Ponds in Canada

[cas]

I just love looking at your pond Colleen. So how many pumps are you using? I see some of the ponds have multiple areas where the water is coming into them. Do you have all the water pumped from the bottom pond up to the top pond?

 

[callingcolleen1]

I just love looking at your pond Colleen. So how many pumps are you using? I see some of the ponds have multiple areas where the water is coming into them. Do you have all the water pumped from the bottom pond up to the top pond?

I have three pumps at the bottom, one that carries water to the second pond from the bottom, one fancy little skimmer box and other 20 year old round skimmer that creates an under water current in bottom pond.

Second next upper lever pond, has one bigger pump that takes water to the very top pond and spins one of the two tri-colored balls.

Third upper level pond where the two biggest oldest koi live, has another big pump that carries water to the top level pond and spins the second tri-colored ball in top pond. The biggest 20 inch stainless steel ball spins in this pond, where the water comes out from the top level pond.

I have a total of six stainless steel balls that spin.
- One 12 inch stainless steel ball spins in the bottom pond water way.
- Two stainless steel balls in second upper level pond { one 10 inch where the hose come out, and a small 6 inch in the water way from the next level pond.
- one big 20 inch stainless steel ball in third pond, and
- two tri-colored 12 inch stainless steel balls in top pond.

are we confused yet? ha ha ha

 

[Tula]

As always, beautiful ! I want a spinning ball, but can only find them online and they're expensive.

 

[cas]

are we confused yet?

Does the diagram below represent sort of what you said above? How do you hide the electric cords to all the pumps? As many videos of yours that I have watched, I never have seen them! And I have never seen the tubing going from one pond to the other either. What is your secret?

 

[callingcolleen1]

Does the diagram below represent sort of what you said above? How do you hide the electric cords to all the pumps? As many videos of yours that I have watched, I never have seen them! And I have never seen the tubing going from one pond to the other either. What is your secret?

Yes, that is how it goes, first pond is bottom pond. I hide all the pumps and cords along side of pond. Some are dug underground too.
Some pumps are visible when sun shines down deep. That's ok cause most people cannot see it.

View attachment 92664

 

[callingcolleen1]

I have a main cord dug under dirt and rocks and it runs along pond under edge. I did it all myself so not perfect but good enough cause everything works well.

 

[cas]

Well, like I said, they are really well hidden!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Got a new glass strand of colored bubbles to hang by pond today...

 

[j.w]

Too cool

 

[callingcolleen1]

I have a thought... Koi and goldfish rarely get sick with illness if water is cooler. Many years ago when I quit bringing fish inside for winter, cause I found that they would get sick with "ick and stratch" type illness. When I left them out with ice cold running water all winter they always seem so healthy in spring.

Lots of people down south get strange fish problems that I have never heard of or seen in all my many years of wintering fish outside. Also my pond water rarely gets above 70 degrees. Water always feels cold in my ponds, and now with the additional larger deeper pond that I built last spring, water seems even cooler in my ponds this summer.
I think koi and goldfish are sort of like trout, and do better in cooler water...

What do you think? I would suggest that if you have a pond with water in the 80's, that you should freeze water in large blocks of ice to float in your ponds during very hot days if your water is too warm...

 

[Tula]

Colleen, Do you keep all your pumps running through the winter, ensuring the same rate of movement, year round? I know you use a heater...but only for frigid temps, right?

 

[callingcolleen1]

I keep most of the main pumps running, but shut down the skimmers, and one other extra pump gets shut down too. The water still flows all winter from pond to pond. It is very important to keep water moving all winter and filters are underwater so they keep "filtering" as well. I like the water to run like a river or stream, that way there is much less ice and any built up gases can be expelled, and oxygen can get in under the ice with the flowing water.
I use the one heater only when it gets about below minus 10 celsius. Everything depends on how froze the ground is.. So if ground not froze hard then I don't need to heat even if it gets to minus 15 celsius overnight. But if ground is frozen down deep then heater used more.
The running water keeps the ice very thin in upper ponds.

 

[callingcolleen1]

There is no such thing as "super chilled" pond water either. Water gets to zero at top and that is why ice freezes at top of pond only. Super chilled water only can happen with pure water like in upper thunder clouds or a lab. Pond water is heavy with minerals and salts naturally.

Its all bull crap, people tried to tell me many times that koi don"t like ice cold running water and could not survive. They. (Some so called koi experts) also laugh cause I feed my old koi dog food too. Laugh all they want, my two oldest koi are at least 25 years old for sure, and have been outside all their life. I heard on some top people claim on this koi site that people never saw koi live past 20, but they are all down south where water temperture is much warmer. Warm water not good for koi or goldfish and then they get sick easy.
Its like this... There is really only two types of fish.. Tropical or cold water fish... No in between really. And that is why the worlds oldest koi came from Japan where it does get cold and snow.

 

[callingcolleen1]

And that is probally why down south they know so much about sick koi and how to treat them, cause I am very sure their koi need medical treatment from time to time as sickness spreads quick in warmer waters.
Never saw my fish look sick. Just a couple times I had injured fish ...

 

[j.w]

Preach it sista