Koi Fish Information Centre

Thank you, Don. I’ll show this to Malcolm when he gets in. I’ve also sent along a few shots that will give you an idea of what I’ve got. I like the idea of rinsing the mulm out with a wand and I have just the right attachment for this chore. And the new pond vac is a lifeline: you have no idea how efficient it is! I use all siphoned off pond water in my forest garden and the ferns just love it. Nothing goes to waste around here - not even koi droppings! But I think I’ll save the big cleaning until October, when I can get down into the pond and not have to worry about stressing the fish. Once they’re inside, I’m able to make as much of a mess as I want. Thanks for the feedback on the danger of having the rocks in my pond. Now I’ll be even more meticulous with my pond hygiene because I don’t have the option of doing without. Not with the sand base that we have.
Brenda
On 7-Jul-08, at 4:22 PM, KeepKoi wrote:
> Brenda, > Does your soil have a lot of clay in it? I find that having a pond in > a soil type that doesn’t drain well is one of the prime reasons pond > liners will bubble up like you said yours did. It’s best not to have > rocks in a koi pond, but if it’s necessary to have them so your liner > stays in place, there’s not much you can do about it. If rocks are > absolutely needed, try to get away using as few rocks as you can. > With rocks in the pond, it’s absolutely imperative that you’re able to > do a thorough cleaning of any mulm buildup that occurs around and > under the rocks. It sounds like you’ve been doing a pretty good job > of cleaning as much mulm as possible. > > If you have rocks in your pond, one way of releasing the mulm from > around and under the rocks is to use a gentle flow of water to flush > the mulm from under the rocks. Your water might dirty up a bit, but > if done correctly, should clear up in short order. You can make an > 8-10 ft flushing wand out of 1/2″ to 1″ diameter pvc that can be used > to flush the mulm, while someone else uses your pondvac to catch most > of the dislodged mulm. > > To make a flushing wand you’ll need to be able to attach a hose > shutoff valve to one end of it so it can be attached to a garden hose. > Instead of using your fresh water, you can modify your filter > plumbing by installing a “T” in it on the pump outlet side. Attach a > faucet or valve to the “T” that you can hook a garden hose to. Now > just attach a garden hose to the “T” valve and to the flushing wand, > and you’ll be able to use the ponds own water to do the flushing. > Having the “T” valve in the plumbing also allows you to distribute > water removed from the pond during water changes onto the lawn or into > the garden/landscape where it will do a lot of good and not be wasted. > I’ve had my plumbing set up that way for several years, and it’s > worked just great for my pond. > > If your soil is a clay type that doesn’t drain water off very well, > you might find out whether it’s feasible to put in some kind of drain > field around the pond to drain off the water that would normally > buildup under the pond liner. If the water under the pond liner has > someplace it can be drained to, the liner should stay in place. Not > knowing what type of soil you have, or the layout of your property > makes it pretty hard to suggest solutions. > > Don > ikeepkoi > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > ———————————— > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >

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