Koi Pond News 10Mar06

Today’s temperatures were an astounding 63°F (17°C) and all of the ice on my koi pond suddenly melted. The fish, who had been hibernating underneath the ice until today, came up to sun themselves and demand food. They can be very pushy, and I have always said that if they had feet, they would be in the kitchen opening every cabinet they could to satisfy their hunger. Tomorrow I will measure the water temperature which must be about 43°F (6°C) for them to be fed. Even so, feeding could be a problem if it gets colder again.

My pond is 21 feet in diameter (6.4 meters) and 3 feet deep (.9 meters) at its deepest. To dig the pond, the Love of My Life, henceforth to be known as the LOML, rented a mini-excavator and invited his best friend to play with his big new toy, while my girl friend and I sat up on the porch and watched with amusement. Big boys and their toys!

The LOML and I bought a liner and installed it ourselves; the cheapest way to go. We also added circulation with a sump pump in the pond and a band-aid of a filter. We have since installed a well pump in the basement for circulation. We plan to get a more adequate filter just as soon as we get the money (don’t hold your breath – it’s been 8 years already). In the meantime, last year I put in a male bluegill sunfish to control the koi population (they eat the eggs and fry) and that seems to be working. It should be; it took a friend almost all day to catch that thing.