Do you own a pond? If so, do you have fish? What kind?

13 years ago

Many clients of ours started out saying that they didn't want to own fish. They didn't want to have to take care of them, feeding or having someone to watch over them when they vacationed. Did you know that fish are a big part of the ecosystem for a pond? Fish, fertilize aquatic plantings that grow in ponds and they eat mosquitoe larvae that try to breed in water. When fish grow in size they actually help clean the pond by consuming excessive algae that grows.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Puts-Ponds-Gardens/303881190967?ref=hl

http://www.putsponds.com/

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PRO

Den of Interiors & Direct 2 U Pond Emporium

13 years ago

OK kids, I am probably going to get myself in trouble here! Background, 31 years in Koi and have a koi and pond business. First off, NO, in winter you unplug the pump because if it runs all it does is bring colder water into the pond. The fish will seek out the deepest part of the pond and since you are NOT feeding them and their metabolism slows down, they do NOT need air from a pump. Herons are like any other creature, they need to eat and so if you want them to hunt elsewhere go to Home Depot/Lowe's/Anywhere and purchase very inexpensive Blueberry netting and this will keep your friends with a beak out of the water. The other animal one should worry about more is the Raccoons. I adore them, they bring their babies into our ponds to teach them to swim. If you are not like me, with your Goldfish outside and your Koi inside the house where they are always warm and safe then make sure when designing your pond that your walls are straight up and down as a Raccoon will not want to get into a water feature he cannot get out of easily. If you slope your sides that is his/her invitation to partake of your fishy friends. And remember this........you know how people tell you deer will not eat certain plants? And then they do! That's because this is out information but these animals have not read what we wrote about their habits. Enjoy your ponds, don't make them a maintenance nightmare, make them a place to enjoy.

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Comments (34)

PRO
Dytecture
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
too cold in Canada for fish !
creeser
13 years ago
I love the fish, but it is more than heartbreaking to see an egret or raccoon wander off with a $50-$100 koi in it's beak or mouth. How do you protect them from predators?
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Lisa Carlisle
13 years ago
I put six feeder goldfish in my pond where they lived for five years. They grew to about six inches long. They ate the algae and insects and were dormant under the ice at winter. It was perfect.
Jayme H.
13 years ago
They would die in ND probably..but I love ponds and fish..the koi fish r so beautiful!
PRO
User
13 years ago
Yes, to the pond No, to the fish.
PRO
ASVInteriors
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Put 6 goldfish in - and 4 months later I ended up with over 200 babies... had to take them out. Now I have one bachelor.

By the way, in the UK at least, if you have a koi fish, it is almost impossible to sell them on because you have to have a vet certify they are healthy (cost of that at least UKL75!) and don't infect other valuable fish...

"Pond-reared carp are likely to be infested with invisible parasites. Each fish would need a health and immunity certificate before anyone would buy it and the going price for such a certificate is £75 a fish. Without it our carp could destroy an entire show collection in a week." Robin Lane Fox Weekend FT April 2010
PRO
Ironwood Builders
13 years ago
3I, Dy and Jayme! You just need the pond to be deep enough not to freeze solid! The fish have that bit figured out! Parts of Japan are just as frigid as here in the northern state. They still have Koi.
PRO
Interiors International, Inc.
13 years ago
Ironwood, I leave for the entire winter and go to FL. I just pull the pump.
PRO
Ironwood Builders
13 years ago
3I, no doubt! Just trying to think outside the box. You have to pull the pump for the water feature...I'm no expert on fish, but don't they survive in ponds without pumps in winter too? Maybe someone will weigh in on this that has more expertise...i just like the little colored fishies!
kanding
13 years ago
I have koi in mine.... Bought a filter for about 5 times more gallons that I needed and it is extremely low maintenance . If we go out of town we buy vacation fish food blocks and all is well. I live in Houston so cold is not a problem. We have plants giving shade for the heat of summer
PRO
Interiors International, Inc.
13 years ago
My pond freezes solid. It get 30 bellow in MN. That's why I'm in Naples in the winter.
PRO
Interiors International, Inc.
13 years ago
I have a friend here that has a huge Koi pond. They are at least 18" long each. If I liver here all year I think I would put one in. They have a stone bridge that you have to walk across to get to their front door. It is really cool.
creeser
13 years ago
Ironwood, you like the little colored fishies? Here you go... these will live through the cold. :)
bantam
13 years ago
Love those goldfish crackers, easier to take care of... I have a koi pond but it is in an atrium so the outside critters can't get to it. It is about 3ft deep and we run a pump all winter to provide oxygen. The fish go into a deep hibernation and start to move around when the outside temp goes over 40 or so. We are in New England, the temp right now is about 32 degrees.
PRO
Ironwood Builders
13 years ago
creeser is still on the crazy food thing from last night! Thanks bantam...i don't/won't have the cold problem her in California...just looking to expand my knowledge!
creeser
13 years ago
What's wrong with a little salad Ironwood? *L*
PRO
Ironwood Builders
13 years ago
I love salad and loved your posts from last night and this morning too! I want to eat my little colored fishies now, please?
creeser
13 years ago
Eat 'em up Ironwood! Because of my grandchildren, I have fishies in bulk. *L*
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
Creeser, I think it was you that asked about how to protect them. We are in NC and finally got tired of losing so many fish to the heron. We would see them flying off with one of the koi hanging out of their beaks. It is worse in the winter than in the summer. We started covering the pond with a net in the winter and it helps. Just took it off to start spring cleanup around the pond so we'll see if any disappear now.
creeser
13 years ago
Deborah, let me know. That's a really good idea. I'm in SC. I wonder if you put the net over the pond in the fall, it would help to keep the leaves out and from clogging up the filter?
PRO
Art & Interiors by Lisa
13 years ago
We had had a pond built in 1998. Have some original fish that are more than 10 years old. It is a lot of maintenance to keep clear and it is covered over in the fall and opened back up in the spring. Live in PA and it is 3 feet deep.
creeser
13 years ago
Den of Interiors, wonderful information. Thank you!
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
Yes creeser it keeps the leaves out as well. Our lot is wooded so we have a LOT of leaves and it does help.
creeser
13 years ago
Deborah, I'll definitely use the net then. We moved last year and the small pond (no fish) at our old house was an issue with the leaves. We are going to do a pond in the garden at the new house, and with the information, we should be able to add fish and keep them as well as keep the leaves to a minimum. :)
Patricia Pelgrims
13 years ago
We have a pond, meant for wildlife only ie; frogs, toads, newts, salamanders dragonfies, .... If fish do enter, it will be the natural way, from fish eggs brought over on the feet of wandering birds. I guess they would more than likely be stickelbacks.
PRO
Put's Ponds & Gardens
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow guess I should have checked this earlier or change my notifications.... Sorry I'm new to Houzz. Love the interaction everyone is having here. Den of Interiors nailed a lot of good points on her comments, thanks you saved me a lot of typing. I would like to add that a well constructed pond has hiding spots for fish to have a safe haven to duck inside. I learned that from my first pond/heron event and have been constructing them for the past 28 years with a hiding spot. I usually try to keep it close to the waterfalls, they seem to like it down there.
Someone mentioned their pond freezes SOLID.... I've yet to see a pond freeze solid. You might get a solid sheet of ice across the pond, but not entirely top to bottom with ice.
Here is a pic I snapped of another predator that can get into your pond
PRO
Den of Interiors & Direct 2 U Pond Emporium
13 years ago
I want that sweet baby, they do the same thing here as we have feeders for all the four legged creatures. I want to chime in here and also say that ponds do NOT freeze solid unless that are very shallow and that is not good for Koi. If your pond does have a surface frost your fish still need to get air so you will have to do something to open up a spot, or several spots. Please read this carefully. DO NOT EVER USE A HAMMER OR ANY OBJECT TO BREAK ICE. If you do this you will break their eardrums. What we use is a hot pot of water and let the heat melt the ice. Enjoy your ponds and fish and deer and anything that happens to enjoy what you created.
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
The neighborhood dogs (particularly the retrievers and labs) all love the pond in the summer. Scares the fish to death, but the dogs have a good time. We have deer that come in the yard, but have never seen one at the pond. That is a beautiful picture.
Momof5x
12 years ago
We have a pond at the farm, just a small one mainly for landscaping purposes, we built a small tropical hut next to it to store some garden tools, this is at the bottom of a sloping hill on which midway is a gazebo and surrounding this area are trees, plants and lawn. At the very top is our villa on another level of land where we spend some time when we visit.
Julie Blain
11 years ago
Oh, goodness....we're just now doubling the size of our koi pond and I adore my koi. They are VERY low maintenance, husbandry is the key. Set it up correctly from the start with plenty of filtration, be certain it's designed to prevent racoon invasions (they don't like to swim)...although mine are as big as the racoons now. We have a lot of large trees on the property so we don't have trouble with birds, but evenso, the pond has its hiding spaces and it is deep enough (3 ft)...we added a swim stream between the 2 pond sections and they are like kids running up and down the hall. Sitting out there with my koi (they each have a name, btw) lowers my blood pressure better than any drug!
lsmatthys
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I just put in a pond 2 years ago. It has very steep sides lined with large rocks so there are lots of hiding places. However, the koi are not always smart enough to take cover. This past summer I had a blue heron get 5 6-8 inch koi. I hope he gets indigestion. I do not feed my fish so they do not come to the surface expecting to get food. I figure that the ones that are left are the smart ones. If you put in a pond you absolutely should put in mosquito fish which are small fish that eat mosquitoes and multiple like crazy. I have not had my koi breed, unfortunately.
Mike Cascagnette
9 years ago
I am new to houzz and am not sure where this post should go but I have a question for a pond expert, I have recently added a small bog filter to my pond and the flow from the waterfall is a little too fast and noisy, I would like to reduce the flow of my laguna submersible pump and was wondering if an inline ball type valve (pardon my lack of plumbing knowledge) inserted after the output to reduce the output from the pump would cause any problems with the pump operation? I hope this makes sense.
PRO
Put's Ponds & Gardens
Original Author
9 years ago
Mike
Great question and yes you can add a ball valve inline to reduce the flow.