Pots of Lilies Decimated, Dirt/Muck in Pond!!

Thanks to my large koi, one of my 3 gallon lily pots has been completed devoid of any dirt/muck that the lily was planted in.. as was half of another 3 gallon pot. There were rocks on the top, which obviously didnt stop my koi from playing with the dirt...
My problem.. the pond is 1500 gallons.. i have gone in, and by hand have netted quite a bit of dirt/debris that is on the bottom.. No, i dont have a bottom drain (i know, i know... i dont have the manpower to have done it).
Then i took my 1800 gph pump, placed vaccum wand extensions on the intake, with a piece of lingerie netting at the end of the wand, then placed the duster tool at the very end.. Screwed an old cut hose on the outtake, placed the hose in my gardens around the pond, and used that as my vaccum.. Its helped some.. ill have to do some more of this procedure to try to get the pond clearer.

I tried jumpstarting the pond with the microbe lift packets.. and i have seen a difference, with everything just becoming muck instead of just dirt.. At this point, i dont know what is better... dirt or muck.. i just want a clearer pond.. it doesnt have to be crystal clear.. but would like to see down to at least a foot and a half.. (pond is 3 ft deep at deepest point, one foot at lowest point, no shelves)

Guess im asking if anyone has any better ideas, OTHER then emptying the entire pond out. I really dont want to do that.

Has anyone gone thru this and what have you done to correct the problem?

I walked to the pond day before yesterday and found a similar situation. It has all settled out and the water is clear today. I havn't touched the bottom yet. I decided to wait to see if it settled before I tried to vacuum. I think it depends on how silty your soil was that dumped. Mine was a clay/loam and aquatic potting mix. It took about 36 hours before there was real improvement. The pond is 2000 gal with an agressive filter and skimmer (savio). I did clean the filters every day. I found a lot of it there. I had rocks too. I repotted the lillies and put big river stones around the base of the pots this time as well as on top. I also upped the aquatic potting media (that kitty litter stuff) to about 60% of the soil mix instead of 25%. Less dirt means less muck if they tip again. Tomorrow I think I will try to vacuum up what settled to the bottom. Boy I know how you feel. Kind of a love hate relationship with koi isn't it?

Almost forgot - I use Aquascape's S.A.B. for algae control, bacteria and water clarity. This is the second year I have used it along with mocrobelift pl. The aquascape stuff is expensive but it does an outstanding job. The two work together real good. The pond stays clear, the ph stays stable and I don't ever get any ammonia, nitrite or nitrate readings.

I also use a System IV water filter that attaches to the hose whenever I have to add water to the pond or when I do the annual change. It filters out chlorine and other stuff and eliminates the need for a dechlorinator. The filter is good for a year and cheaper than a years worth of dechlorinator. www.pondbiz.com/home/pb1/page_16_32/garden_hose_chlorine_filter.html

I don't think the koi care at all about muddy water. It does them no harm unless it is really heavy and takes out the oxygen. Keep the water flowing and the filters clean and you should be fine.

Just let it clear on it's own. It's dirt, it will settle and be much more easily vaccumed. It will clear faster if you just leave it alone, you'll be surpised! Just be patient. What ever you do........don't empty and refill.

On the Koi and their love of lilies....
Last year I decided to top off my baskets with chicken wire, being careful to tuck in all of the exposed wire ends. That worked great to keep the Koi from eating at the roots and digging into the pots. However this year when I pulled plants up to repot and separate, etc. I realized the wire had rusted and was deteriating. So I had some of the 3/4" opening net that I use to catch leaves in the fall. I cut pieces of that and sewed them on the top of the baskets with fishing line. That seems to be working great this year. I already had a few leaves when I put it on, but I simply rolled up the leaf and fed it through the netting.

Sheila_FW, thanks for sharing the netting idea. I am about to put a greenhouse grown Lotus in a tub in the pond and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to keep the koi from rooting in the soil. Your idea is great. The Lotus tub is pretty stout so Hubby is going to drill tiny holes in the rim and I will attach the net that way with the fishing line you suggest. Again, I can't thank you enough. Those Lotus are expensive and the koi are relentless rowdies. You save my Mrs. Perry D. Slocum!

Glad to help. We all get good ideas from one another on DG, that's what is so appealing about the threads.