PS, If I end up with fry from all these big bellies....I'm begging all of YOU to take them! I'd rather give them to people who enjoy them, then sell them to make money.
What is going on in your pond?
This is one of my shusui butterflies I got when I was on my blue kick.
MerryMary, I love butterflies but do not have any yet. Who would you suggest as a reliable vendor?
Most of my fish come from 1 of 2 vendors on ebay. Royalkoi and AmericanKoiOnline have both always sent me very healthy fish. There was one, Nature3388 who sent me wonderful fish, but he has not listed in a long time. Although I do not know any of these people personally, I have felt safe ordering healthy fish from them, knowing the reputations of their businesses and the pride they take in what they offer. I don't want to say more than that and break any DG rules, so like I said, since I don't know them personally, I can only tell you that "I've" had very good luck with both.
I'll try to get a better picture of this yellow and white hariwaki, he's about 24inches....but flows through the water like a veil.
hariwake
Sorry if all these pics are boring you all! lol I just need to get the hang of this new camera, and how to upload things, so you all are the victims of my confusion! :)
This big bellied girl is a white gin rin (the glittery scales) with an orange head. I just love her.
Her fins are like angel wings.
Thanks for passing that along!
During the warmer months it never ceases to amaze me just how much I love my little ponds. I truly enjoy my entire garden but could not imagine going back to not having a pond. With the regular garden beds there are interesting things that happen from day to day but with the pond things can change from minute to minute and you never know who will show up. A person could easily just waste a whole day sitting in the same spot and never be bored.
Group shot!
That's exactly what I do (and how I got started) My very very (did I say very?) small back yard kind of sloped into my house, instead of away from it. I built a deck, then another that went a different way...but then there was a weird little spot of grass that was hard to mow between the 2, so I dug down, built up the walls with cement block, and lined it. That was my first pond. But as my addiction grew...and my friends liked sitting on my decks watching my fish (which at that point were fancy goldfish - shubunkins and sarassas) I decided to add another small deck, which left space for another small pond. Which you guessed, made me build a 3rd small deck and a 3rd small pond. That 3rd pond will be a little larger in a few months when I get the urge to start digging again. My yard is too small to bring in any equipment, so it's hand digging for me...which is why none of my ponds are deeper than 3 feet! I'd love to get rid of any grass in the back yard, and just go with ponds. It's so relaxing!
What a pleasure to look at your gorgeous koi. If you do ever ship any leftover fry I'd love to be on the list.
This message was edited Jan 13, 2009 10:24 PM
How hard is it to ship those things anyway? My koi started reproducing for the first time last summer and I would love to be able to give away some to people that may be starting out or just would like to have some.
Mary,
they are gorgeous. I miss mine so much.
Thank you for sharing.
Carolyn
Ttuna....I start by listing them on Craigslist for pick up only. I list pictures of the ones I'm getting rid of, and make whomever, bring a large cooler. It's so much easier than shipping. If you have a local ponders or koi club in your area, many times you can find buyers or "wanters" of fish.
About shipping koi I dunno. I know they put a healthy dose of a water conditioner in the water. The koi are fasted for a day or so prior to being boxed up. They also blow up the water bag tight with oyygen then rubberband it shut. Then that goes into a styrofoam box and the styrofoam box is placed in a cardboard box. I've had one shipped koi (laserkoi) and it was in beautiful condition when I got it. I get tropical fish shipped from time to time from Arizona Aquatic Gardens. Same packing method. Some losses are the norm for tropicals. As I read back over this I'm thinkin maybe it could be more of an expensive hassle than anything else.
I buy them that way if people offer good shipping rates. The weight of the water is what makes it so expensive, but some vendors use that as an excuse to make a 2nd profit off of you. But when I'm getting rid of some (which isn't often) I have people pick them up. If there's a local vendor, I ask them if local pick up is available so I dont have to pay the shipping. The oxygen they put in the bags is usually pure oxygen from a tank, and not normal air. Just enough water is used to cover their backs, the rest of the bag is oxygen.
Snapple, are you done with goldfish?
Carolyn, Are yours gone or just under snow for the winter?
I still have a small 480 gallon pond devoted just to goldfish. Just this morning, although it's three degrees here, I was watching the goldfish swimming around. The deicer keeps the water pretty warm, about 45. The goldfish remain active year around. They are sanity savers when the weather gets this ugly up here. I have some shubunkins and some sarassa comets. I had to start rebuilding last year because a heron very nearly wiped out my best sarassas. Now I net from mid May to September. I vow never to lose another one. Some of them were 7 yrs. old.
Mary,
Mine are under the snow for winter. Sometimes, if I am lucky, I can see one or two through the holes in the ice from the deicers.
Carolyn
Snapple, how big are the fish you have now?
The biggest, a survivor from the heron raid is 7" All the rest are 5 or less. They were tiny 3"rs when I got them last season. That heron really chowed some nice fish. I was sick. Oh well. Live and learn.
I've had heron issues in the past as well...he can't get my big guys, but did kill one by attempting to, and spearing his face with his beak. I've lost a good many in the past, so made the side wallks straight up and down, so they can't get in their to wade, and added some potted plants along the edge.
I just have to net. It's a pain in the neck for maintainence issues but I feel secure that when I get up in the morning I'll still have my fish. Besides, I've had racoons too in the big koi pond. So netting is extra security. Ugly but safe. I know what you mean about heron damage. My blue/yellow male koi got speared at the top front edge of the right gill plate. He's fine, but the gill plate healed crooked.
Thanks for all the great pictures1 I loved them. I would be a great "Adoptive Mother" to any koi should someone need to rehome. . .
Great pics! MerryMerry, you have me totally curious about your pond set ups...do you have a pic of your backyard? RJ, that snow pic is wild!
wow, I was going to ask where in the world fish like that come from!
It's changing my mind on having Koi.
I hear ya, RJ. I have two tiny ponds, and was going to stick to shubunkins....however poking around this forum has corrupted me, and I had a koi follow me home this summer ;-) (totally not my fault, I swear!)
Quite the piggy, right from the start!
More of my motley crew (pics from this summer)
Here's the whole gang, mid November:
another from this fall:
I''l try to get a larger pic of my ponds once I clean up out there (had a little water draining mishap right before Christmas) and as soon as I get better with this new camera. Trust me, my ponds are nothing amazing! They are over filtered and over oxygenated, to keep everyone healthy and happy....but they break all the rules about how you are suppose to ponds. Had I known I was going to become an addict BEFORE I made the first one, it would have easier....but, I add more and more in small increments as afterthoughts. :)
Gin Rin - I like his deep reddish orange color.
I know ...it's not my fault either...I'm getting more hooked with each photo, which are quite brilliant! Lets see...what plant must suffer in my garden budget because MerryMary is teasing us with temptations that we're susceptible to!
Are they very expensive? Do they mail them to you? Sorry if I missed this info somewhere.
OK, definitely did NOT intend to post the fuzzy pic above!
Well.....you know a lot of things grown in water! I don't use any soil, just pond baskets and pebbles. The plants soak up the nutrients from the water, and it keeps the water from TOO many nutrients that cause algae. I grow cannas, hostas, umbrella palms, elephant ears, water lilies , water lotus, etc....all in water with no soil
I apologize for my typos....lol...sheesh...I sound like I never made it out of 2nd grade....
Oooh lovely! Yes, I'm with RJ, we will just blame MerryMarry for any additional pond-related addictions/purchases ;-). I loved my water plants last year! My favs were the tropical waterlilies and the elephant ears. I want to try lotus this year as well, but haven't a clue where to fit them in. I think my entire "yard" is the size of many of your ponds.