[thefishsempai]

Mitch,

All you points are well taken.

I plan to build dome over the ponds, which should take care of all wildlife problem - correct me if I am wrong.

How is the water system work. do I just drain water from the pond and refill with well water or how the water bed works. I am not sure if the pond will just refill or have to dig a well etc.

I do have well on the land already.

Again thanks for the help.

Sempai B.

Quote: Originally Posted by dizzyfish Mud ponds present unique challenges. I would try and make the ponds uniform in size so one size seine would work for several different ponds. Having a drainage ditch they can all be drained to is a big help. Having a large capacity fresh well is also a near must. Fence around and put strings or netting over the top. There are lots of predators for small koi or goldfish. These can include insects and their larve, as well as things like snakes, frogs, and turtles. Mammals like otters and racoons can take small to larger koi. And of course the predatory birds like heron are force to be dealt with. Once you have figured how to keep the predators to a minimum be prepared to deal with water quality problems, especially in drought conditions. Methane gas pockets can form very quickly in mud bottom ponds. The rooting activities of larger koi help to release this gas early, but it can build up to very dangerous levels in fry growout ponds. Mat McCann at Nisei Koi Farm told me they have to have someone get in the ponds and walk through them to burst the gas bubbles with their feet. Pumping air in the ponds helps to get the water moving and also helps put oxygen in the water. The more air line drops you have the better. If you can manage to keep most of the predators at bay and maintain reasonably good water quality, you will still have parasites that find their way into the pond via bird droppings and other hitchhiking methods. While in the ponds the koi handle the parasites pretty well, but be prepared to treat once they are moved into holding tanks. Having high density mud ponds is probably a lot more involved than most people realize. (myself included) After visiting with Mat and Ross I can much better appreciate all the hard work that goes into koi farming. Good luck in your efforts, but be prepared to put in a lot of long hard hours. I attached a couple of pictures the mud ponds at Nisei Koi Farm. Mitch