[Tiptop]

holy crap this thread needs a bump. This looks amazing

^^^Seconded! This is awesome!

 

[ua hua]

Not sure how I missed this thread. That's a really nice setup and enjoyed all the pics, congrats!

I'm so jealous!!!! great yard ua!

holy crap this thread needs a bump. This looks amazing

^^^Seconded! This is awesome!

Thank you all for the compliments.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Awesome pond!

Where do you get your supplies? A lot of places have stop carrying pond supplies in the last couple years.

I've had good luck with Tricker's below is there FB page
https://m.facebook.com/pages/William-Tricker-Inc/322764778550?id=322764778550&_rdr

 

[ua hua]

Where do you get your supplies? A lot of places have stop carrying pond supplies in the last couple years.

I've had good luck with Tricker's below is there FB page
https://m.facebook.com/pages/William-Tricker-Inc/322764778550?id=322764778550&_rdr

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.

 

[MB2]

I just saw this in your signature link! Amazing, amazing, amazing pond you have. Everything is so incredibly amazing. Just beyond words! All parts, from living things to non-living things, seem connected, supported and complimented one another to make the whole so incredibly pleasing, peaceful, and beautiful! A wonderful work you created. Thank you for sharing.

 

[ua hua]

I just saw this in your signature link! Amazing, amazing, amazing pond you have. Everything is so incredibly amazing. Just beyond words! All parts, from living things to non-living things, seem connected, supported and complimented one another to make the whole so incredibly pleasing, peaceful, and beautiful! A wonderful work you created. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for the kind words. I was hoping to get some pictures of the pond this winter with the snow and this weekend would have been perfect because we just got a pretty decent snow over the last couple of days and it looks really nice. I let my sister borrow my dslr camera after she was back for Christmas to see if she wants to get one like it and apparently she likes using it because I haven't got it back yet. That's fine with me because my nephew is in his senior year of high school and she's enjoying taking pictures of him playing basketball so I guess I will have to wait. If she didn't live 5 hours away I would just go get it back because I would like to take some updated pics of my tank also. I may try to snap some with my iPad or phone just to show what it can look like void of plant growth but with the ice/snow.

 

[MB2]

Pictures of the pond with snow would be very interesting. How do the Koi and plants survive the winter? Does the pond water freeze or you have some kind of heating/insulation? Being in CA and near the coast, snow is something we rarely see unless we drive two hours to get to the mountain.

 

[ua hua]

Pictures of the pond with snow would be very interesting. How do the Koi and plants survive the winter? Does the pond water freeze or you have some kind of heating/insulation? Being in CA and near the coast, snow is something we rarely see unless we drive two hours to get to the mountain.

I don't know how long the snow will last as it suppose to be in the 50's by the end of the week. Nebraska has some crazy weather I must tell you. Last week we had negative temps and snow this last weekend and now it going to be in the 50's by the end of this week.

The koi just huddle in the bottom and barely move for the winter. I stop feeding them in the late fall because they can't digest food once the temp reaches a certain point. As for the plants the majority of them come back in the spring time but there is a few like the Taro that I just take into my sunroom and treat it as a houseplant for the winter. The pond freezes over except for the waterfall and down by the skimmer where I keep a stock tank de-icer to keep the water open. It can be solid ice where the waterfall spills over but the water is still running under the ice. I will try to get some pictures with my iPad and see how the turn out.

 

[adavisus]

When Winter comes, water temps does a bit of physics, warmer water becomes heavier than cold at 39°f and there is a blanket of cool mild water at the bottom of a pond where fish go nap a while. Six months or so in cold temperate climates.

Brace yourself for keeping a koi, besides their docile amiable ways, they are a tad long living. You may need to assign them in your last will and testament. Hundred years plus...

 

[somewhatshocked]

Every time I come back to this thread, it blows my mind. I mean... WHAT! Just look at the photos.

Unreal.

Can't wait to see things next season.

 

[MB2]

The koi just huddle in the bottom and barely move for the winter. I stop feeding them in the late fall because they can't digest food once the temp reaches a certain point.

Wow, I did not know that fish also adapt this way to get through the winter like bears do. Very interesting... Thanks,

 

[MB2]

When Winter comes, water temps does a bit of physics, warmer water becomes heavier than cold at 39°f and there is a blanket of cool mild water at the bottom of a pond where fish go nap a while. Six months or so in cold temperate climates.

Brace yourself for keeping a koi, besides their docile amiable ways, they are a tad long living. You may need to assign them in your last will and testament. Hundred years plus...

Wow, the physics make sense.

I did not know Koi can live such a long time. Thanks for educating me. I just googled and Koi can live >200 years!!!

 

[Mark Allred]

ua hua,
I kept a 6500 gallon Koi pond here in a cold climate (NE Nevada) for 15 years.
I originally kept a livestock trough heater like you are, to keep a hole in the ice for gas exchange.
I would have only a 3 inch larger diameter hole, than the float on the heater.
I found using a cheap aquarium air pump with an air stone, would keep a 2 foot to 3 foot square opening in the ice,
plus give you a little water circulation. I kept the pump under a coffee can to keep the water/snow off of it.
A LOT cheaper to run than a stock heater too!

BEAUTIFUL pond, by the way!

 

[ua hua]

ua hua,
I kept a 6500 gallon Koi pond here in a cold climate (NE Nevada) for 15 years.
I originally kept a livestock trough heater like you are, to keep a hole in the ice for gas exchange.
I would have only a 3 inch larger diameter hole, than the float on the heater.
I found using a cheap aquarium air pump with an air stone, would keep a 2 foot to 3 foot square opening in the ice,
plus give you a little water circulation. I kept the pump under a coffee can to keep the water/snow off of it.
A LOT cheaper to run than a stock heater too!

BEAUTIFUL pond, by the way!

Yeah the floating heater isn't going to keep the top from freezing over but I have it right in front of the skimmer box to keep that area from icing over and messing with flow. It serves its purpose there and I don't run it continually through the winter but rather turn it on when I know it's going to get really cold for a long period. The weather in Nebraska is ever changing and can be 0* one week and 55* the next. I have thought about getting an Aquascapes Pond Air but always find something else that I would rather spend my money on and it has worked fine this way thus far so who knows maybe someday I will get one. I was hoping to get some pictures of the pond covered in snow but after getting in the 50's this weekend there's not much left so next snow I will try.

 

[Mark Allred]

It can get -10°F + here, and a cheap $15 Whisper air pump wiil do the trick!
My stock tank heater was 1500 watts! I would bet yours is at least 1000 watts. Can you say expensive to run?
Probably $20 a month.
You don't need a high dollar Aquascapes Pond Air or similar to do the job.
Here is my Russian Blue cat on the ice years ago.
Throw an airhose on a cheap pump in there to check it out, I think you will be amazed at the size of the open hole,
not to mention the benefit of the added water circulation!

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[KenP]

Hi i thought I would add a pond picture with snow. This winter in NJ has been colder for longer duration and the snow we received stayed. I am suspect that a cheap low volume air pump will keep an opening in the ice. I use a Medo 45 and the hole in the picture is only 8-10 inches wide. During a particular cold spell the opening was maybe 3 inches.

 

[twentypoundtabby]

The air pump might keep a hole in the ice depending on how cold it gets. It can certainly reduce the amount you need to use a heater.
I've been using a stock tank heater to keep a hole in the ice for a couple of decades. Maybe 5 or so years ago I added an air pump and it keeps a hole in the ice most of the time now. I only had to plug in the stock tank heater when the temperatures got to -14 F and didn't get above 0 F for a week. The air pump uses a lot less power than the stock tank heater so I'm happy.

 

[MB2]

Wow, thanks KenP and Mark Allred for showing your ponds full of snow. The cat seems like seeing something that aroused her curiosity.

 

[Mark Allred]

MB2,
You were right about him seeing something...

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[KenP]

I have not seen my koi for about a month. The snow has been around that long. I could use that cat this spring if he is available. I have a chipmunk problem and my dogs just do not care.