Pond Pals For Life!

Fish can be fed once or twice a day during warm weather months. Fish should be fed moderate amounts of food. If the food has not been eaten in a five minute period - the excess should be removed from the pond, or your pond may become fouled. Even when they beg for more, do not feed them. You may think you have them trained, but it is really the other way around. ;+)

MY FISH ARE ALWAYS AT THE SURFACE OF THE POND, IS SOMETHING WRONG?

Yes, you definitely have a problem if your fish are hanging out at a waterfall or other water feature. Usually the main problem is oxygen or should we say the lack of it. Fish needs oxygenated water in order to live and thrive. When you deplete the supply, the fish swim to whatever source they can find where oxygenated water is flowing. Your fish are literally suffocating from lack of oxygen and they will die if you don’t give them an adequate supply.  This means PLENTY of pump power or gph.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Many things can trigger a lack of oxygenated water in a pond environment. The most common cause is a lack of oxygenated water flowing in adequate supply back into the pond. If your bio-filter output is slow due to lack of cleaning, there is not an adequate supply for them. This is one of the more common reasons, maintenance. Another way is an over abundance of submerged plant life in the pond. If there are to many plants, they will consume the oxygen before your fish get a change to catch a breath.

OTHER FACTORS

Another factor in the fish equation is the pH level of your pond. Fish, especially KOI, can not tolerate wide fluctuations in the pH range. A change of just 0.2 will stress out your fish. Keeping the range between 6.8 and 8.2 would be ideal. Over population is another common problem associated with oxygen and fish. It is very important that you don’t make your fish fight for every square inch of turf or compete for the oxygen in the water they live in. If you figure 1" of fish for every 10sq. ft. of pond surface, you will have happy fish. For those that don’t want to use any brainpower today, here is an example.

TOTAL SQ. FT. POND SURFACE=500 SQ.FT.

TOTAL INCHES OF FISH=50 INCHES. That’s maximum, not the minimum amount of fish. They keep growing, have babies and before long, you are at your limit.

WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THEM HAPPY AND HEALTHY?

Were glad you asked! Here is a good list of do’s. You already heard most of the do not's.

Keep the pond clean. Do not allow leaves and debris to decompose in the pond. Use a quality pond vac and get the muck and debris out of the pond.

Keep plenty of water flowing back into the pond to aerate the water. Waterfalls, fountains, ornamental spitters and aeration devices are all good sources.

Test your water every week to be sure their environment is healthy and stable. Check Hardness Dissolved oxygen levels, Carbon dioxide, pH and Ammonia levels.

Only feed your fish what they will eat is 5 minutes. Whatever is left floating, scoop it out and discard. They won’t starve, we promise you that. 

Inspect your fish every other day to be sure they do not look sick or act differently. This could save their lives.

PREDATORS AND YOUR FISH

There is nothing more devastating than going out to feed your fish and finding out that your prize KOI is missing. Your first thought is that he is hiding somewhere. You move everything frantically looking for him, but he’s gone. It happens everyday to thousands of pond owners.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

There are many different predators that prey on KOI and other pond fish. The number one culprit is the Blue Heron. This solitary feeder fly overhead until he spots that clear pond with swimming dinners and lands right in the pond. Since most ponds are fairly small and only 18" to 2’ deep, he has no problem literally shooting fish in a barrel. Seconds later he is gone with your fish. Other culprits like Cats, Raccoons and even Dogs will play with or make a meal out of your fish.

WHAT CAN I DO TO PROTECT MY POND?

Let’s start with the most common predator, the Heron? There are many different ways to deter them from entering your pond. Some are cheap, others expensive. We know of one pond owner that got so tired of losing fish, that he actually built a glass dome over his pond. While extreme, people get attached to their fish like any other pet. The other end of the spectrum is the pond netting solution. While it is a cheap fix, it does make the appearance less appealing and sure puts a crimp in your maintenance chores. Another solution would be the stake method. Drive stakes into the ground one-foot from the edge of the pond and 6" tall. Now string a piece of fishing line and attach it to each stake around the pond. When the Heron lands and tries to walk into the pond, he will feel the line on his legs, which are extremely sensitive, and go somewhere else for a meal.

KOI TRIVIA

Do you know how long a properly cared for KOI can live? Well let’s put it this way, he or she will probably outlive you. That’s right, the average KOI can live to be 70 years old and older. Ready for an unbelievable record? The longest living KOI was breed in Japan and was past down through generations of the same family. She lived to be 276 years old! So why pass down a favorite sweater or other heirloom when you can give the gift of life for generations to come. Take care of your pond pals and they will give you years of enjoyment.