Anyone here in water gardening/koi ponds?

[amheck]

Hi gang,

We just purchased a new house in St. Pete and I think I'm finally going to be able to have a small pond type setup. Definitely on a small scale. I get the Water Gandening catalog from Dr. Fosters and it's pretty overwhelming, just as I assume the saltwater catalog is to someone new to the hobby.

Anyone have any recommendations for a small, easy to care for setup? I wouldn't mind one of the pre-formed black hard liners, and just adding a pump and/or simple filtration system. Just don't know exactly what I should be looking at.

Interested in hearing any of your comments/suggestions.

Thanks!
Aaron

 

[BankerJohn]

I 'had' a small pond and had a real problem with birds eating the fish. With no fish, the pond became a HUGE mosquito breeder. I ended up getting rid of it because of this.

I hope you have better luck that I did.

 

[amheck]

Yeah, with limited space, I won't be able to go for the bigger fish, which are harder to eat, I'd imagine. I was thinking of the smaller fancy goldfish (I guess that's what you can put in a smaller pond?) but those might be easy targets.

Thanks for the info. Something to think about.....

Aaron

 

[BlitzK]

Keep it deep and the bird problem wont be as bad. Waterflow and Mosquito control (mosquito donuts/dunks or pellets) will keep the bugs away.

 

[amheck]

So is something like this enough for smaller ponds? This looks to provide the filtrations as well as water movement via the fountain.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=14214&N=62728+113366

 

[BlitzK]

your best bet is to go visit a few local places that build/sell ponds (not homedepot/lowes)... That will give you a better idea of what works in this area.

I'm by far from the right person to be giving direct advice on what will/wont work for you and your situation.

 

[kabboord]

String some fish line above it in various directions and that should help with the birds.

 

[Mr James]

My folks have a waterfall in their pond to help move the water around. My dad started using "Barley Bales" (made from barley straw) to help rid the pond of unwanted algae. I helped dig that sucker by hand, it was not fun. I am guessing it is around 500g - 600g or so. It's also up in Michigan.

 

[h2joe]

if mosiqutos are a promblem just add some minnows from any local lake or pond and vala no more mosquitos and the breed like rabits so it will take care of your promblem easlily. as for some nice looking fish you could buy the feeder goldfish to start with and then go up to the fancy goldfish. in my eyes a goldfish is a goldfish. but do as you please. good luck with your pond.

Mark

 

[BlitzK]

DONT put minnows or feeder goldfish in your pond, if you plan to do it "right"! The day will come when you want to get rid of them and you'll never be able to do it. If you want to just do it on the cheap and don't plan on putting fancy fish in, feeder goldfish will work.

Barley is also sold now in a juice form, and little plug/pill things. Works great.

 

[gobyone]

Still have my pond free form black plastic. H.D. style works great with pond master filter. Had same prolbem with birds and other varmits eating my stock. But just keeping with feeder fish for now.
Good luck with yours
Rick

 

[adnup]

I got my pond from Sams club. Did they fish thing birds ate them, then the frogs would ummm "ya know" all night , so now we put alittle bleach in it once and a while ,the pond looks great sounds great but nothing alive in there. Some people will say its not a pond BUT it works for me.....

 

[amheck]

Dang....I guess that seems to be a common theme. So is the bottom line you can't have small fish? Only the big 12" monster koi are safe?

Bummer cause I've waited 4-5 years to get a house that could have a pond in the back.

 

[poknsnok]

if it is deep enough the fish can retreat to the deep area. they are pretty smart. My biggest obstacle is water. I want to do a 4000 to 6000 gal pond with plumbing under ground but water changes are a problem unless you get a well. to dig a well in Brandon is 2-4k!!! I had a 1500 gallon pond in miami growing up and it was such a joy! But we had a well and it made water changes easy. In the spring when we did water changes the koi would spawn. it was amazing. But we only had to dig 30 ft.. here you have to dig 200 ft to be safe..

 

[PelagicMagic]

Make sure that the location of the pond is at a higher elevation that the rest of your yard so that when it rains the water will be able to drain and not pop up your liner. Slate around the rim w/limestone looks nice. Digging a hole near the pond and filling it with small gravel/rocks aids in drainage. I would go with pvc liner with a liner pad underneath. The perform ponds are a pain overtime and never look natural.
fake herons work well at keeping other herons away. I use nets and a motion sensor water sprayer. Also give them a place to hide such as a fish box. Mosquito minnows don't hurt water quality and keep the larva at bay. Your main concern is raccoons, which are notorious for killing koi. Make sure you have proper water surface action I.E waterfalls if you plan on a high fish load. I wouldnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t go shallower than 4' if you plan on koi. Get some lilies from a garden center that specialize in koi that will also give them some hiding spots and shade. I buy koi from pets unlimited, which also stocks ponds and liners. They are in Clearwater. good luck

 

[tylerjames19211]

Congrats on the new house, Aaron! For a small pond, I’d recommend starting with a pre-formed black liner—it makes setup super easy. A simple pump and filtration system should be enough to keep things running smoothly. If you're thinking about adding plants like lilies, check out this article on the pros and cons of lily pads in your pond here. They can be a great addition, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into. Keep it simple, and enjoy the process!