My hubby finally caved in and agreed that I should put in a larger pond off our deck. We currently have two -- one about 100 gallons and another about 200 gallons (the result of my poor planning and going to small from the get-go) that are separated by about 3 feet. I plan to basically use the two holes the current ponds sit in, and dig out the middle area between them, and use a liner set-up, which will result in about a 600 gallon (+/-) pond when it's done.
The biggest concern I have in doing this is what do I do with the fish I have in both ponds now (7 in larger pond; 2 in smaller pond), as well as the frogs (though they have the lotus pond to go to), during construction. I want to put more planning into this in advance than my previous pond-planning so that everything goes as smoothly as possible when it's construction time. My thought was to get another pond that I could ciphon the existing pond water into, and move the fish to that for the construction phase. Then when all done, fill up the new pond about half way, let sit for a few days to let the chlorine escape (we have city water), then transfer the original pond water and fish. I'm hoping the frogs will come back. I would put the fish in the lotus pond, but it's only 50 gallons, and I think the koi might eat my lotus unless I transfer it elsewhere for the construction phase.
Anyone have experience with this that might be of some help, or any suggestions? I have several koi that have grown to about 8", and I don't want to lose them during this phase. I would just dig the pond elsewhere, but it really is the ideal spot for it in our yard due to view-ability, exposure, etc. so I want to keep the new pond in the current pond location if at all possible. Thanks much, in advance, for any suggestions/advice!
Installing a Larger Pond Need Advice for Fish
x-Large plastic storage totes should work for 9 fish . Add some plants so they have some shade and a safe place to hide.
You mean like the rubbermaid rough tote bins? Something like that?
How long do you think they would be okay in something along those lines? One day, 3 days, a week? Would they need water movement/aeration? Or if they were in the shade, would be okay?
I bought a kiddy pool at WalMart that had 18 inch high sides, and ran my pump in it while digging. If you can fill it, dechlorinte it, and let it sit a few days before moving the fish into it, even better. If your lotus are transferable, I'd add those too. Dig fast!
I agree with Merry. it will need some airation while you tackle the new pond and possible filtration if you take longer thans a week. Shade will be good too! Good luck.
I had the same situation earlier this summer when I did a re-dig on my pond. I originally had the few fish in a kiddie pool from K-mart but found it though to catch the fish in it. Then I bought a 115 gallons animal watering tank from a farm store and it was ideal-deep enough that the fish were safe and cool on hot days and also a great holding tank for new fish and hospital tank. I used netting on top with clips and also put some material on top to shade it. Don't feed them too much and do water changes at least every 3-4 days. BTW: I kept all the plants in the kiddie pool. Good luck and dig deep for the fish. Put in a bottom drain with aeration as well-it keeps the fish healthy!
Thanks for the tips/suggestions. What is the bottom drain? I've read a few people talk about that, but I don't know/understand what it is/does/how it works/purpose, etc. I've never drained my pond; only add water to it due to evaporation.
jlj - its important to take water out and replace it with new. If you only top off your pond with water that evaporates eventually you will have water with high concentrations of pollutants and poor water quality. I think you might want to remove about 1/4 of the pond volume once every week or two. - I am kind of guessing - is a standard rule of thumb.
Also, you have 300 gals of pond now and you are going up to 600? Not a big increase and I would guess you will soon wish you had more. As long and you are going to the trouble to construct a new pond make it big - say 1200-2000 gals. That would be easier to keep clean and could accommodate your fish in a very nice environment. Just a thought.
What ever you do have fun.
Helen
I've decided to put off the project until the spring so that I can decide exactly what I want, how big, and design everything for that reason exactly. I want to spend a good bit of time out there looking at the space I have to do this, and figuring out placement, shape, size, depth, etc. Then, come Spring, we'll get to digging. But that is the exact reason I want to wait -- because with my first two, I went small, and then wanted something bigger. This 3rd one will be the final one, and will replace both the smaller ponds, so I want to go as big as I can without it taking up too much yard space (I only have a 1/4 acre) but look good and be a good environment for the fish as well.
Good decision. Choosing filtration and all the plumbing, pump and algae management stuff that goes with a bigger pond requires some homework. There is a myth that fish don't grow any larger than the capacity of their current aquatic accomodations. That's just not true. Koi, if properly cared for, will get as large as 36". By the end of the next summer season your 8" koi will be somewhere between 12" and possibly even 16" long. To stay healthy koi do best with enough water depth to swim vertically comfortably - at least 3' deep. In zone 8a summer heat can really get the pond water temperature uncomfortably hot for koi health. Koi need extremely well oxgenated water. Hot pond water holds very little oxygen. So, not only is surface area a consideration but so is depth, providing some shade and a way to oxygenate the water, usually a fairly vigorous waterfall. In short there is no such thing as too big, too deep, or too much filtration. Plan carefully and you can have a dream koi pond.
Jlj,
Take your time and think it all out. My first pond was 2200 gallons and although that sounds large it really isn't.
We need to have a depth of at least 3' to keep the fish over winter make sure you have shelf space for plants if
you plan of having them as well.
Our next pond we would like to make about 10,000 gallons. Need to save up for all the equipment needed and in this economy we have put off for a while but I still dream about it every day.
Best of luck,
Darleen
Thanks much for the consideration thought while I go through this! Luckily, the area I plan t do this is good, in that it half of it receives full sun; the other half only part sun, and I have taller plants planned for around it to provide shade, as well as water plants for surface shade.
Part of my dilemma in not being able to focus on this more right now is that I've decided to go back to school, and started classes two weeks ago, taking two online courses while working full time (and married, with a child, etc.), so I'm sure you all know how that goes ... doesn't leave much spare time for anything else these days! I'm hoping to go out this weekend though and do the hose thing where I lay the hose around an area to see what that might look like in terms of size/shape, etc. This project is going to basically redo the look of my back yard considerably, and there are some measures I need to decide now (e.g., plants) to make it more feasible come Spring. Right now, my current ponds have cannas, elephant ears, gardenias and a few other plants all around it, which will need to be moved in the fall so as not to make it harder for them to establish come spring. I'm trying to look at the entire process in terms of a project -- what needs to be done first, what can't be done until something else is finished, etc.
So keep the ideas/considerations/etc. coming, please! A lot of times, it's the things you don't know that end up causing the biggest headache come "build" time.
Good luck in school!!! I went back to college at the age of 45. I worked full time, had two kids, went to school full time, and was an elected official to boot. I got my degree ( finance) but in the end I had to drop to part time work and severely cut back on my elected official activities. I burned the candle at both ends and nearly ran out of candle! Take care. Study hard. Be sure and find some time for yourself.