I'm going to wait until the summer, after I've had time to build the new extension. My plan will be to pump water from the existing pond to the extension. I'll let the pond level drop on all plant shelves as well as the bog garden.
Some of the mosquito fish will most likely be stranded as the water level drops. If at all possible, I'll save these fish and transfer them to the extension.
Once the water level drops, the fish will be confined to a smaller area ... and I'm hoping that I'll be able to hunt wade through the pond and net the remaining mosquito fish.
The only other alternative I can think of is to net the koi, hold them temporarily in the pond extension, and drain out the main pond entirely. Netted mosquito fish could be held in an aquarium and sadly, the rest would die.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
In the meanwhile, I'm planning to build the extension perpendicular to the existing pond. I haven't decided whether I want to build a partially raised pond with a brickwork exterior or whether it'll be set in the ground.
The new pond will be roughly 20 feet long and only 6 feet wide. It's primary purpose will be to act as a bog garden for edible aquatic plants like water chestnuts, cress, mint, and cattails.
If I build a raised pond, I think I could put some sort of filtering medium over the drainage holes that would allow water to drain through a mini-waterfall that would feed a creek connecting back to the main pond.
I'm also thinking about moving my bedroom to the back patio. The back patio is actually an unfinished room that's open on two sides but roofed over.
A few weeks ago, I saw a program on HGTV that talked about open bedrooms and/or bedrooms that looked out onto ponds. One of the most interesting rooms I saw was a summer bedroom in a gazebo like structure with bamboo blinds. The foot of the bed faced a pond with a tall cascading waterfall.
My bedroom would be more functional and would simply incorporate a large window that fronts the pond. A back door would also give me access to the backyard.
