My Pond in PA

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Nice I'm sure that court yard you have created echos sounds of the waterfall. A very peaceful looking back yard. Here's a little video of my hidden paradise
 
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TheFishGuy

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Wonderful! Also, what a nice collection of fish! (y)
 
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Very nice ponds and fish!
Thank you. These are newly raised over the past 3 years. Unfortunately, (no one knows why), after a thunderstorm a few years ago I lost about 15 large Koi. What was ironic, is several other friends had lost some as well.
 
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Absolutely gorgeous pond and setting - so peaceful!

I'm going to be nosy here and suggest your fish loss may have been due to an overloaded pond. I obviously can't tell how many gallons you have in your pond from the photos, but you do appear to have a good number of large koi. Every pond has a limit, and sometimes that limit is hit when the fish get just a tiny bit bigger. The thunderstorm may have changed the pH in the water just enough to push your pond over the edge and kill your fish. A rapid change in pH will kill fish almost instantly. I don't know the exact science behind the change (I believe it has to do with atmospheric pressure more than the actual rain, but I could be mis-remembering).

Sometimes I feel really hesitant to post this kind of comment as it can come across as critical - it's not. I would just hate to not say anything and have the same thing happen to you again. I've lost a whole pond full of big koi and know how hard that is.
 
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Absolutely gorgeous pond and setting - so peaceful!

I'm going to be nosy here and suggest your fish loss may have been due to an overloaded pond. I obviously can't tell how many gallons you have in your pond from the photos, but you do appear to have a good number of large koi. Every pond has a limit, and sometimes that limit is hit when the fish get just a tiny bit bigger. The thunderstorm may have changed the pH in the water just enough to push your pond over the edge and kill your fish. A rapid change in pH will kill fish almost instantly. I don't know the exact science behind the change (I believe it has to do with atmospheric pressure more than the actual rain, but I could be mis-remembering).

Sometimes I feel really hesitant to post this kind of comment as it can come across as critical - it's not. I would just hate to not say anything and have the same thing happen to you again. I've lost a whole pond full of big koi and know how hard that is.
I don't view your comments as negative. I feel the reason for forums is to get knowledge and ideas from other. "Not one of us is as smart as all of us!" Yes.....it may have been pH. In addition, my power was off and the falls had stopped for a period of time. A local pond place also stated it may have reduced oxygen levels as well. The smaller fish survived. The pond is about 1,500 gallons.
 
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1500 gallons is small for koi - just something to be aware of as they grow. You can carry a bigger bio load in a pond IF you have heavy duty filtration. But a garden style eco-pond will struggle to support koi as they gain size and weight.

Here's an interesting chart that I like to share that compares the waste output of fish as they grow. In particular pay attention to the difference between say 6-3 inch goldfish and one 18 inch koi:

 
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1500 gallons is small for koi - just something to be aware of as they grow. You can carry a bigger bio load in a pond IF you have heavy duty filtration. But a garden style eco-pond will struggle to support koi as they gain size and weight.

Here's an interesting chart that I like to share that compares the waste output of fish as they grow. In particular pay attention to the difference between say 6-3 inch goldfish and one 18 inch koi:

Thank you for the info. I have actually been very lucky. The majority of my Koi were only a few inches long when I purchased them. I built my filter into the side of the bank. It is a 35 gallon plastic drum that contains lingerie bags filled with lava rock. It is topped with a few lingerie bags of small river pebbles. I also have a pre-filter with media. The water pumps into a vertical piece of PVC with holes in the bottom. The water rises thru the bags and returns into my pond as the waterfall thru a hole in the side of the drum.
 

TheFishGuy

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I forgot to ask, what type of rock did you use in the stacked waterfall? it looks nice and I am looking for something like that for my own pond!
 
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I forgot to ask, what type of rock did you use in the stacked waterfall? it looks nice and I am looking for something like that for my own pond!
Crazy story. I have a friend that owns a farm. There was an old barn on the property that he wanted to tear down. The barn was torn down and the limestone foundation remained. He hired a guy to remove the limestone. I asked to purchased some of the stone. He told me to just pay the dump truck driver to take it away. I paid $20/load and had a few loads delivered to my house. In my area in PA, limestone is very prevalent.
 

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