It can reduce the health of the fish and result in various diseases.

They could even grow to over 3 feet long! The overcrowding of fish produces stress and a lot of waste material.

If you are starting out with small 6″ to 8″ long koi, they can reach 2 feet in three years, depending on how much food and how often you feed them. Q How many koi fish can I put in my koi pond?Ī The amount could range from 150 to 250 gallons per fish. In fact, they all appreciate the fact that they did not have to spend the money to enjoy the sound. I have several hundred clients who leave their falls running 24/7 and none have ever had a neighbor complain. Will the sound of the falls annoy them if I let it run 24 hours a day?Ī The sound generated by a waterfall is called white noise, which is very relaxing and soothing, not annoying. Q I am considering building a waterfall between my house and my neighbor’s against the fence. And you will keep the algae from getting out of control. Q Should I keep salt in my pond on a regular basis?Ī If you maintain a specific gravity of 1.000, your fish will be less susceptible to ulcer and fin rot. It takes longer to kill it this way, but your fish will appreciate it! This topic is also a chapter in my construction manual. Apply it slowly over a week or two, and be patient. Plus the dead and decaying algae will deplete the oxygen and this will harm your fish. However, it will harm most of your plants if you apply that dose all at once. This will not hurt your fish in fact, it will help to produce a healthy shiny coat. Some experts recommend one pound of rock salt to every 100 gallons of water. Many pond stores will try to sell you a very expensive algaecide to solve your problem, but all you need to do is increase the salt content of your water. Just kidding! However, if you told me it was watercress I would suggest eating it. In fact, it’s a staple like peanut butter is to some Americans. It just came back, so they ate it, and still do to this day.

They tried to chop it down, burn it, stomp it, but to no avail. What can I do to get rid of it?Ī When the first Polynesians settled in Hawaii between 300 and 600 AD, they were probably very annoyed by the aggressive, wild, pervasive taro plant, just like you are very annoyed by your algae. Q I have tons of algae hanging from the rocks in my falls and growing in clumps in my hand. It takes 2 minutes to back flush with the turn of a handle and keeps my pond crystal clear. I have an 8000 gallon pond with an above-ground pump and I use a pressurized biological bead filter. Do you have an existing pond with a submersible pump or above-ground pump? What’s the volume of the pond? Do you have fish, and if so, how many? What size plumbing pipe is being used? This is so involved, I have devoted an entire chapter in my construction manual to the subject. Q What type of pond filter do you recommend?Ī That cannot be answered simply because many factors are involved. The hard molded, preformed plastic ponds become brittle from the sun’s UV rays in just a couple of years. In this case, you would have to add a thin layer of mortar between the liner and soil to prevent tree roots, ground squirrels, rats, mice, gophers or chipmunks from compromising the liner. However, if you are on a tight budget or do not plan on living there for an extended period of time, a liner would be recommended. Q What is your opinion on using a liner to construct a pond rather than using a hard molded or concrete one.Ī My recommendation is and always has been to use concrete. Also, the larger the koi pond, the greater the maintenance. Its size should be proportional to the size of the yard. Warm water or fluctuating temperatures are unhealthy for fish.Ī The ideal pond size would be determined by the size of your yard. The greater the volume of water, the longer it takes for the temperature to change. Plus the water temperature in shallow ponds fluctuates too much with the changes in ambient temperature. Safety for fish from wading cranes they can not wade in 3 feet of water. You need a minimum of 3 feet for koi fish for several reasons. Q What is the ideal depth for a koi pond?Ī In my 25+ years experience, 4 to 5 feet is ideal.

Prefab pond waterfall