Aloha to all:
I have crystal clear water in both our ponds, koi are healthy, color is OK and growth is moderate...
I visited a friends home this past Friday... His pond is the same size as ours but his fish load is probably twice as heavy as ours (10 in 1500gallons vs 15 to 20 in his)... Our koi are are all ni, san and yonsais...
I was shocked by two things, his water looked like crap, so bad that he had to use a net to bring the koi up to the surface to see them through the green water...
Surprise #2 was the size, of his koi... While ours are in the 15-20" (1, 26" + Ochiba) range... his are 28-30" with good conformation, color and of course patterns...
Which brings up the question... Are we keeping our ponds too clear to the detriment of our koi's health and well being...
On the surface it seems that I may be vs. my friend who actually cultivates green water to add to his ponds if they become too clear...
Is there a happy medium between the two... Should we let our ponds go green for various periods, during the year... What would be the best time...Summer, Spring? For how long?
Aloha! Mike