Thank you!
I think I will try get a Tsurumi waterfall pump since I have heard good things about them. If anyone has any other suggestions for a really good quality pump let me know since I'm still checking around.
Thank you and that fish is definitely one of my favorites too. I did the spring cleaning a couple of weeks ago and removed a bunch of bullrush and sweetflag that was getting out of control. I will try to get some new pictures put up here soon,Awesomethat white butterfly is my favorite!
Thanks. I do have corcksrew rush in there also. I like how it stays alot smaller than some of the other rush varieties.
Not as much as my aquarium that is for sure. Once a year in the spring I take all the fish out and put them in 3 seperate stock tanks and drain the pond completely and get all the dead leaves that fall from the trees in the fall out and completely flush out the waterfall and skimmer box. After that intial cleaning all there is to do is clean the skimmer box foam weekly and the waterfall foam every 3-4 months. I haven't had any fish spawn the last 3 years so last spring I tried things differently and left the fish in and just vaccumed the bottom and did a 70-80% water change hoping to see if they would spawn if I didn't drain the whole thing and they didn't. I'm hoping to have a successful spawn this year even though I don't plan on keeping any of the babies unless I see some that have unique markings. It's pretty neat seeing all the different colors you can get from a spawn. Several of the fish that are in there are from spawns 4-5 years ago.
I know its pretty crowded even for the large volume of water but I have grown really attached to the ones that are in there as I have had 3 of them for 13 years now and last year I sold 5 of the koi that didn't have the best markings. I may try introducing some new blood but I don't just buy any koi that I see. They have to be some nice looking fish before I will add them. It really isn't that big of a deal if they spawn because that just means I have more to find homes for and on top of that I always ended up keeping the ones I thought would end up looking like good fish when full grown.
The 2 oldest ones in the pond have to be 16-17 years old as I have had them in this pond for 12 years and they were in a small preformed pond that I had before this for 2-3 years. They were 3-4" fish when I bought them. I would love them to spawn again but I guess nature has a way of telling you that your at max capacity. I guess I will see what happens this year. I have sold hundreds of juvenile koi in the first 5 or 6 years after I installed this pond. I always kept a few that I thought would turn out to be nice looking koi when full grown but what one looks like when 3" can change drastically when they reach 10"+. I had a few that had really nice markings when smaller that ended up looking rather average when they became older. There is still a few that I have kept that don't have the best colors/markings but when you have them so long that they take food out of your hands you become attached to them.
Thanks for the comments. I will try to post some pictures of the pond after maintenance as it is a little dirty right now, nothing terrible just the crap that accumulates at the bottom from one year to the next. Here's a few pics of some of the fish.
It is somewhere between 4,900-5,200 gallons or about 1,000 trips w/ 5 gallon buckets. :hihi: J/K
Thanks Izabella
Thanks
Thanks, I don't mind it as much as I make it sound but it's a whole weekend project getting it cleaned for the summer.
Thanks for the kind words.
The only thing I really think I would have done different is I would have liked to have the waterfall a whole lot taller and wider but when purchasing rocks for around the waterfall I had to stop somewhere as they get quite pricey when you get into rocks of substantial size.
Thanks for the compliments. Now I just need to make more time to actually sit down to enjoy it. For me the enjoyment also comes in tinkering with things that's why I always have ideas to make my tank better. The wife doesn't quite understand it but that's fine I don't understand the need to spend $100+ on a pair of jeans but to each is own I guess.
Thank you. It took around a week in total to build but the most time was spent hauling wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of rock in. I had a smaller preformed pond in before so there was a little hole already dug then it was just a matter of more digging. The only tip I have other than buying the thickest liner you can afford and put a nice underlayment material down first is try to find some really good friends(I mean "really good friends") to help with the digging because that is not very much fun at all.
Thank you for the compliments. I spent many years researching ponds back when I had a preformed pond and went on a few pond walks which was really fun and a good way to get some inspiration. There was some amazing ponds in Missouri that make this look like a little pool compared to what they have. And yes that is a jade plant along with many other succulents and a hoya that my parents bought when I was a baby which makes that plant over 36 years old and the funny thing is it's still in the same pot it's been in when they planted it. I'm afraid if it gets repotted I will kill it so it's staying in that pot. I figured if it's lived this long then it should be just fine.
Thank you. It is pretty relaxing when I do get the chance to just sit and enjoy it but when it's 100* outside the last place I want to be after working in the heat all day long is outside.
Thanks. It's about the end of the season for the pond so not much more for excitement until next spring. I haven't seen any of the babies that I was seeing earlier in the year but I'm still holding out hope that come next spring I will see some new fish swimming around. I'm going to try to post some pictures of the pond in the winter time this year. I can look really nice when the waterfall becomes frozen over.
I'm so jealous!!!!
Thank you all for the compliments.
Most of the pond materials were bought from a local nursery that tried to get into installing ponds but it never took off and I got a really good deal on the skimmer, waterfall box, pump, liner, and underlayment when they were trying to get rid of their inventory. There is a few places online to order pond supplies if you do some searching.
