My husband and I have been getting estimates on finishing our basement. Well, after we got the quotes it might make more sense to move then to invest a whole bunch of money into a starter home that we can only get so much out of anyway.
So, I'm very excited at the prospect of moving into a larger, nicer home but I can't stand the thought of leaving my pond! We would probably stay through this summer but I can't imagine leaving something I've worked so hard on. And what about the fish? Have any of you moved and taken your fish? I have 6 small koi, 2 shubunkin, 3 wakin, and probably a dozen various size comets. I already have 2 aquariums over full of fancy goldfish. I do have 110 gallon tub but they can't all live in there while I build my new dream pond in my new private, properly shaded dream yard(all the things I don't have in this yard). We would probably move in the fall so they would need to over winter and then make it till I finished my pond the next summer. Any ideas?
Possible move... what about my fish?
Just make the into a 110 gallon aquarium for the winter if you can find a place to set it up inside. If it cannot go inside than invest in some hay bales and set the pond up outside with the hay bales around it to provide insulation than put a stock tank deicer in it. I used a stock tank deicer this year on the koi pond and never had any ice at all. Since you do not plan on keeping them in there long term it just might work.
I know I would need to filter it in the spring and summer, what about the winter? My pond is over filtered because I have koi but I was planning on leaving one filter behind for the new home owners and taking my biostep with me.
I turn everything off in the winter after the first freeze.
If they were inside though, I would probably filter it like an aquarium. Hhmmm.. an indoor pond. The possibilities:) But might be easier up keep if they were outdoors in the tank so they would hibernate. Thanks for the help!
Why not buy a large swimming pool for $150.00 bucks and set it up in the basement of the new house connected to all the right filtration. Is there anything wrong with a swimming pool with fish? Otherwise, make a tank with a liner and plywood. I am having someone do that for me this Spring. I already have a drain plumbed in the tile for draining the pond/tank. I hope this will help me with quaranteening better and should I get a sick fish I could keep it over winter if I need to to continue treatment of ulcers or whatever until it is fully healed (unlike this fall and having a few fish with ulcers going into winter and now they have fungus).
Best wishes on the planned move. Do you know anyone else that ponds that could temporarily take the fish in their pond until yours is ready? I once a few years back took my neighbor's comets while she rehabbed her pond. It was kind of funny because you know they all look a lot alike and they don't wear ID bracelets. She got eight back, but who knows who's eight! That's an ambitious undertaking to house koi temporarily while moving. It's understandable. I'm pretty attached to mine. I'd find it impossible to leave them behind. Is there a local koi or water garden club that might have a member willing to temporarily house them? You're going to have your hands full just resituating the aquariums. Is there a local botanical garden with a pond? If there is could you consider gifting them?
We have a huge botanical garden here with a huge pond. Problem here is the pond is not well maitained. It's hampered by budgetary constraints, it's old and it needs a complete overhaul. They're always asking for fish and few donate because they aren't properly cared for. If I had to move I'd be up a big creek without a paddle. If I could, I'd probably have the pond installed first at the new place even before I moved in. Much, much easier said than done I'm sure.
Luckily my koi are still pretty small, but one more summer in the pond and who knows! The biggest is probably 12 inches, one is 10 inches and the rest are around 6 inches. I live in a very rural area and unfortunately there aren't a lot of ponding options around. I do have a friend that ponds about 3 hours away but he has a more "natural pond", full of monster pond fish he has caught, like big catfish:(
I think I might get a bigger storage tank or build a concrete block temporary pond in our new home's garage. I'm thinking something like 8X4X1.5. That is like 360 gallons. If I heat the crap out of it and keep a filter and pump running I think it could work. We will be staying in town, so at least it will be a quick move. Well, at least I have all summer to plan for it!
Did you already find your new home?
No, we won't even start looking till around October. We are going to work on getting our house ready to sell and then take our time finding just the right house. But I have been panicked with just the idea of having to leave my pond and especially my fish! I will feel better about moving if I have a plan in place for when the day comes. I will have at least one more summer with my pond!
I've also started planning my "dream" pond at the next house:) I can't really be specific about anything till I see the yard and such but I'm planning out filters, size and such. I'm actually thinking of writing a pond budget into the house loan so I can do my next pond just right! I know for sure the next pond will be bigger then my current 2000 gallons. I will be looking at houses with nice, big backyards only;)
Hmmm, let me think about the timing, October looking and if you manage to find your dream home in a month (good luck with that . . .) and make an offer and get to closing -you wouldn't be in a new home- best case, until January. Why are you waiting until October if you don't mind me asking?
Does anyone want to take bets on when Evesta actually moves into a new home? My bet will be June of 20010.
We have to fix our foundation and such before we can sell. Who knows how long it will take to get a contractor into our home;) I'm sure we will start looking before October, that is my own projection date. It could very well end up being January and that would be fine. I did tell my DH that we had to be moved by next spring because I don't want to be moving during prime gardening months. We only get so many springs in our short lives and I want to enjoy each one!
We will have to sell our house but I don't think that will be a problem. It is a starter home in a lower price range and the town we live in is short on those. Things probably will go slower this time around. Last time we were buying our first home and we didn't have to worry about selling another. Whatever the date... I will take my fish! LOL
I just reread my post and said you would move in 20010. Ahem, even if you are the healthiest person in the world I doubt you will live that long let alone find a house only then. I meant 2010. These numbers are so weird to me. . .
Man, if koi lived that long, I bet they would be huge;)
Don't tell my husband but I've really already started looking as soon as we got the estimate on the basement. The fact he actually said the words "lets just move" is amazing to me, so I'm probably overexited:) I thought we would have to live in this tiny house, with my 3 year old son, 3 dogs, two cats, and dozens of fish till I was ready for a retirement home! LOL We are a cramped herd;)
Koi can actually live over 200 yrs. I think the oldest recorded koi kept continuously by one family died at 226. The oldest recorded goldfish was over 50.
Wow! This year, if all goes well, I'll have four that are 8 yrs old. I've read that they top out at 38" to 40". Is that what you've read? Goldfish are the gerbils of the fish world. Seven years is the longest I've had one. It wound up being a pile of Heron poop.
I read that they need huge ponds to get over 30" - 10,000 gallons or more. Otherwise they won't reach jumbo size.
Evesta, take your fish when you move or find new homes for them. You have no idea what kind of people will buy your old house. One of my neighbors told me that another house in our neighborhood had a decent sized pond with nice koi in it. The owners moved and left the fish, after the new owner said he wanted them. Well, after a month the new owner stopped running the filter, etc. and decided "to heck with it." All the fish were dead in another month - to the point that the person who told me the story complained because they were just floating and stinking in the pond.
Since you are in a rural area, I'm sure you can find a good water trough. I picked up a 300 gallon Rubbermaid a few weeks ago $170 from a local farm store. It is the perfect small indoor pond size. I had a liner that I was using but the straight sided trough works a lot better. The trough also has a bottom drain so water changes are extremely easy now.
Elizabeth
What a horrible story! I will make sure it is in the agreement that the fish are my pets and will not come with the pond. I know, IC. I would only trust another fish/pond person with my fish. Most people are ignorant when it comes to caring for fish and I think especially koi. Half of my koi are rescues from stores that weren't treating them right. Actually most of my aquarium fish are also store rescues. They were really sick fish when I bought them but now are healthy and lovely:) My indoor and outside fish are all spoiled, just like the rest of my herd.
I have looked at the 300 gallon rubbermaid and that might be the easiest option. don't remember them being that cheap, but I'll have to price them and see.
Not all people do that to the fish. My friend inherited a 10,000 gal koi pond and while se hardly does anything for them (it was installed very well with all the options available to man) and none have died. She got hooked on them and now is building an even bigger pond and getting rid of the first one (might be a mistake because it is doing so well biologically speaking). She doesn't know hardly anything about koi and I fear this new pond will not be like the previous pond and the fish will die. The previous owner was the home builder a put in the pond and was a tank fish enthusist (spelling?)
10,000 gallon, now that is a pond!
yeah, well her home is worth about 3-4 million and if the pond was any smaller it would look weird by her "McMansion". She is putting in a semi raised pond that resembles a reflection pool and will be nearly the length of her home. How she plans to cross over it to the other side of the garden I don't know. She is very stubborn and too proud to discuss her plans. It will be interesting to see in the end. I told her not to knock out the old pond until the new one is known to be working very well and to pull water from the old pond into the new and she was grossed out by that. Her existing pond is quite a distance from where the new one will be put in. I would keep both of them but hey that's me.
That's excellent advice MM.
Wow...I cannot imagine owning a house worth that much. I would keep them both, too, maybe even just leave the fish in their current home. If she is grossed out by using the old pond water to jump start the new one...she is really going to be grossed out if the ecosystem in the new pond does not get established well and all of her fish get sick.
Ponding is not for the weak! If you can't take the funk, get out of the pond! I'm sure she has someone clean all her filters and such. To me that is half the fun!
My ickiest pond experience was when I was messing with my pump in my skimmer and the hose fell off. High pressure pond water straight into my face and mouth! I was completely soaked with gunky stuff since it was before the filter and I stunk bad.
Oh my! evesta!! I did get the pump in the face - once. The same way you did. But for once I had my mouth shut. A rare occurence I'm told. My DH was "helping" me with a plumbing issue. There's nothing worse, except for the time I climbed into the pond and one by one pulled big river rocks up off the bottom. I had koi poop floating under my nose. Eeeeewww!
She has never cleaned anything in her pond but has only lived in her home 2 years. She doesn't have a pond guy or anyone but herself. Her husband is a doctor and I would guess he is more involved in the maintenance then they admit. A lot of ponder around me are MD's who use it for relaxation and challenges . . . Boy I was more than challenged last summer and none of the doctors I knew could help!
MM
So we had the realtor over on Monday, things are moving quicker then I thought! He thinks our home will sell easily and for more then I imagined. Someone is coming to look at our foundation today with the realtor to get it fixed as well and cheaply as possible.
Of course the realtor was not wild about all the animals in my house, especially the fish. I think some realtors live under the impression that we should all live our lives based on resale value;) He had lots of decorating tips too. LOL Evidently my color pallet is a little too colorful for him and he wants us to paint our accent wall beige. I thought accent walls were suppose to stand out? We will see. I never would not buy a home because of the wall color but maybe that deters some.
We have a lot of work and cleaning to do but apparently we are going to sell our house!
Good Luck!
Good luck! House selling is always filled with minor annoyances : )
Ahh, believe it or not MOST people buy homes based on the occupants decorations, colors and furniture (even though these things don't stay . . .) People buy emotionally and then find their furniture doesn't fit in the rooms. . .
Something I did to sell my previous homes (6 in 11 years . . .) I went to high end and trendy furniture stores to see what the new colors are for the season and tried to get them into my home. I used paint colors that are referenced in Ethan Allen showrooms (right on the walls) and got all my critters out of the house and emptied my closets by about 1/3 so that it looked like there was a lot more space. All clutter was decluttered and trashed or stored off the premises. All my homes sold for at a profit will very little invested in them. All my previous homes (except the one I am in now) were remolded for resale. I worry that in my current home I have "over" done the home with upgrades (and this pond, river and patio . . .). I am starting to think we should look into moving and upgrading with more acres.