Koikrazy, Pond Update

[KoiKrazy]

Hi All! Yes I am still alive and doing well here in Northern Canada! Life is busy as always and I struggle to find time to pop in here, but when I do it always feels like home! I just wanted to share a bit of an update and a few pictures. This year still finds me working on my new pond build carried over from last year. Last year was a big expansion year for me and I didn't want to push getting the liner in in the fall. Glad I didn't as this Spring I changed my mind again on the shape of the new pond, lol. This past winter I brought the fish in which I think I might have mentioned in a previous post. I had 100% success in keeping the koi and goldfish in a 300 gallon stock tank with a 55 gallon barrel filter with a water change every 6-8 weeks, winter weather depending on that of course. The shop was heated to 12C keeping the water that temp I fed the fish every second day all winter long and came out this Spring with zero problems and some great colourful happy fish. I will never winter them outdoors again in my temperatures and climate!! Now with my new winter system I feel confident in adding more koi to replace the 7 I lost the previous winter which was just about enough to end my ponding career to say the least. Next summer I will be entering our local garden show. Our area does not have any large ponds and rock gardens so I feel I would like to share my hard work with others and it would be a great time to get to show off my fish, lol, which mostly people are surprised I keep up here! OK OK on to some pictures and I am taking this lovely rainy day to get caught up on what is going on around the forum these days!!

[Robyn]

She's alive!



Your pond looks great. Your rocks are especially pretty and shiny. I see you have some water lilies. I assume you overwinter those inside as well? How many gallons is your (new) pond now? Do you have/get any amphibians, dragonflies, or other pond animals up there that show up on their own?

[Broxandval]

Welcome Elaine great to look at the ponds you should post picture of those beautifully coloured koi and goldfish that we know you have .
You earned your stripes last winter, "well done", Val and I are really pleased everything worked out so very well.
You decided on a radically, different and a technically difficult approach to your winter problem and really made it work for you.
The hours you put into this approach not only enabled your koi and goldfish to have a great headstart this spring but took you into differing fields i'e learning to manipulate your koi/goldfishes colours, learning the difficulties of keeping your koi/goldfish healthy through out an entire winter, under artificial lighting .
Temperature manipulation is another feather to your cap and your plans for next winter ???
Perhaps adding another filter would help with the added size that your koi will achieve this season when its time to come indoors again.

rgrds

Dave and Val

[wayne r]

Nice setup you have there KK.
Is the fence to keep the deer out?

Wayne

[KoiKrazy]

Hi WW!! How are things with your pond these days? Sure would love to see some pictures! Any new additions since your Orfe stream?? You bet that fence is up for the deer, lol, oh and the dogs!! Hi B&V! You are right I will be needing more filtration this winter. I will be setting up two shop ponds this winter, that way the koi will have more room in the 300 gallon tank. I will leave that tank for the bigger fish and put all the little guys in the 180 tank. It worked great last year so I will definately be having them in the shop for all their winters to come. I have been also thinking of building a permanent pond in there, you know one of those ones made out of ties with a liner???? Hi Robyn! Yes water lillies, yaaaaay, I am a real ponder now, lol. My new pond I am currently building will just be for my plants so I am having lots of shelving area. I do not have any pond life at my pond this year :-( Well lots of birds enjoy it and of course the bugs etc. I had the two neighbour boys catch me a couple of frogs but I think they have moved on I don't see them anywhere at all. I think all my cats might have scared them off, which is really sad because I want frogs darnit!! I wish it was warm enough and safe enough to put my turtle out there but I doubt he would enjoy it, I am sure my cats would like a closer look at him though, lol

[sabrillo]

The pond is looking beautiful KK. How on earth do you catch the fish to bring them in during the winter?