LomaPonder's Koi Page

Now in my fourth year, I decided that my main filtration and plumbing needed to be upgraded. I decided to place twin 55-gallon drums in front of my main pump to act as mechanical filters for the system. I also spend
many weekends digging a trench the length of my back edge of my pond. Into it I
took out a single 3” PVC pipe and replaced that with side-by-side 4” PVC pipes
(one going to its own pre-filter barrel).

… Continue

File this one under "Don't leave for tomorrow what should be taken care of today". So I recently attended a koi show and picked up a 10-inch Kikokuryu. I brought it home and place it in my Q-tank for a stay, joining three others in isolation. After 5 weeks, and no mishaps, I place my four new fish in my pond. They seem to be thrill to be out of a confined space and swimming free.

A day later, I noticed the Kikokuryu was A.W.O.L. I looked all over, inside and outside the pond with no luck. I thr… Continue

Earlier in my “attempt at” Koi-keeping, I was fortunate enough to purchase an excellent pond heater for one-fourth the original price. I saw it advertised on Craig’s List and called the seller to come and look at the unit. After a shaky sale (that should of been an omen to NOT purchase). I went on my way home to set up the heater up on a 250-gallon QT tank on the side.

The heater was a wand probe type, with a plastic screen that surrounded the heater probe so as not to burn the fish if they ven… Continue

This entry will be short and “not so” sweet. This is a common occurrence in the koi world. It must be extremely common because soon after encountering this, the most common statement is:

“We’ve all done that….”

Mine happened a couple of days after purchasing some tosai from a local dealer. I acquired two beni kumonryu to grow out and observe their changeover time; I looked at this buy as a learning experience. I didn’t realize that I’d be learning another, far more stinging, lesson.

So the fi… Continue

My Filters came from Calcutta

When I decided to design a pond for my backyard, I was under the belief that the most inexpensive way to create a filtration system for my aquatic paradise would be to “Do It Yourself” or “DIY”. I went about researching / purloining the design of filters and gadgets that would be put into practice on my pond. I made numerous trips to the local box store (sometimes even returning within an hour) and searched Craig’s List to collect the materials. I cut a lot of pipe… Continue