We built our Koi pond a few years ago....and have never regretted the decision. I have had my ups and downs and even had a few disappointments learning how to keep the water level consistent, clean and clear. The moral of the story...buy twice the pump and twice the filter that you believe you need. If these two components are inadequate, the results are immediate and frustrating. I was fortunate that I could reuse one of the smaller pumps in a waterfall and quickly sold my too small Laguna Pressure-Flo on www.craigslist.com.
The BIG Beginning!
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| November, 2006 |
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| June, 2007 |
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| July, 2007 |
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The Finished Pavilion July 4, 2010! About three years ago, I found a beautiful basalt rock fountain at Pope's Nursery in Maryville. It was the perfect addition to the pond at Hootin' Holler!  My Latest Water Feature added this weekend  We began our pond residents with a dozen goldfish from the local pet shop. After adding them, it was just a matter of time to see if they survived before we began adding Koi. All was working well and our fertile little fellows began a healthy life until the scourge in the winter of 2008. Excessive algae developed and I was advised to add a certain chemical by a so called expert that would not harm the fish. Two weeks later, most of the fish became compost. So I started over and to my discovery, my pump was not moving enough water per hour and that required a bigger and of course, more expensive pump. Next...my filter was too small to handle the new water flow rate. So...back to the internet to buy a bigger Laguna Filter. For the past year, we have experienced a healthy pond. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me if I would be interested in getting some more Koi. I said sure.....and she directed me to Pat who lives in Knoxville. She was unable to give the required attention to her beautiful pond as in the past. I went to meet with her and to my surprise...her Koi were well established and healthy. Actually, the two large Koi are in excess of 24 inches and I would guess at least 8 to 10 pounds each. They are the BIG FISH in the pond now and also accompanied six or eight of their small offspring. In addition to our already existing fish, we now are hosting about 25 to thirty....haven't been able to count them just yet...they swim too fast!    Thanks again Pat for the wonderful addition to our Paradise! |
Mr. Bill, I have been toying with the thoughts of a Koi Pond but as of yet have not gotten my "feet wet" yet. But after this post I may re-think the whole idea :) As with all your posts, thanks for the information sharing. - G
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