floating planter rings

[mrsclem]

I use the plastic hardware cloth over my water lily pots. They are planted in square 12" pots with the plastic mesh over the top. It keeps the koi from uprooting them, however, depending on the size of your koi, they can still grab leaves and destroy plants. I have several baskets that are floating because the koi have dumped the rocks out of the baskets.

 

[dieselplower]

I put my hyacinth and lettuce in the buckets that come from Lowes of Home Depot that plants come in. Many float, but not all. They have some holes in them already and you can poke more in them easily for good flow. Also, free...

 

[jmajid]

koiguy1969: thanks for the original post - tried these out this weekend - worked out real well...
using one to train the fish to eat food from - seems to be working so far...
now to find floater plants!

 

[lizzy]

you could also use a hula hup that they sell at dollar stores but they only sell them early summer course Walmart carries them also then just add netting you can buy gargen netting real cheap but I don't think it will last more then one season before giving way Im always looking for cheap seems like im spend a lot money on my pond

 

[lizzy]

You have an opposing option for not getting food in the skimmer, which is simply create the ring and throw it in the pond (without plants in it). When you feed your fish, you throw the food into the middle of the empty ring so that the fish feed from there. The food stays right in the ring and never gets into the skimmer and the fish are more tan happy to eat the food that is within the ring.

I use the same ring and have all my plants in it, but mine is just the ring and has no mesh on the bottom. My koi really don't do damage to my plants, so it's not a problem for me.

I did that actuallt have 2 hula hoos I feed the goldfish in one and the koi in the other course not much keeps milly the koi to snag the goldfishs food also since she is qute big and they scurry as she approaches they have learned to eat very fast

 

[ND pond]

I have two of those rings in my pond. Works well. You can see them in the picture as water lettuce and hycinths are proliferating well in them!

 

[Panzer13]

This is a great idea! I think I may build something like a floating corral my floating plants. I don't care if the goldfish munch on them. But it would be nice if I could keep them from blocking light to my underwater plants.

 

[sherry]

I have mostly water lettuce but this past summer I introduced hyacinth again and it took over my upper pond. I had so many of each, I was filling trash cans every Sunday after the weekend buyers stopped comming. It has been a great way to offset the cost of the water, electricity, food and maintenance on hardware.

Having that many plants and my Doc Bio Filter sure helps keep the algae problems to a minimum.

The down side to all the plants is; I don't get to see my Koi very often.

Sorry being very late to this. I have a $15000 gallon pool now as pea soup. Is it possible for me to clear it up with Doc Bio Filter? Where can I find detailed DIY instructions? Thank you!