My goldfish pond

[Gemma]

I don't think koi are difficult fish to keep, taking that one start out with a healthy specimen, and feeds it a decent diet, the rest should be no different than caring for goldfish
I have read that some Japanese koi are less tolerant of cold temps than domestic koi, but I have no way to verify that

 

[CometKeith]

When we left Chicago yesterday I looked for the new Koi. It was very motionless sitting by the edge of the pond. All the other fish were slowly swimming around even though it was pretty cold. I hope he is going to be okay. Maybe it was too much of a shock to come to this weather from the West Coast? None of the other fish seemed to mind the cold as much. Actually it was 75 degrees the day I ordered it but temps had dropped considerably since then. I think it's a Japanese Koi if that makes a difference.

 

[Lisak1]

I hope he will be OK @CometKeith . Koi are pretty hardy fish, but anything is possible. I know I wanted to lay down and die yesterday when that cold wind hit my face walking in to work! This is the time of year when I start asking my husband - WHY DO WE LIVE HERE AGAIN??

P.S. I think the reports about koi being picky fish and hard to care for are greatly exaggerated. I have seen so many garden/eco ponds with koi living happily in them for many, many years with minimal care. I think the fussy koi people wanna believe they have to do all that work so they make it sound like their fish wouldn't survive without constant care. If that's the case, why are they so worried about koi being released into the wild? A fussy fish would just die. A koi will thrive!

 

[sissy]

It depends on where you live how easy it is to take care of koi .I feel the more aeration in the pond the easier it and as the pond gets more established it gets easier .Koi just poo a lot and that is the reason part of my pump hose goes to pvc with holes drilled in it at the bottom of the pond.That helps keep the bottom cleaner

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I hope he will be OK @CometKeith . Koi are pretty hardy fish, but anything is possible. I know I wanted to lay down and die yesterday when that cold wind hit my face walking in to work! This is the time of year when I start asking my husband - WHY DO WE LIVE HERE AGAIN??

P.S. I think the reports about koi being picky fish and hard to care for are greatly exaggerated. I have seen so many garden/eco ponds with koi living happily in them for many, many years with minimal care. I think the fussy koi people wanna believe they have to do all that work so they make it sound like their fish wouldn't survive without constant care. If that's the case, why are they so worried about koi being released into the wild? A fussy fish would just die. A koi will thrive!

Considering the reality of the natural world, this is a quite accurate assessment. Koi (Cyprinus carpio) along with Goldfish, Tilapia and a few others are one of the most widely adaptable species of fish in existence, This adaptability is what drives their ability to move from one aquatic environment to another and thrive, It is also what has placed them on the nuisance or invasive specie list in most locales.
For all of the pampering that is advocated as necessary in the care of these fish, they are, in reality, at their happiest clustered around the outflow of a waste water treatment plant.

 

[Gemma]

When we left Chicago yesterday I looked for the new Koi. It was very motionless sitting by the edge of the pond. All the other fish were slowly swimming around even though it was pretty cold. I hope he is going to be okay. Maybe it was too much of a shock to come to this weather from the West Coast? None of the other fish seemed to mind the cold as much. Actually it was 75 degrees the day I ordered it but temps had dropped considerably since then. I think it's a Japanese Koi if that makes a difference.

I believe if that fish was healthy to begin with, it's going to be fine!
When I had my pond redone last Summer (2016), I had to put all my koi in a kid pool in the garage, and what my poor koi went through, is far worse than what your koi had to adjust to, yet all of mine did fine!
.... we're talking shallow water, in 3 digit weather ...ammonia spikes higher than the test could read, and sudden shifts in water temperatures going from warm to ice cold (refill from the well), and this went on DAILY for a couple of weeks yet I didn't lose a single fish!

 

[Lisak1]

For all of the pampering that is advocated as necessary in the care of these fish, they are, in reality, at their happiest clustered around the outflow of a waste water treatment plant.

I love this visual @Meyer Jordan ! Maybe that's why they poop so much... trying to reproduce their happy place!

Every time I hear "koi are difficult" I'm like REALLY? No. Like anything else, use common sense. Have the right sized pond for the number of fish you plan to keep, don't overfeed, keep the water moving, add lots of plants and they'll be FINE.

 

[CometKeith]

I believe if that fish was healthy to begin with, it's going to be fine!
When I had my pond redone last Summer (2016), I had to put all my koi in a kid pool in the garage, and what my poor koi went through, is far worse than what your koi had to adjust to, yet all of mine did fine!
.... we're talking shallow water, in 3 digit weather ...ammonia spikes higher than the test could read, and sudden shifts in water temperatures going from warm to ice cold (refill from the well), and this went on DAILY for a couple of weeks yet I didn't lose a single fish!

We came back this afternoon just after the sun set. I was able to go out to the pond and see the new fish with the light from my phone. It was sitting pretty motionless on one of the highest shelves. There was a shubunkin I have had for a long time sitting not far away on the same shelf just moving it's fins ever so slightly. I'm hoping everything is okay with the new Koi. It would be nice if things warmed up a little so I could see how it was moving. I think it's supposed to get a little warmer the end of the week. I have never added a new fish so late in the season. I guess the warm spell made me think it wasn't going to get cold very fast but it did. I'm definitely not buying any more Koi at least this year!

 

[addy1]

I hope it makes it ok Keith

 

[qclabrat]

I've always wanted koi but after finding out that my adopted fish were just GF, I'm perfectly content at the moment to stick with them. We travel quite a bit so the feeding would be an issue. We also have a dog, but friends and family help us out there, but fish are not that easy, unless someone is willing to come by.

Which got me thinking. Despite just having GF, I'd like to monitor the pond conditions when gone for a few weeks. Are there wifi gadgets which can check for basic things like temp, pH and maybe even ammonia levels? I guess I could use a cam, but its problem hard to tell if they are under stress with just a video, and sometimes it may be too late once the symptoms set in.

 

[audioenvy]

Which got me thinking. Despite just having GF, I'd like to monitor the pond conditions when gone for a few weeks. Are there wifi gadgets which can check for basic things like temp, pH and maybe even ammonia levels? I guess I could use a cam, but its problem hard to tell if they are under stress with just a video, and sometimes it may be too late once the symptoms set in.

What you need is the Seneye Pond Pack. It monitors all three of those things and can send email/text alerts if any of those things reach custom-defined unacceptable levels. There's also an iPhone app that lets you see the current levels wherever you are.

Oh and it can also send you out-of-water alerts if the water level drops enough that the device is out of water.

 

[sissy]

I bought the security camera off ebay .89 dollars but now 59 dollars foe elec system and happy with them .I can access them on my phone and my tablet and my home computer .4 cameras .

 

[sissy]

Taken this morning

 

[Lisak1]

I guess the warm spell made me think it wasn't going to get cold very fast but it did

Just remember @CometKeith - water temps drop much slower than air temps. Your pond probably didn't go down more than a few degrees, if at all those first few days. Mine is still measuring above 50 degrees at the surface, even with the cold and blustery days we had this weekend and today. Our fish have all been hovering at the surface - I think they are absorbing the last of the sunshine - they know what's coming!

 

[CometKeith]

Just remember @CometKeith - water temps drop much slower than air temps. Your pond probably didn't go down more than a few degrees, if at all those first few days. Mine is still measuring above 50 degrees at the surface, even with the cold and blustery days we had this weekend and today. Our fish have all been hovering at the surface - I think they are absorbing the last of the sunshine - they know what's coming!

Lisak. You are totally right. I used to check the temps of my old pond and haven't done it since I moved and built the new pond. I should dig up my old thermometer and see what the water temperatures are actually at. I kinda figure it's always lagging the air temps but can't say exactly what it is. Well i saw the new Koi just sitting on a shelf one step down this morning. It wasn't moving. I grabbed a net and bumped it. It jumped and swam away. So yey everything was okay. I saw it this afternoon motionless again this time two steps down. I just left it alone. I didn't see the other two Koi and they are probably hanging out somewhere too. I'm wondering if cold affects Koi more than goldfish?

I've always wanted koi but after finding out that my adopted fish were just GF, I'm perfectly content at the moment to stick with them. We travel quite a bit so the feeding would be an issue. We also have a dog, but friends and family help us out there, but fish are not that easy, unless someone is willing to come by.

Which got me thinking. Despite just having GF, I'd like to monitor the pond conditions when gone for a few weeks. Are there wifi gadgets which can check for basic things like temp, pH and maybe even ammonia levels? I guess I could use a cam, but its problem hard to tell if they are under stress with just a video, and sometimes it may be too late once the symptoms set in.

Q. I have always stuck with goldfish until just recently. They are much easier to care for. A lot of people on GPF rush to get Koi when starting a new pond and I always recommend against it just because they are taking on too much bio-load. We travel quite a bit and are trying to travel more so I might be interested in something to watch my pond too.

What you need is the Seneye Pond Pack. It monitors all three of those things and can send email/text alerts if any of those things reach custom-defined unacceptable levels.

Audio. Just curious. What do you use to take pictures with?