.web

 

[koikeepr]

I can't vouch for this particular filter, as I've never seen it before. Funny, it looks like the paper shredder sitting under my desk. I guess it looks like it could work.