Plant fertilization

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My goal for my new pond has been a low fish load and high plant load. I want to have about half of the surface covered with plants, but my hyacinth and water lettuce keep dying while the potted plants are fine. I have 3 small koi that are healthy and happy but are probably not producing enough waste to fertilize the floaters. I know that chemical fertilizer is not the preferred method but, to get jump started I was thinking it would be a good idea. At least until the fish get bigger (they are growing well) and my cycle gets started.

I ordered some Laguna Plant-grow which is labeled fish safe. I am going to to give it a shot.

Does my logic seem sound? Any advice or caution before I add something unnatural to my pond?

Thanks.
 

addy1

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I have a large pond, few fish, had to add tabs to the plants to help them out. Not enough fish poop.

If it says fish safe you should be ok, it might cause algae to grow also.
 

fishin4cars

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adding the liguid fert. shouldn't hurt but lets check a few other things first, what size pond, how much surface area, how long has it been set up and running, what are the water parameters, are they in a place that gets lots of water motion or little water motion. what is the water temp. Lots of sun light no sun light, You said you have three small koi, is that all the fish? and what is small? 2" 4" 6" 8" -----24" 30" 36" 48" yes they get that big so saying small can mean a number of different scenerios.... 3- 2" fish is 6" of bio load, 3- 6" fish 18" of bio load. so on and so forth. last what kind of filtering do you use? each question may sound silly put them all together and a bigger picture is drawn to try and make a good choice at the next step of action.
 
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Thanks for the replies.

To answer Fishin's questions:

Pond size: 1200 gal
Surface area: 68 sq ft
Running: 3 months (dechlorinated tap water)
Water parameters: Dome fountain on one end (one end still, one end moving; floating plants struggle on both ends)
Water temp: 82 deg (estimate based upon the swimming pool I was in this weekend)
Sunlight: Full, 8hrs direct per day
Fish Load: 3 koi ( 3"-4" Very lively and healthy)
Filtration: Laguna pressure-flo 3200 25w UV

I have had larger koi (14"+) in a previous pond, which is why I want to stick to 3; no overcrowding. With all the sun the pond gets (and a desire for good balance) I want substantial plant coverage. The trouble is, getting that coverage up through the hottest months with such a low fish waste load. I know it will change (hopefully) with fish growth, but I don't like the exposure it is getting now...it's been 90+ deg for 2 weeks and is not getting any cooler. My hyacinth are pale green with brown edges at the leafs while the lilies are bursting. Lack of nutrients is what I would suspect if they were my garden plants, but it is always nice to check with others that have had ponds and water gardens much longer than I.

I know there is a possibility of an algae bloom, but the hope is that the UV and rapidly growing hyacinth and water lettuce could ward off the attack.

Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!
 

fishin4cars

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Bruddaman said:
Thanks for the replies.

To answer Fishin's questions:

Pond size: 1200 gal
Surface area: 68 sq ft
Running: 3 months (dechlorinated tap water)
Water parameters:**************was looking for PH, nitrite, nitrate ammonia readings
Dome fountain on one end (one end still, one end moving; floating plants struggle on both ends)
Water temp: 82 deg (estimate based upon the swimming pool I was in this weekend)
Sunlight: Full, 8hrs direct per day
Fish Load: 3 koi ( 3"-4" Very lively and healthy)
Filtration: Laguna pressure-flo 3200 25w UV

I have had larger koi (14"+) in a previous pond, which is why I want to stick to 3; no overcrowding. With all the sun the pond gets (and a desire for good balance) I want substantial plant coverage. The trouble is, getting that coverage up through the hottest months with such a low fish waste load. I know it will change (hopefully) with fish growth, but I don't like the exposure it is getting now...it's been 90+ deg for 2 weeks and is not getting any cooler. My hyacinth are pale green with brown edges at the leafs while the lilies are bursting. Lack of nutrients is what I would suspect if they were my garden plants, but it is always nice to check with others that have had ponds and water gardens much longer than I.

I know there is a possibility of an algae bloom, but the hope is that the UV and rapidly growing hyacinth and water lettuce could ward off the attack.

Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

have you tried making some floating rings for the floating plants, I have found and read more and more that for some reason both of these really do better when they are grouped close together, Why? don't really have a clue but looking at my own pond the ones that are growing close together are twice or three times bigger than the ones that are free floating by themselves. A piece of hose with the ends connected to each other to form a floating circle. Cheap and easy to try. can't hurt anything trying to see if that might help. algae bloom means nutrients are there, I feel like adding liquid nutrients to the pond could go either way, It might help kick start the plants but at the same time I'm worried it might kick in a algae bloom, You do have plenty of UV to assist you if the bulbs are in good shape and working properly.
Lily's don't usually get that much nutrient from the water column itself unless the roots are exposed, They get most of their nutrients through the planting media so adding a single tablet of fert, will help it grow faster, The thing with the lily is it gives good surface coverage which will help keep the pond cooler and keep the fish from getting burnt. also the bigger they get the more the roots try and find more food so they will then start using the nutrients more. Right now your needing those floating plants kicking in. Try the floating circle and get the hyacinths together in one and the water lettuce in the other. I'm crossing my fingers but I think that that might be one of the best things you can do to encourage them to grow faster.
 

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I took a floating rope, made a loop, wrapped it around the hyacinth, they started growing like crazy. Have enough rope to make the circle bigger as needed. I am not concerned with fish eating it, no koi.

I have the rope anchored to the side of the pond so I can change the size easily. I started out with 5 plants.

DSC01537.jpg
 
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Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions.

I had the water lettuce gathered together in a ring at the still end of the pond. They looked strong for a couple of weeks and even sent out babies before browning and wilting away. As suggested, I moved the remaining hyacinth to the ring...lets hope that helps.

I ordered the fertilizer, but am going to wait and watch the progress of the hyacinth before adding anything. I'll let you know how it goes....
 

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You may not have enough fishload to support the hungry water lettuce. I have 20 koi in 1500 gallons and I cannot keep up with the growth. By summer end, my WL will be over 12".
 
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Well I took on a 2 prong approach. Built DIY planter rings (thanks to this forum) and added the recommended amount of fertilizer. Hopefully the UV lamp will keep an all out algae explosion from happening. I'll let everybody know how it turns out, for the benefit of others...good or bad!

Dr Dave, 20 koi in 1500 gallons? Is it difficult to keep your pond in balance? Maybe my idea of a "low fish load" is way low. Too low to get the plant coverage I want without adding fertilizer. What would a good balance of fish (koi) per gallons be to provide adequate fertilization but not be overloaded?

Thanks to all.
 

fishin4cars

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Please, be careful when stocking koi, Dr. Dave has many years of experience at keeping Koi. He knows what to watch for, has good filtering and and keeps up with maintance in his pond. It can be done, but if unsure a lighter fish load is safer than a heavy fish load. A good rule of thumb I have used for many years on ponds, 1" of fish per 20 gallons of water. Of course the bigger they get the more the fish load, a 2" Koi in 40 gallons is a fairly light load, a 6" fish in a 120 gallons is a great size fish to tank ratio a 12" koi in a 240 gallon pond is a fairly heavy load, a 24" Koi in a 480 gallon pond is a huge load. not that they can't live in it but the filtering must be able to handle the load.
I keep about 26 Koi in 2500 gallons, But I'm out there every day, I monitor closely and I'm well aware that I will need to get some out soon. I knew this from the time I stocked them. I knew some would change to fish I really liked and some would change to fish I don't like. So parting with some isn't a issue for me. This goes back to the one thing I tell all new pond keepers, the filter is the heart of your system, You have to determine what your pond can handle safely. This is done by testing the water regularly, watching for signs of crowding, and plain experience with keeping a pond and Koi.
 
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Point well taken. I am content with the three and look forward to them growing into large, happy koi. I just would prefer the plants to be fertilized by the fish, without adding chemicals. I'll move slowly towards that balance.

Fishin, as per your formula, 3 fish at 24" is right in the margin. It will just be a couple of years before my 3"-4" fish are there. I may just need to find the right fertilizer and dose or forget about floating plants.

I feel good about my filter, but agree that is not at the level of some of the more serious koi aficionados.
 
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One suggestion I have if I may be so bold is... Take your filter meadum out of the box leave the uv for algae I bet your plant's take off like gang busters.. Your filter is competing with the plant life for nutes if you do like I do no filter other than plant life ( sounds like what you are trying to do with a filter ) strike a balance with said system all is good ... Trust me it will make you one happy ponder to step outta the filter box your water will be clearer than you could imagine..
 

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Years of experience, daily monitoring and a great bio filter. I test my water about once a year and it is always perfect or in the right range.
 
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Re: Plant fertilization-Wrap up

I just wanted to wrap this post up with my results for future ponders using the thread search function.

I pulled out a few Hyacinth and put them in a miracle grow solution for a few days and it did not work for me. They were still dying.

So, with only bits and pieces of Water lettuce and hyacinth that were green, I took the plunge and added fertilizer to the water. I used Laguna Plant Grow, only because I have been pleased with their products in the past. Well, its been a slow recovery, but everyone's on the mend. I even had to build planter rings(thanks koiguy) to keep the koi off the new roots. The 25w UV controlled the algae, although there was a small increase of the sort that clings to pots, lilly stems and the like. I get 8 hrs of full sun and it is all working out fine. I am using longer intervals between doses than recommended just to be on the safe side, but my floating plants were definitely undernourished. All levels are normal and the pond is in harmony.:)

I'll watch things closely and cut back or eliminate chemical fertilizer as soon as the fish size/waste is enough to take care of things naturally.

Thanks to all for the support and suggestions.
 

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