SC-Koi

[SC-Koi]

Hello, Im new to the Group I started my Water Garden 8months ago. I Have stocked it with Koi. Having a lot of problems with the water not clearing.

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the Forum

 

[sissy]

welcome and you can use a basket with quilt batting to pick up all the fine stuff .I use it in a basket on top of my filters to catch all the fine algae and everything else .Once I get it clean then I just keep up with it to keep it clean .I just put y hose from the pump into the basket .I sometimes put a filter on top of the quilt batting to pick up the heavy stuff first .

 

[Fishylove]

Welcome SC Koi :wave:
Listen to sissy, she's got it down pat.

 

[capewind]

Welcome to the group! Can you tell us all more about your pond? How many gallons? How many fish (average size)? What are you presently running for filtration? UV or no? (There are folks on both sides of the fence here for that one)... Have you tested your water? The more you can tell us, the most effective help you shall receive

 

[sissy]

by small pic it looks like a good sized pond and what kind of filter do you have .

 

[addy1]

to the group!

 

[SC-Koi]

My Pond is 4200, No UV Lights. Filter system DIY BIO Filter, 50gal Drum 1.5hp moter. Fromt he bottom of the drum I have lava rock, large sponge, layer of lava rock, large sponge, layer of river pebbles, several smaller sponges, door screen, and more lava rock. I just added more pics to view. Thank you guys for everything. , and i do feel welcome!

 

[sissy]

I found adding lots of plants to the filter really help and grasses in the pond clean even better .Colleen told me about the grasses and I have loved them in my pond and gush do they suck up the gunk .I use lava rock also but have open filters for plants to float around in the top this way they eat up and clean the water before it goes down into the filter .I am amazed at how well this idea has worked for me this year .I am putting in an oval stock tank as a filter where my round one is now so I have even more room for plants in the filters .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes BIG WELCOME!!

I see no hardy winter plants that can help big time. Get some good sedges, like rushes, cat-tails, water Irises and grasses all will work good, and even better once they get growing. look for winter hardy sedges and start some up as soon as possible. Sedges are best at photosynthesis filtration.

If you have lots of fish, ensure that there is good water movement and filteration. Make sure that you are not over feeding fish... if there is left over fish food floating on the pond 2 minutes after feeding, you have over feed, that is the general rule. It is best to feed small amounts more frequently than one or two large amounts, Also if your water is cold, below 50, I would not feed the fish at all!
They won't starve, trust me!

Extra pumps and filtration may be required if current filter not keeping up.

Saw your fish pictures, you got some very nice looking KOI, lots of color! Nice floating plants last summer! Now you just need hardy pond plants that continue to clean long after the tropical floaters die off!

Here is a picture of my very large water Iris, it's a Yellow Flag Iris, and cleans very well late into the season, it takes several very hard frosts before it even thinks about dieing off....

 

[Eric]

Really needs lots more filtration if you are going to have koi growing in it.....I'm.running out the door, but this should definitely be one of your most important winter projects. To clear the pond now, batting is fine. No amount of batting will keep your existing set up clear with (without a crazy amount of maintenance), when the water warms.

Welcome!

Eric

 

[SC-Koi]

Guys, Thanks a bunch all make sense. Godbless the people who work at some of the pet stores, but some know enough to create and cause more problems. Big help I'm looking for the plants on line at this time. Local Farmers Market do not have any "Pond Plants".

 

[j.w]

SC-Koi
Glad to see ya here :razz:
Some here share plants for trade or postage come Springtime if you can wait that long
Right now most floating plants are all going nite, nite but you could prolly find the grasses (sedges) at your local box stores and they do wonderful in your pond. I'm gonna look for Lemon Grass,Ribbon Grass,Strawberries and Cream,Fountain Grass, Wool Grass and Blue Cotton Grass all suggested by members here. I don't have a lot yet but have this sedge I really love and bought it at Lowes:

Have it on top of my falls filter


and this one in a pedestal pot

 

[callingcolleen1]

You could look at the local greenhouses and pick up a one if they have any left, even if they have done dormant, you could plant them up in baskets lined with brown paper and simple plain kitty litter, no fancy smelly toxic stuff. Then place in the pond with just barley any water over the top of the basket, that way the koi can't get in to rip plant out. Make sure the baskets are large enough to stop the koi from knocking over of wind blowing them over. Once the sedges get growing in the spring, they can get very large once established. In about two years you should have big clumps that won,t blow over or move. You can also place or stack large rocks around the plant basket to secure the basket if necessary. Eventually they will outgrow the basket (big sedges) and in the case of my yellow flag, "bust out" of its basket 20 years ago and I just pealed the old basket away. It is no longer "contained" in any basket and is just a large root balk clump, no soil anymore, that floats at the end of my "middle pond" and the fish love to winter under the roots. Plants are so good for the pond, once you have lots of big clumps of hardy mature pond plants, the pond will be more "carefree"!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Wow JW I never saw tHoSe pictures! Very nice clumps of the miniture sweet flag (varigated). I did see other pictures of your sweet flags, they look like nice mature clumps! Does that parrot feather come back outside where you live?