Going for it! phase one 12,000 gallon pond.

[combatwombat]

I'm looking at the backwash hose and feel like there has to be a Viagra joke in there somewhere. I'm gonna workshop it for a bit. Be back later.

 

[GBBUDD]

it is the ONLY BLUE in this house other than blue jeans , but it swings right out of the way or can easily be removed and folded up in the corner. it is supported by of all things arm fork truck straps it is swung over the back garage door and the arm inserts fit the 3" line. the lemgth was perfect didn't have to alter anything and they too just slide out of the way so while it may not be all the pretty, but its functional and quick and easy to move a side i do a weekly backflush

 

[Pablo]

God it is so hard to resist a comment tying your last two posts to @combatwombat post. It is too easy, plus this is a G rated forum.

 

[GBBUDD]

Well as they say careful what you ask for. With my koi all being 6 inches plus plus. I thought it would be nice to add a smaller species that would scho and would give some movement and something g to keep the eye busy in the shallows. Five years ago I started with neon's I figured they would stick out just enough for a nice visual. Well as expected they did not survive the winter in 6b but what wasn't expected was they didn't stay up at the surface. They spent all their time toward the bottom at 6 feet.

So I switched to an orange/ peach feeder minnows. I think i added 50. That first year was perfect all but 8 of them did not make the winter being perfect population. Control.
Those 8 over the spring. Summer and fall became a 3 or 4 hundred. Far more than I wanted.

So here we are in winter again and this year was more a old school winter. The pond has 12 inches plus of ice and another 5 inches of crusty snow.
By the time I got a hole cut in to clean the camera lens what did I see HINDREDS OF MINNOWS not the nice 8 adults like last year. But hundress of them.

I've. Mentioned to others when they asked what to do about baby koi. So looks like I'll be taking my own advice a catching a sunfish bluegill or like. Male is a must as I want just the one for them to eat the minnows.i can only hope I'm not jumping in with both feet the next nightmare.

 

[ATP]

Well as they say careful what you ask for. With my koi all being 6 inches plus plus. I thought it would be nice to add a smaller species that would scho and would give some movement and something g to keep the eye busy in the shallows. Five years ago I started with neon's I figured they would stick out just enough for a nice visual. Well as expected they did not survive the winter in 6b but what wasn't expected was they didn't stay up at the surface. They spent all their time toward the bottom at 6 feet.

So I switched to an orange/ peach feeder minnows. I think i added 50. That first year was perfect all but 8 of them did not make the winter being perfect population. Control.
Those 8 over the spring. Summer and fall became a 3 or 4 hundred. Far more than I wanted.

So here we are in winter again and this year was more a old school winter. The pond has 12 inches plus of ice and another 5 inches of crusty snow.
By the time I got a hole cut in to clean the camera lens what did I see HINDREDS OF MINNOWS not the nice 8 adults like last year. But hundress of them.

I've. Mentioned to others when they asked what to do about baby koi. So looks like I'll be taking my own advice a catching a sunfish bluegill or like. Male is a must as I want just the one for them to eat the minnows.i can only hope I'm not jumping in with both feet the next nightmare.

Were the minnows you added Rosy Reds/Tuffies? I have some of those currently in a quarntine tank with the plan to add them to the pond in the Spring.

 

[GBBUDD]

No these were simple feeder guppies here in the north east. But i have seen many say they do survive 6b winters. My issue with the roses is that they are hard to see in a pond unlike an orange fish be it no more than 3 inches long and skinny

 

[ATP]

No these were simple feeder guppies here in the north east. But i have seen many say they do survive 6b winters. My issue with the roses is that they are hard to see in a pond unlike an orange fish be it no more than 3 inches long and skinny

Interesting. Yes, I woud consider the guppies more a tropical variety. The Rosies are actually a light orange. I think they will be a good addition. They school, are always out in the open and obviously cant breed with the koi. Hopefully, if I ever get a Heron or similar they will go after the Rosies rather than the Koi. We will see. I have gotten them before, but since they are sold as feeders, they are usually disease ridden and develop cancerous like growths and die in quarantine. This current batch seems much more robust.

 

[GBBUDD]

Do these look like your Rosie's

 

[ATP]

Do these look like your Rosie's

Love the camera! Yes, they actually do. They are actually just colored flat head minnows, I believe. Your Koi dont eat them? My koi seem to eat anything they can fit in their mouth. Like you said, if they get out of hand, could probably add a blugill or catfish. That might actually be fun. I do alot of fishing in the summer, so could just bring something home.

 

[addy1]

Just a few!

 

[GBBUDD]

Catching unwanted fish.

While temps are still cool in the pond. after last week finding the ice a foor thick i had left the air running below the ice and have moved it as the air cut through. More than half the ice is now gone plus having above freezing temps have hel[ed but i can see an easy 8 iching thick still in some places.
Now you may ask why bother? I had one fish die over the winter so i wanted to retrieve him and of course he was at the bottom. well that worked well the ice retreated and i was able to ge3t the fish. So while i was at it i decided to try and catch a few of the minnows that EXPLODE in numbers over the summer. I was able to pull a good 50 or so out seeing at the water is cold their reactions are much slower as is there speed.

 

[GBBUDD]

One year latter after a nano bead filter was added, i have not done a clean out but i have made a couple changes. i use to think sinking food was a bad idea now i know that koi will move mountains in order to get a scrap of food , thus stirring up the bottom constantly. so and waste that settled on the bottom is now kicked up and has another chance to be pulled into the main drain. This video is of the pond early April 2025 at night , water is as clear as could ever be

 

[Pablo]

One year latter after a nano bead filter was added, i have not done a clean out but i have made a couple changes. i use to think sinking food was a bad idea now i know that koi will move mountains in order to get a scrap of food , thus stirring up the bottom constantly. so and waste that settled on the bottom is now kicked up and has another chance to be pulled into the main drain. This video is of the pond early April 2025 at night , water is as clear as could ever be

Very nice. Of course if you built your bog correctly you would not have had to install a big fancy nano bead filter for nice clear water. But not everyone can be a pond master like me.
(yes, I know now I will have to take the long way around CT tomorrow when we take our daughter to Vassar for the admitted students day)

 

[GBBUDD]

Bog always worked great i want to remove some of the solids. The bog gets fed Half the load from the pond . From the pump the line splits half to each. But when the bead starts to back up my return jets slow down the output meaning more goes to the bog. So it's all about having a back up in my opinion ok so I have back up for my back ups back up. Good chance I may sell the bakki shower. Two bogs a nano bead and a bakki is a little over kill but I wanted to oxygenated the wTer going to the bottom of the bog. I guess I could have done so with an air pump. But I was thinking of using the same energy not adding to it. Also I'm not sure if a bog can achieve Polishing the water. Once you have seen enough ponds you can tell the diference.

 

[Pablo]

Bog always worked great i want to remove some of the solids. The bog gets fed Half the load from the pond . From the pump the line splits half to each. But when the bead starts to back up my return jets slow down the output meaning more goes to the bog. So it's all about having a back up in my opinion ok so I have back up for my back ups back up. Good chance I may sell the bakki shower. Two bogs a nano bead and a bakki is a little over kill but I wanted to oxygenated the wTer going to the bottom of the bog. I guess I could have done so with an air pump. But I was thinking of using the same energy not adding to it. Also I'm not sure if a bog can achieve Polishing the water. Once you have seen enough ponds you can tell the diference.

Better reaction than I thought. Was fully expecting you to send me a map route outlining exactly where I could go ending in a place that begins with "H".