New koikeeper and new pond questions

[John Kenny]

I am also new to this. I have just built a pond this past May and have a story to tell. My pond is 45 x 45 with an Island 15,000. gal. I had water deliverd to me so I know how many gals. I Love Koi fish. I could not wait to build my own pond the first time I saw one. I knew I was Hooked ( Bad punn huh?). I am very new to this Hobby. I Have built in Laguna Skimmer and Fall filters. I have four, two of Each. I use skimmers for Mechanical and Falls for Bio. I have cal pumps in them and push 5000gph through both. plus a side water fall at 3500gph. I had been putting in salt but was told it was only good for treating fish, not to keep it in all the time.

!st question what is the deal with salt?

I have a well and use that for 10% water change = 1500 gal week

2nd question Water Hardness, Hard? Soft?

last question for now. What is the Best book on Koi that you have ever read?

Thanks
John

[John Kenny]

This is my pond

[John Kenny]

these are more of my pond

[mitten]

Sorry I can't tackle all of your questions John, but I will say that the greatest, bestest koi book I ever read was Koi Kichi by an old rockabilly dude named Peter Waddington. This man was a key ingredient in the spread of the hobby to the western world and this book is the cornerstone of how to do it right. You can find the book still, in paperback, at good koi dealers and it would be worth the postage to have them ship it to you. Send a PM to Russell Peters who started this thread and see if he's got a copy for you.

The eqipment you are using is unfamiliar, but please let me make these suggestions about your pond. One... move the sittin log closer! Two... either dump the gnome family or get them some rubber duckies and motorboats, maybe a sleeping skunk baby too. They are artfully placed. I like the thoughtful guy. Oh heck, I went back to see if the front gnome was thoughtful or just tired and now I see the boat! I think the dam frogs took it.

Mickey the windowman

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by John Kenny I am also new to this. I have just built a pond this past May and have a story to tell. My pond is 45 x 45 with an Island 15,000. gal. I had water deliverd to me so I know how many gals. I Love Koi fish. I could not wait to build my own pond the first time I saw one. I knew I was Hooked ( Bad punn huh?). I am very new to this Hobby. I Have built in Laguna Skimmer and Fall filters. I have four, two of Each. I use skimmers for Mechanical and Falls for Bio. I have cal pumps in them and push 5000gph through both. plus a side water fall at 3500gph. I had been putting in salt but was told it was only good for treating fish, not to keep it in all the time. !st question what is the deal with salt? I have a well and use that for 10% water change = 1500 gal week 2nd question Water Hardness, Hard? Soft? last question for now. What is the Best book on Koi that you have ever read? Thanks John

You don't see islands populated with the "little people" every day
Nice setting... VERY nice. Sounds like you did a lot of homework before you built, which is a good thing for you and your Koi.
In response to your questions;
Salt has value in treating a limited number of parasites, relieving symptoms of nitrite poisoning, relieving osmotic stresses under certain circumstances, but is generally used in specific treatments rather than a pondwide prophylaxis. It is also tough on plants if you have any.
Water hardness comes in two parts. Alkaline hardness (Kh) and General Hardness (Gh) For good water health Kh levels should be in th 100-200 range. If your water is on the low side you can buffer it up with products like Crushed Oyster shell, Lithaqua, Coral, incorporated into your filtration. I recently added Lithaqua to my system and I'm very impressed with its performance. Baking Soda is a quick fix for low KH (and low ph), but the other products are slower acting and longer lasting. All of these work by precipitating Carbonates into the water to maintain a healthy equalibrium which stabilizes ph against going too high or too low.
Gh is a measure of total mineral hardness, and where to maintain it depends greatly on the type of Koi you are keeping and the goals you have for them. Softer water works well for some varieties while hard water is better for others.
Ph ranges from 7.0-9.0 are safe for Koi, but once again, different varieties prefer different levels for good color development.
I'll leave it up to the experts to give you better details once we know more about your Koi varieties and your water as is.

Maybe our esteemed Moderator can spin your questions into a new thread so it doesn't get overlooked. Wadda'ya think JN?

[jnorth]

Quote: Originally Posted by PapaBear Maybe our esteemed Moderator can spin your questions into a new thread so it doesn't get overlooked. Wadda'ya think JN?

Fast enough for you?

[PapaBear]

You are quick on the trigger I'd give you a raise but I doubt 2X free would be much help

[John Kenny]

Nice to find so many people willing to help, I have to go to work now I will be on later..... Here are some fish I have in my pond

[dick benbow]

Welcome to our board and nice to sense the enthusiasm you bring. It is a great hobby...and the comments about the book and the man are" spot on " as they say.....Koi Kichi by peter waddington. Peter is heavily devoted to the Koi and his idea of ponds isn't as much about looks or landscaping but the ability to develop show fish, so keep that in mind as the book tho a few years old now is still rather spendy.....

Salt should be considered a medicine. It's use is when you need it for a specific reason not just because someone said it's good to put in the pond in spring or fall ....

As someone still learning about koi. I'm not so sure trying to adjust or play with water parameters is a good thing first off. Learning to keep the water to keep koi healthy is more important. We could comment better if we knew what your water parameters were...like PH, GH, KH etc just to make sure they're not out of alignment.

You'll have to tell us where you live so we have an idea if you'll be dealing with cold and feeding concerns....

[Russell Peters]

Hey John,

Welcome again to the Board. I am really glad to see you posting already. It is nice to have new info and ponds to look at. You pond looks great!

Russ