IS Ponding a dying hobby?

[Paultergeist]

Personally, I think there are some unbelievely nice wakins, comets and shunbunkins fish out there that can give the koi sold in pet stores a run for their money. Sure, goldfish do not get as big as a carp and, even though I am Texan where folk say "bigger is better", I do not entirely agree with it. Koi keeping has a long history of prestige and breeding and this is why I think there is much money out their involved with them. I would not mind at all having a big pond of 10~14" very nice looking goldfish eventhough they are not the size of a buick. The very nice goldfish from Hawaii have a tremendous shipping cost and I would definitely pay it to have one of their nice goldfish.

Good point, Charles. Imagine for a moment just how many more beautiful goldfish varieties would be available if "goldfish" had developed the same level of cult following as had been associated with Koi?

In my opinion, a contributing factor is the use of language itself. People -- often who don't know any better -- believe that they want a "Koi pond" (I hear this frequently) when what they are really want is a small, natural-looking water feature with plants and pretty fish. While such a water feature may include Koi, true Koi are known to be pretty hard on plants, Koi can get seriously large, Koi are messy and can provide a challenge to the water quality, etc, etc. I often believe that when a novice states that they want to put a "Koi pond" in their backyard, their desires/intentions would be better realized through a smaller backyard water feature with plants and goldfish.

But.......Koi are where the big money is in the backyard pond arena....while goldfish are largely dismissed by the *serious* ponders....so.....

 

[HARO]

All part of the "Bigger is better" mentality that has taken over our society! Worldwide, goldfish probably have a bigger following than koi, but in North America we have to have 3,000 square foot houses, a Hummer in the driveway for running to the corner store, a 3500 Dually for driving to work, and so on. If koi grow to 3' long, and goldfish barely reach a foot, then koi MUST be better! :bowdown:
John

 

[Litzi1964]

I think there are a lot of people who simply wouldn't be able to manage a pond of 1000 gallons or more. I know I wouldn't. Many people wouldn't 1) have a large enough property, 2) have the physical ability to do that much digging and installation, 3) want to spend on equipment and materials for a large pond, and 4) wouldn't have the time, physical ability or expertise to maintain a large pond.

My retired MIL lives in a rural area of NW Indiana. She has a large property and three ponds totalling 12,000 gallons that are connected by waterfalls. Her (also retired) husband worked construction for many years. I, on the other hand, have 2 schoolage kids and work 2 jobs. My husband got laid off in 2008 so I'm the wage earner. Maybe someday I'll have the time and money for something more elaborate, but for now my 350 gallon pond is just right for me.

 

[slakker]

My FIL lives on about 10 acres in the north and really wants a pond. He has a bobcat and a excavator and actually dug a BIG hole one spring. But he doesn't know the first thing about ponds and was so disappointed when the spring run off that filled his "pond" disappeared by early summer. If they lived closer, I would help him build a MASSIVE pond, that would be fun using his "diggers".

 

[waynefrcan]

YEs they are bigger and better, it's in the colors man the colors. I have a beauty one which is silver metallic [Hikari} striped with grey and black from head to tail fin.

And you need more space for them to stay healthy = bigger pond.

All part of the "Bigger is better" mentality that has taken over our society! Worldwide, goldfish probably have a bigger following than koi, but in North America we have to have 3,000 square foot houses, a Hummer in the driveway for running to the corner store, a 3500 Dually for driving to work, and so on. If koi grow to 3' long, and goldfish barely reach a foot, then koi MUST be better! :bowdown:
John

 

[waynefrcan]

I often wondered then how or why does a natural slough or small ponds hold the water forever under normal rain sun conditions?

My FIL lives on about 10 acres in the north and really wants a pond. He has a bobcat and a excavator and actually dug a BIG hole one spring. But he doesn't know the first thing about ponds and was so disappointed when the spring run off that filled his "pond" disappeared by early summer. If they lived closer, I would help him build a MASSIVE pond, that would be fun using his "diggers".

 

[slakker]

I often wondered then how or why does a natural slough or small ponds hold the water forever under normal rain sun conditions?

The pond/koi guy I go to regularly has a natural mud pond fed with an artesian spring. I think the physics/hydro dynamics is simple enough... little more (or same once static) water going in than water out, you can keep a natural pond.

In my FIL case, the soil is not clay (or less porous material), no spring/stream to feed it so he loses all water from the thaw and not enough rain to keep it.

 

[sissy]

I think the reason most think it is dieing ,like others have said on here ,they think it has to be expensive or lots of work to maintain .They want easy fixes to water quality problems and there really are none .It all takes time ,you rush on anything you either fail or it costs you to fix the mistakes you made .If you start out slow and not have to have every fancy thing they sell out there you will make it .Only thing they do is bring in dollars for the person selling them and they don't care if your fish die they will just sell you more .I go with tried and true things and they worked for my dad they work for me .I even at first forgot about lava rock until I looked at some of my dads old papers and caught the bill he kept for the lava rock he bought for our pond .He even stated on the bill guy says it will work and it better .It was a month after we moved into the house and dad cut back weeds and found the pond in the middle of what was going to be his organic farm .I remember how excited my dad was by the find .I was just shy of my 10th birthday and what work it was to bring it back to the beauty it was .I wish I had pics but they were not big on taking pics of stuff .

 

[slakker]

I agree on the rushing part... we have a saying in salt-water aquariums... "keeping a reef tank is like driving a race car, the faster you go, the harder you crash"... LOL... But I'm guilty of rushing ALL the time!

 

[sissy]

U built my new pond and waited over 2 moths to move my fish from the old pond and every time I did a water change on the old pond that water got put in the new pond .I guess I'm to careful .Every thing gets cleaned before it goes in my pond and has to wait a month before it goes in ,even plants .