pond sharpe for koi hobbyist?

[luke frisbee]

Sharp corners ..
Twice I've seen koi get into a corner with their heads up and they jumped out...two other koi were found dead at the corners. But i have also had 4 fish jump out at the sides.
The side jumpers jumped due to another stimulus...the corner jumpers couldn't handle the corner confinement...I two i saw jump looked confused. As i watched them they tried to go one way and then the other and when they couldn't make the turn they freaked and went up and out.

[junglegeorge12]

Jumping can be resolved with a water level a foot under the edge, or with a sloped mound of dirt like a pond has. The 90 idea would be cool, a long thin pond like tewa likes with a two sided option might look cool around a patio or deck.
I think too, if you want good growth, like tewa said, they have to be able to stretch out and make a good swim, and have double their length in pond depth. That is why the big pond builders go for 8' or 7' deep, they all want to have a 39.75" or larger koi one day. One other thought, I have noticed koi like to shoot thru the water at high speed, and enjoy doing it in a circle as well. What about a thin lap pond that is an oval like a racetrack with falls at the turns to create a circular sweeping motion? Make it 2 meters wide and 8ft deep, and woohoo, off to the koi races! You could make a setup like they do for dog tracks with the rotating arm they chase around and dangle some shrimp or mango or an aphrodesiac for them...now THAT would be worth putting on internet cam...

[Steve Nguyen]

interesting obervations. talking tunnel vision.

Steve

Quote: Originally Posted by luke frisbee Sharp corners .. Twice I've seen koi get into a corner with their heads up and they jumped out...two other koi were found dead at the corners. But i have also had 4 fish jump out at the sides. The side jumpers jumped due to another stimulus...the corner jumpers couldn't handle the corner confinement...I two i saw jump looked confused. As i watched them they tried to go one way and then the other and when they couldn't make the turn they freaked and went up and out.

[Clay]

Not only should one avoid sharp corners but too intricate of a pattern leaves dead spots in the water flow. Rounded areas also help the fish not bump their noses into the walls as easily.

Some of it has to do with construction technique. Block walled ponds are a whole lot easier to build straight walls than lots of curves. Too wide and you can't catch the fish to bowl and inspect or treat easily.

Rick

[Dwight]

This is what I am building right now. It is about 45' long and 7' at the widest. The idea is a stream or small river partly for esthetics and partly because Koi are riverine fish. The water flow will be unidirectional so the curves shouldn't present any problems and the TPRs will help sweep the curves.

[Clay]

JD, I think that the bends that are that drastic will cause just a ton of dead water areas. You would need 30 TPRs to keep everything moving. Maybe one single, very slight S pattern would serve you better. Just my opinion though. Think of a normal stream. On the outside of the S curve the water is moving faster on the inside the water slower and dead areas of water movement.

I have seen long ovals that are narrow that have flow straight through to create a stream like effect. All pumps are pushing flow in one direction and the narrow channel makes netting them so much more simple than something that is wider than 12'. Normal Japanese Pan net has a 9' handle and a 3' net.

Something to think about,

Rick

[Dwight]

Clay , the actual pond isn't anywhere that drastic and there are TPRs pointed at the inside of each curve.

[junglegeorge12]

That's a cool design. Different and creative, you get an 'A'. How did you dig it?

[Clay]

Cool, again just some food for thought. Didn't know that you already dug the pond out. Will be neat to see when it is done.


Rick

[Steve Nguyen]

cool design!!! I really like it. have fun catching your fish. I think you will be tired chasing your fish from one end to another or back and forth.

Steve

Quote: Originally Posted by jdfloyd45 This is what I am building right now. It is about 45' long and 7' at the widest. The idea is a stream or small river partly for esthetics and partly because Koi are riverine fish. The water flow will be unidirectional so the curves shouldn't present any problems and the TPRs will help sweep the curves.