Thanks,mil gracias! I have river turtles and fish,hence green pond,in the tropics. Nitroginlandia! It was crystal before the fish( Small Guppies) but more in the cooler months of winter. I will improve the pond based on what I learned here and in comments, thanks again.🐢🌅🌴
My Japanese Bonsai Teacher had 3 ponds before he passed away, he kept them crystal clear all the time. Here in California, one important thing he mentioned is installing a shade net (at least 70% shade) over the pond. This will help to prevent green algae. Black algae is the key to keeping it clear. Nice pond.
I live in central valley had major algae issues before and Ive tried alot of things. My conclusion: a serious pond dye works and is all that is needed other than cleaning filters often during summer. My 1000 gallon koi pond has zero shade, direct sunlight and no noticeable algae. Rocks are not slimy anymore. The blue also enhances the colors of my koi and goldfish.
When I was the major feeder of my fish thru the years the fish came up to eat but not when other people came to pond. Taught decorative watergardening 25 years ago, called the class " pond therapy" Started learning about koi 50 years ago and got started with plants from Lily Ponds and then Koi Unlimited in Maryland. They were the only game in town, a 6 hour drive for me. You are doing a great job young man , not one thing wrong... you get an A+. Keep up spreading the good word.
Hi, i just stumbled upon your video. I was watching it with a friend from Japan who is a traditional garden designer and because he doesn't write english too well he asked me to tell you two things. - First of all, you are very talented and this pond is quite beautiful with a real sense of aesthetic and modern design. - You have way too many Koi in it, for a pond this size you should have 3 Koi maximum. Besides Koi prefer calm and quiet water and this water has quite a strong current which is good for oxygenation but bad for Koi. This is why they are swimming all over the place and are a bit too shaky. I really don't know much about ponds and koi so i am really just translating, but my friend who is an elderly gardener who has worked for some of the best Gardens in Kyoto, is a tad worried for the Koi and their well being.
Hi Morgan, Thanks for your comment and translating it! Yes, there were too many koi in that pond. I have since rebuilt the pond, and they have grown surprisingly fast since their pond got upgraded. Good to know about the water current. I’ve never heard that, people usually say to give koi lots of current. I’ll keep it in mind.
@@TheBarefootedGardener Thank you for the reply, i will definitely let my friend know the Koi now have some more space. Personally i think that this garden is a complete success.
Love the pond and the plants around it! Thirty years ago my brother in law hand dug a pool sized pond on the Oregon coast. He had it finished like a pool, included a stream and had a good sized homemade filtration system. He had pea gravel in the bottom to displace some of the water because the fish were hanging out in the deep end (5-6’) too much. He did not have rock around the edge or in the stream bed and he fought constantly to keep the water clear. He did have a few water Lillie’s but refused the suggestion of a Japanese Maple to give filtered light. His Koi did get quite large (12-16”) but it would have been so much nicer if he’d included plantings around the pond and deck that projected over it. He’s gone now as are the fish but those are nice memories of visiting him/his family and getting to feed the fish. RIP Woodie
Instead of vacuuming, I would make sure that you have a good water circulation so that the organic matter does not get a chance to fall to the bottom. That doesn’t mean a strong current, just enough to slowly push leaves and other organic detritus to a skimmer filter or something of that nature.
Thank you for making this video! I'm buying a new home that has a water feature like this with a koi pond and waterfalls. So, this is exactly the kind of info someone like me needs as a raw beginner trying to understand how to maintain all this.
I love that your pond is well planted all the way around and that you have the proper slime on the stones in the pond. It looks wonderful. So many of the other ponds on youtube look sterile, even after they are 'planted'.
Almost two years later, and still find this video helpful. Great information for the beginner. I have had a pond for years now, and got to say, your tips and advice is spot on. I hope if someone decides to build a pond, they find your video first.
I am currently rebuilding our pond and have been watching a lot of these videos. You are a fantastic teacher! By far one of the best videos out there! So, thank you! BTW, your pond is amazing!
We have 20 gold fish to 350 litres, that is 4 gallons per fishy, we have 4 separate filters and do a 25% twice a week which I water our garden, we have to monitor the ammonia levels, but over all the water is crystal clear and the fish are growing quickly, Thanks for the great video, thoroughly enjoyed Scotty
Beautiful pond and fish, thanks for the great video! I've kept koi for over 20 years now. Early on I ran into a problem caused by the gravel on the bottom and the lack of a bottom drain. I tried vacuuming the accumulated sludge, fish waste, from the gravel which resulted in black cloudy water. After this attempt half my fish died. My current pond which has been in operation for almost 20 years is 2500 gallons with epdm liner. I have chosen not to have gravel on the bottom. I have a bottom drain and a skimmer which gravity drain to a 1000 gallon vortex filter which gravity drains to a 37 watt UV light, through a basket filter and is then pumped up to 1000 gallon Skippy biofilter which flows through a rock filled stream back to the pond. I have 7 large koi 18" to 24". My water is very clear most of the time.
Dean Gray I had to replace my liner after 20 years and also used epdm as the replacement. The koi pond is 5,000 gallons attached to a higher garden pond where I keep only plants. At the time I added a bottom drain and a chamber to catch the stuff. It’s bare bottom except a partial shelf partly around. I don’t use any UV etc. but it has a bottom drain and two waterfalls. Used 2 aquascape skimmers. It was nice and clear this year.
That is the way I had my system set up at my last home. This one I became ill before finishing it all. Telling someone what you need them to do is just about impossible. Glad to hear someone has a good set up. I never was quite sure if the uv did any good. Never had a sick fish in pond but several in quarenteen where new fish were placed for first 6 weeks. ..
I really love ❤️ the way you built it. It all looks gorgeous and natural!! Also thank you fir all great info and plants and everything, very useful info
That is so beautiful, fish look super happy and healthy. Wish my pond looked like that, i can't get rid of my green slimey algae sticking to liner,stones and waterfalls 😫
Thank you so much for your reply 😊 you are right, but only problem my koi fish they eat all the plants we keep buying ripping them out from the roots. Even the lilly pads got eaten 🙄 we feed them oranges and watermelon to try and put their minds off the plants but don't help lol.
I have same problem that fish eats all plants. You can buy floating cups for your plants or separate fysically your plants from the fish. Have a look to my short video to give you some idea and feel free to comment ...
Finally, someone who gives pond care advice and doesn’t just talk about how awesome their pond or the pond their touring is. What would you recommend for a pond with a 350ft circumference and about 11 ft deep. I’m currently adding algicide and blueing to keep the algae away. The pond floor is mostly clay and I have a sandy beach attached to it. The perimeter is surround with about 3ft of river rock, I have an aerator, and a large fountain going.
Algaecide is kind of a bandaid to a bigger problem with the water. Clay is gonna have quite a bit of nutrients, so finding a mix of tropical and perennial aquatic plants that you like, and especially adding the “lake bacteria” that Aquascape makes instead of algaecide will, in time, help tremendously. There’ll be a period between stopping algaecide and the lake bacteria and plants really kicking into high gear that you’ll want to start with the algaecide, but just give it more time.
Would you be able to be more specific regarding cold ❄ weather climate plants? Like what plants need to be in the pond to feed the fish and what to filter the ammonia from the water, and how to control algae growth, please?
You provided very good detailed information and a clear explanation of all the components that go into building a pond ... and how they affect the health of the pond.
I like your pond. Looks natural. When I moved in this house already small pond here with 20 Koi fishes. We have Aqua Ultrabio filter system, but water flow is extremely slow. Like you said your pond system is very simple. pond water is green too. I don't know what to do.
Hi Yonhui, Thank you! It sounds like the pond is over stocked, I’d add lots of aquatic plants to absorb the nutrients and starve the algae. Marginal plants like Louisiana Iris are great, tropical plants like Colocasia soak in a ton of nutrients and water lilies will shade the pond. Getting a bigger pump will help out too. Circulation is important. I’ll link you to a newer video about pond design, and also about skimmer filters. If the pond is old or a preformed shell the skimmer won’t work. th-cam.com/video/yfGM2n8OGs8/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/ZRulEcXwTfY/w-d-xo.html
Don’t know which zone you’re in but Parrots Feather plant has been the BEST plant for my pond! I let it cover a large area and it blocks the sun which is very helpful plus the roots hang down which the fish seem to enjoy frolicking around in. Great for nitrites I think. LOVE your plants over the waterfall and around it!
Thank you! I’m in zone 6a. Yeah, parrots feather is beautiful! Your pond must get more sun than mine. Parrots feather is definitely great to absorb nitrates.
Thanks for the video! My boyfriend and I just bought a house that has a koi pond built in already, but we have no idea where to start and what to do. If you can make a video for something super beginner, that would be great! Maybe call it, “Koi Pond Discovery.” Does it work? How to clean it? How to start over? Thanks again!
Hi Monique, I have some on koi pond design that I can link for you. If they don’t answer your questions, let me know. Skimmer install th-cam.com/video/ZRulEcXwTfY/w-d-xo.html How to Design ponds like a pro! th-cam.com/video/yfGM2n8OGs8/w-d-xo.html
Hello from Brighton, UK! What a beautiful pond you have! Beautiful colours of plants and fish, cleverly hidden skimmer! Very inspired by this video! Please make some more videos on your pond!
Nice pond. I live in Michigan and run my pond all winter. I have koi that are over 30yrs. Old. I started out with 3 and they had babies so know I have 13.
You did a really great job. It looks very natural which I'm sure that was your intent. Love it. Mine is much smaller 6x5 ish it is easier to manage for me. But im am very pleased with it though. You sure put a lot of effort into this pond. You should be very proud..... Wow ! Thanks for your info.
Hello Im from Sri Lanka, Im doing a pond so gathering info. Your video is very much useful specially you have selected different kind of plants and how they are grown arround is amazing. Thank you,
Also 2 lilly type wide leaf plants out grew the 10ft long 5ft wide by 6 ft deep pond within 2-3 years. Completely covered the top. We gave extra seeds/plants to friends or neighbors.
Wish I could, sadly the electric company shut off our power 10 days before the due date after charging us almost $3000 in one month when both of our houses were completely shut off even the hot water units and we only had our 2 fridges and 2 LED lightbulbs on. It also basically shut off our water well. And we’ve had a really bad two years of hot sun and it has dried up our pond as my geese ate the fish that were in it and also died because of the electric company. We pretty much have nothing left and no way to get anything better. And we have been struggling just to stay alive for 2019 and winter and not passing out in the summer heat of 2020 year. Although, there is muck at the bottom of the pond. It’s possible it might come back if we have a good rain season. Otherwise there’s no water and I have been toting buckets and injuring my right shoulder and body from doing so just to keep breathing and keeping my dogs with me. If they do come back I’ll keep you posted.
Hi, I am really impressed with your level of knowledge and at such young age to boot. I have had two pond in the last 30 years one peanut shaped concrete gallons and the second one above ground about 900 gallons. It was right close to a great big oak tree so I couldn't dig. I live in Houston by the way. My pond always turn crystal clear around summer and green the rest of the year half and half. I love keeping kois actually I thought I was done with them when I moved to the new place 17yeas ago. I lasted less than six months with my kois in large tanks inside. I have six hundred gph pump that runs 24/7 and a barrel full of one inch twigs. My pump runs to the bottom of the barrel and the overflow feeds the waterfall. I have two large baskets of papyrus (dumbbell plants in the water And another in my barrel. The walls are made from Windsor breaks with locking lips with liner on the inside and large stepping stones covering the concrete blocks. And a million plants around it. My small garden is like mase and you have to walk around it to see all of it and is extremely low low maintenance. All of that is to give more validity to my compliment on your awesome and beautiful pond. It's one of the best I have ever seen. Once you get into kois you are there for ever. I am 67 years old engineer and I think my garden and my kois have kept me young and sharp.
Just love your pond!!! I find myself wanting to have a list of the plants you have all around your pond. I want to completely remake my pond!! I will for sure do plantings mixed with rock around the edge like yours.
Thank you!! Let me know how it goes! I can make a list, I think it’s easiest if you left the time on the video (5:11 for example) and I can tell you what it is.
@@TheBarefootedGardener They are adorable. If you like Koi and Goldfish, you should come to Japan (if you come, look me up!), and go to the awesome Fish X Art event called Art Aquarium run by Eco Edo in Tokyo every summer.
Would love to one day have an 800 gal pond myself, but for now, making due with a 40 gal container pond. It's beautifully clear, and is home to 4 happy comets, numerous snails, sometimes treefrogs, and the occasional dragonfly nymph. It has what started as 4 small pond plants (now quite big!) and smaller aquarium plants growing beneath the surface. I believe, in my case, the large plants do most of the work of keeping everything free of green water and healthy. It also has a big submersible filter to help with leaves that sink and fish waste.
Beautiful beautiful! I have an ask for you: how do you introduce the marginals plants? Do you use any kind of substrate? Or only the roots on the water... Thanks for your help
Hi Juan, Well the first thing is to make sure the plant you’re planting won’t damage the liner with sharp rhizomes or something like that. I plant my marginal aquatic plants directly in gravel and rock. That forces them to use the nutrients in the water. It also looks a LOT better than sinking pots in the water.
@@TheBarefootedGardener I read the same thing. Planting in the pond rocks is the best and not putting in dirt pots or adding fertilizer which will add to algae growth
Hi Barefooted Gardener. I just love your pond and the plants around it. I could sit there all day and listen to the soothing sounds of running water; a great escape on a hot summers day, so refreshing. Greetings from Australia.
A lovely pond and great video, I also have a small pond around 500 gallon established for several years now and keep it clear with a bioforce filter leading into a further foam padded filter which outlets into a water fall, due to the size of the pond I also add bacteria (Microblift) monthly as a few of the fish are fairly big , its also well aeriated.
Beautiful water feature! I am constantly fighting with green water! I live in zone 5. I do have Aquascape products. It seems after the toads lay their eggs and tadpoles emerge...the pond looks green and cloudy. The fish don’t seem to mind though! I subscribed to your channel! So very informative! I will keep working at it!
The problem with the UV is that it kills the good bacteria too. A gravel bottom if nothing else will help clarify your pond, but boulders or slate stacked inside the pond will quadruple your filtration!
I'm in the process of rebuilding my pond. The new one is bigger and deeper about 9000 gal. It has about the same inlet as yours with a gravel plant bed that spills over a foot high falls into a short 10 foot stream. It is a 17x17 square with a hook around a cedar tree. The stream flows into the end of the hook and I plan to build a deck over the hook. I have about 70 baby koi in a 360 gal box for now till the pond is ready. can't wait to see them in there new home
Hi Janet, Oh yes, I have had her on problems... it took them 5 years to find the pond... which coincides with me getting more expensive koi. Murphy’s law at its... most accurate. Motion activated sprinklers and fishing line will help.
I love your pond. I used to do the same set up as you have with the rocks on the bottom. But now I keep it simple no rocks just potted lilies on the bottom with stainless steel wires attached to the basket to lift them up for cleaning.This makes it much easier for cleaning leaves out and debris. The little stones and rocks collect a lot of mud and debris it’s very hard to clean out. I use a pump rig vacuum that I made up to you suck the bottom clean. I Love the koi fish but I’ve gone to simple fancy tail goldfish. Because the coil get too big it’s like feeding a baby kitty cat. Also a 200 gallon Stone filled bio filter . It’s a Rubbermaid Watering tub.
Hi from the uk, great looking pond and plants. I have a 2000 litre pond with gold fish and shubunkins they seemed to have liked our summer this year because I have another 12 small fish on top of the 12 I’ve already got.would you say that’s to many fish I’ve never have problems with the water it’s always crystal clear the only problem I have are the cats so have to cover the pond with a metal mesh 😡
Hi Mark, You’re probably okay with the fish load, and the system sounds healthy, goldfish/ shubunkin need about 50 gallons per fish. The conversion is 189 liters, I think. Ugh. That sucks about the cats! If you have a way to make the edges too steep for the cats, maybe they won’t be able to get at the fish?
The Barefooted Gardener thanks for the advice, my pond is raised above the ground with railway sleepers and the water is 6” lower from the top sleeper, I think the cat was standing on a plant and scooping them out with his paw, think I’ve stopped it now with wire mesh, cheers
Mark 66 Yep me to uk I’ve got 200 baby’s Cleaned the pond removed some weed kept it in a water butt Boom 200 baby’s 😂 now I’m upgrading to 1000gallon pond
Goldfish & Shubunkins are not so demanding on the filter system as Koi are. You can normally get about 5" of Goldfish to 1" of Koi which give off a lot more ammonia. I found last year my Shubunkin fry came on really good by growing them on through the winter using an indoor tank at about 21degrees Centigrade and using fry food. This year I have split the Koi fry 3 ways ...some indoors, some in a natural pond and some in an isolation tank outside edging my chances .The problem is the more they feed and from the more ammonia, nitrate, nitrite the filter system has to deal with. If you get the water and filtration right then the fish look after themselves
Great information and I love the video! Nice Job! 💪
Thanks Jaak!
Thanks,mil gracias! I have river turtles and fish,hence green pond,in the tropics. Nitroginlandia! It was crystal before the fish( Small Guppies) but more in the cooler months of winter. I will improve the pond based on what I learned here and in comments, thanks again.🐢🌅🌴
My Japanese Bonsai Teacher had 3 ponds before he passed away, he kept them crystal clear all the time. Here in California, one important thing he mentioned is installing a shade net (at least 70% shade) over the pond. This will help to prevent green algae. Black algae is the key to keeping it clear. Nice pond.
I live in central valley had major algae issues before and Ive tried alot of things. My conclusion: a serious pond dye works and is all that is needed other than cleaning filters often during summer. My 1000 gallon koi pond has zero shade, direct sunlight and no noticeable algae. Rocks are not slimy anymore. The blue also enhances the colors of my koi and goldfish.
@@ChodaStanks I'd prefer a shade over a pond dye
Agreed. Proper filtration, plentiful aquatic plants and flow rates also keep algae under control.
When I was the major feeder of my fish thru the years the fish came up to eat but not when other people came to pond. Taught decorative watergardening 25 years ago, called the class " pond therapy" Started learning about koi 50 years ago and got started with plants from Lily Ponds and then Koi Unlimited in Maryland. They were the only game in town, a 6 hour drive for me. You are doing a great job young man , not one thing wrong... you get an A+. Keep up spreading the good word.
Hi, i just stumbled upon your video. I was watching it with a friend from Japan who is a traditional garden designer and because he doesn't write english too well he asked me to tell you two things.
- First of all, you are very talented and this pond is quite beautiful with a real sense of aesthetic and modern design.
- You have way too many Koi in it, for a pond this size you should have 3 Koi maximum. Besides Koi prefer calm and quiet water and this water has quite a strong current which is good for oxygenation but bad for Koi. This is why they are swimming all over the place and are a bit too shaky. I really don't know much about ponds and koi so i am really just translating, but my friend who is an elderly gardener who has worked for some of the best Gardens in Kyoto, is a tad worried for the Koi and their well being.
Hi Morgan,
Thanks for your comment and translating it! Yes, there were too many koi in that pond. I have since rebuilt the pond, and they have grown surprisingly fast since their pond got upgraded. Good to know about the water current. I’ve never heard that, people usually say to give koi lots of current. I’ll keep it in mind.
@@TheBarefootedGardener Thank you for the reply, i will definitely let my friend know the Koi now have some more space.
Personally i think that this garden is a complete success.
@@TheBarefootedGardener I’ve also read that koi are carp... natural swimmers and enjoy current. I liked the pond. Great job 👍🏻
@@mehmehxxx In Asia, our Koi ponds are serene. Not much water agitation. They are great swimmers but they do not like noisy, turbulent waters. Thanks.
@@TheBarefootedGardener I have read that Koi like to swim upstream?
Love the pond and the plants around it! Thirty years ago my brother in law hand dug a pool sized pond on the Oregon coast. He had it finished like a pool, included a stream and had a good sized homemade filtration system. He had pea gravel in the bottom to displace some of the water because the fish were hanging out in the deep end (5-6’) too much. He did not have rock around the edge or in the stream bed and he fought constantly to keep the water clear. He did have a few water Lillie’s but refused the suggestion of a Japanese Maple to give filtered light. His Koi did get quite large (12-16”) but it would have been so much nicer if he’d included plantings around the pond and deck that projected over it. He’s gone now as are the fish but those are nice memories of visiting him/his family and getting to feed the fish.
RIP Woodie
It was probably the peasized gravel bottom. I had my pond professionally installed and they recommend larger rocks on the bottom so you can vacuum it
Rip dude keep living for him
@@mncowgirlinaz I’ll keep that in mind...I’ve started digging a pond in our backyard but I haven’t gotten very far.
Instead of vacuuming, I would make sure that you have a good water circulation so that the organic matter does not get a chance to fall to the bottom. That doesn’t mean a strong current, just enough to slowly push leaves and other organic detritus to a skimmer filter or something of that nature.
Thank you for making this video! I'm buying a new home that has a water feature like this with a koi pond and waterfalls. So, this is exactly the kind of info someone like me needs as a raw beginner trying to understand how to maintain all this.
I love that your pond is well planted all the way around and that you have the proper slime on the stones in the pond. It looks wonderful. So many of the other ponds on youtube look sterile, even after they are 'planted'.
Almost two years later, and still find this video helpful. Great information for the beginner. I have had a pond for years now, and got to say, your tips and advice is spot on. I hope if someone decides to build a pond, they find your video first.
Thanks for the kind words! I’m glad you are still getting value from the video!
Those gorgeous fish looks so happy there!
They are! Thanks for watching!
Wow! This video really popped off!!!
It has! I’m glad it’s picked up so much traction!
i don’t even have a koi pond
I do
Same, I don’t have one but really want one.
Maybe you should
So then, you are watching this video because.......?
@@don.7593 because I want to see others so I can improve
I am currently rebuilding our pond and have been watching a lot of these videos. You are a fantastic teacher! By far one of the best videos out there! So, thank you! BTW, your pond is amazing!
Hi Victoria, that’s awesome! I have a few videos out about pond design if you want me to drop the links. Many thanks for the kind words!
I’m on this side of TH-cam again and honestly it helps me sleep at night
Awesome pond. Everything is hidden. A video on installation of skimmer & waterfall would be awesome.
you have the most beautiful pond and the happiest fish I've ever seen
Thank you Sheilah!
Most beautiful pond on TH-cam ❤️
We have 20 gold fish to 350 litres, that is 4 gallons per fishy, we have 4 separate filters and do a 25% twice a week which I water our garden, we have to monitor the ammonia levels, but over all the water is crystal clear and the fish are growing quickly,
Thanks for the great video, thoroughly enjoyed
Scotty
It's very Rewarding & this Dude is Good ".
I love people that love Koi. I feel like my heart beats faster when I see them.
Beautiful pond and fish, thanks for the great video! I've kept koi for over 20 years now. Early on I ran into a problem caused by the gravel on the bottom and the lack of a bottom drain. I tried vacuuming the accumulated sludge, fish waste, from the gravel which resulted in black cloudy water. After this attempt half my fish died. My current pond which has been in operation for almost 20 years is 2500 gallons with epdm liner. I have chosen not to have gravel on the bottom. I have a bottom drain and a skimmer which gravity drain to a 1000 gallon vortex filter which gravity drains to a 37 watt UV light, through a basket filter and is then pumped up to 1000 gallon Skippy biofilter which flows through a rock filled stream back to the pond. I have 7 large koi 18" to 24". My water is very clear most of the time.
Dean Gray I had to replace my liner after 20 years and also used epdm as the replacement. The koi pond is 5,000 gallons attached to a higher garden pond where I keep only plants. At the time I added a bottom drain and a chamber to catch the stuff. It’s bare bottom except a partial shelf partly around. I don’t use any UV etc. but it has a bottom drain and two waterfalls. Used 2 aquascape skimmers. It was nice and clear this year.
Sounds like a really good system.
That is the way I had my system set up at my last home. This one I became ill before finishing it all. Telling someone what you need them to do is just about impossible. Glad to hear someone has a good set up. I never was quite sure if the uv did any good. Never had a sick fish in pond but several in quarenteen where new fish were placed for first 6 weeks. ..
Has to be my favorite pond on TH-cam 😊
I really love ❤️ the way you built it. It all looks gorgeous and natural!! Also thank you fir all great info and plants and everything, very useful info
Gabriela Mowery I’m just remodel my koi fish pond th-cam.com/video/HTK8pnEhphU/w-d-xo.html
Those fishes look very happy! 😍
My real problem is that I Don’t Have a Pond! 🙆🏻♂️
...Yet!
😂☝🏻
Thanks for getting back with some of the plants you have around your pond.
You’re welcome Jerry!
That is so beautiful, fish look super happy and healthy. Wish my pond looked like that, i can't get rid of my green slimey algae sticking to liner,stones and waterfalls 😫
Sounds like you need to add a lot of aquatic plants; plant directly into the gravel.
Thank you so much for your reply 😊 you are right, but only problem my koi fish they eat all the plants we keep buying ripping them out from the roots. Even the lilly pads got eaten 🙄 we feed them oranges and watermelon to try and put their minds off the plants but don't help lol.
I have same problem that fish eats all plants. You can buy floating cups for your plants or separate fysically your plants from the fish. Have a look to my short video to give you some idea and feel free to comment ...
HI.. WOW LOVE YOUR POND. THE WATER SO CLEAR.. AND SO MANY LOVELY KOI.. THANKS FOR SHARING..
Kim Pham - USA true
Excellent and intelligently articulated info, informative and inspiring. Thanks!
I fought green water (algae) for years, I had too much sunlight on the pond! You did mention it that a pond does better in the shade! Thanks!
Although we do a lot of work with retention ponds, these are still great tips. You have a really beautiful system! Thanks for sharing.
Finally, someone who gives pond care advice and doesn’t just talk about how awesome their pond or the pond their touring is. What would you recommend for a pond with a 350ft circumference and about 11 ft deep. I’m currently adding algicide and blueing to keep the algae away. The pond floor is mostly clay and I have a sandy beach attached to it. The perimeter is surround with about 3ft of river rock, I have an aerator, and a large fountain going.
Algaecide is kind of a bandaid to a bigger problem with the water. Clay is gonna have quite a bit of nutrients, so finding a mix of tropical and perennial aquatic plants that you like, and especially adding the “lake bacteria” that Aquascape makes instead of algaecide will, in time, help tremendously. There’ll be a period between stopping algaecide and the lake bacteria and plants really kicking into high gear that you’ll want to start with the algaecide, but just give it more time.
I like
Oh Heck, I'm jealous!!! Ya got me inspired....I want a pond like yours!!!
Surprisingly, blue gills did great in my tiny pond and were less vulnerable to predators.
I’m impressed by this pond 👍
Thanks Nate!
The plants also consume the nutrients from koi poh preventing green alga bloom
Would you be able to be more specific regarding cold ❄ weather climate plants?
Like what plants need to be in the pond to feed the fish and what to filter the ammonia from the water, and how to control algae growth, please?
Hi Franklin,
Sorry I didn’t get to your comment. I think this is better as a video than writing an essay.
Thankls so much, this is one of the nicest ponds I have seen. great job on explaining also.
You provided very good detailed information and a clear explanation of all the components that go into building a pond ... and how they affect the health of the pond.
I like your pond. Looks natural. When I moved in this house already small pond here with 20 Koi fishes. We have Aqua Ultrabio filter system, but water flow is extremely slow. Like you said your pond system is very simple. pond water is green too. I don't know what to do.
Hi Yonhui,
Thank you! It sounds like the pond is over stocked, I’d add lots of aquatic plants to absorb the nutrients and starve the algae. Marginal plants like Louisiana Iris are great, tropical plants like Colocasia soak in a ton of nutrients and water lilies will shade the pond. Getting a bigger pump will help out too. Circulation is important. I’ll link you to a newer video about pond design, and also about skimmer filters. If the pond is old or a preformed shell the skimmer won’t work.
th-cam.com/video/yfGM2n8OGs8/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/ZRulEcXwTfY/w-d-xo.html
Don’t know which zone you’re in but Parrots Feather plant has been the BEST plant for my pond! I let it cover a large area and it blocks the sun which is very helpful plus the roots hang down which the fish seem to enjoy frolicking around in. Great for nitrites I think. LOVE your plants over the waterfall and around it!
Thank you! I’m in zone 6a. Yeah, parrots feather is beautiful! Your pond must get more sun than mine. Parrots feather is definitely great to absorb nitrates.
molliemollie Parrotsfeather is deer food. So pretty though.
Thanks for the video! My boyfriend and I just bought a house that has a koi pond built in already, but
we have no idea where to start and what to do. If you can make a video for something super beginner, that would be great! Maybe call it, “Koi Pond Discovery.” Does it work? How to clean it? How to start over? Thanks again!
Hi Monique,
I have some on koi pond design that I can link for you. If they don’t answer your questions, let me know.
Skimmer install
th-cam.com/video/ZRulEcXwTfY/w-d-xo.html
How to Design ponds like a pro!
th-cam.com/video/yfGM2n8OGs8/w-d-xo.html
Really helpful!!! Complete with just all the information I need. Much appreciation from the Philippines...👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭
Hello from Brighton, UK! What a beautiful pond you have! Beautiful colours of plants and fish, cleverly hidden skimmer! Very inspired by this video! Please make some more videos on your pond!
Hi Louis,
Thank you! That’s a nice area! I’m planning on discussing waterfall building techniques, among others soon!
I think so to i live in lancing uk . Isnt this pond somthing and good info you can't have enough.
Hello from the UK 🇬🇧 great to see other brits checking out a great video
Nice pond. I live in Michigan and run my pond all winter. I have koi that are over 30yrs. Old. I started out with 3 and they had babies so know I have 13.
You did a really great job. It looks very natural which I'm sure that was your intent. Love it. Mine is much smaller 6x5 ish it is easier to manage for me. But im am very pleased with it though. You sure put a lot of effort into this pond. You should be very proud..... Wow ! Thanks for your info.
This is the best video and pond I’ve ever seen!
Wow looks amazing, really has inspired me 👌
So beautiful garden thank you
beautiful, looks like my second pond
I added a small bog to my pond and it works really well in filtering... I plant a ton of aquatic plants in at 2 The Help filter more
That’s the way to do it!
Hello Im from Sri Lanka, Im doing a pond so gathering info. Your video is very much useful specially you have selected different kind of plants and how they are grown arround is amazing. Thank you,
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying my videos! Stay tuned for more pond build videos this upcoming season!
Also 2 lilly type wide leaf plants out grew the 10ft long 5ft wide by 6 ft deep pond within 2-3 years. Completely covered the top. We gave extra seeds/plants to friends or neighbors.
I love to have some of your seeds. Is it possible to give some, please. I live in San Jose.
Wish I could, sadly the electric company shut off our power 10 days before the due date after charging us almost $3000 in one month when both of our houses were completely shut off even the hot water units and we only had our 2 fridges and 2 LED lightbulbs on. It also basically shut off our water well. And we’ve had a really bad two years of hot sun and it has dried up our pond as my geese ate the fish that were in it and also died because of the electric company. We pretty much have nothing left and no way to get anything better. And we have been struggling just to stay alive for 2019 and winter and not passing out in the summer heat of 2020 year. Although, there is muck at the bottom of the pond. It’s possible it might come back if we have a good rain season. Otherwise there’s no water and I have been toting buckets and injuring my right shoulder and body from doing so just to keep breathing and keeping my dogs with me. If they do come back I’ll keep you posted.
I dig the platinum Ogon ... you must be a pro 0.o
Beautiful pond! You are very smart!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!!
You’re great man! This helps a lot! Thank you!
Hi, I am really impressed with your level of knowledge and at such young age to boot. I have had two pond in the last 30 years one peanut shaped concrete gallons and the second one above ground about 900 gallons. It was right close to a great big oak tree so I couldn't dig. I live in Houston by the way. My pond always turn crystal clear around summer and green the rest of the year half and half. I love keeping kois actually I thought I was done with them when I moved to the new place 17yeas ago. I lasted less than six months with my kois in large tanks inside.
I have six hundred gph pump that runs 24/7 and a barrel full of one inch twigs. My pump runs to the bottom of the barrel and the overflow feeds the waterfall. I have two large baskets of papyrus (dumbbell plants in the water
And another in my barrel. The walls are made from Windsor breaks with locking lips with liner on the inside and large stepping stones covering the concrete blocks. And a million plants around it. My small garden is like mase and you have to walk around it to see all of it and is extremely low low maintenance.
All of that is to give more validity to my compliment on your awesome and beautiful pond. It's one of the best I have ever seen. Once you get into kois you are there for ever. I am 67 years old engineer and I think my garden and my kois have kept me young and sharp.
Hello, thank you for telling me about your personal paradise; I’m glad you are enjoying your garden and koi!!
Just love your pond!!! I find myself wanting to have a list of the plants you have all around your pond. I want to completely remake my pond!! I will for sure do plantings mixed with rock around the edge like yours.
Thank you!! Let me know how it goes! I can make a list, I think it’s easiest if you left the time on the video (5:11 for example) and I can tell you what it is.
I’m so happy to live in a tropical area and not have to worry about winter :D
Yeah! Lucky you! 😁🤙🏼
I think your fish are asking you for some food! 😄
They’d just keep eating! I do feed them sometimes 2x day during the height of summer.
@@TheBarefootedGardener They are adorable. If you like Koi and Goldfish, you should come to Japan (if you come, look me up!), and go to the awesome Fish X Art event called Art Aquarium run by Eco Edo in Tokyo every summer.
They are asking him for some moon pie and frogspawn..🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🌕🌖🌝🌙🌙
Very well put together video. Good work.
Thanks so much Chris!
For a standard goldfish it needs 30-40 gallons for the first fish than an extra 10 gallons for every fish you add, anyways great video
How? childer have those in a 10 gallon ?
MindScammer a 19 gallon isn’t enough for even 1 goldfish and they won’t live anywhere near their full life expectancies
Would love to one day have an 800 gal pond myself, but for now, making due with a 40 gal container pond. It's beautifully clear, and is home to 4 happy comets, numerous snails, sometimes treefrogs, and the occasional dragonfly nymph. It has what started as 4 small pond plants (now quite big!) and smaller aquarium plants growing beneath the surface. I believe, in my case, the large plants do most of the work of keeping everything free of green water and healthy. It also has a big submersible filter to help with leaves that sink and fish waste.
Sounds great! Yes the plants do a lot of filtration.
I like this idea. Roughly how much do you spend for the stones to make this size of a pond?
I think you can get them for free at gravel pits.
Wow nice. So clear i can see it
Great video. I love the explanation part. Just subscribed. Some videos on installation would be great!
Hey Alberto,
I’ve got an awesome new pond design that I’ll film the build in spring, once the ground is thawed!
Great, thanks. I assume it's winter for you - I live in Australia and it's summer here :-). Waiting for your next video. Cheers
I love your pond! Very pretty fish! I'm a little sleepy now #waterfalls
Thanks Matthew!
Beautiful beautiful! I have an ask for you: how do you introduce the marginals plants? Do you use any kind of substrate? Or only the roots on the water... Thanks for your help
Hi Juan,
Well the first thing is to make sure the plant you’re planting won’t damage the liner with sharp rhizomes or something like that. I plant my marginal aquatic plants directly in gravel and rock. That forces them to use the nutrients in the water. It also looks a LOT better than sinking pots in the water.
Excellent! Thanks!!!!
@@TheBarefootedGardener I read the same thing. Planting in the pond rocks is the best and not putting in dirt pots or adding fertilizer which will add to algae growth
Hi Barefooted Gardener. I just love your pond and the plants around it. I could sit there all day and listen to the soothing sounds of running water; a great escape on a hot summers day, so refreshing. Greetings from Australia.
Great pond and great info! Your pond does seem to be a little small for all those koi though... just an observation.
Love your video though 🤗
A lovely pond and great video, I also have a small pond around 500 gallon established for several years now and keep it clear with a bioforce filter leading into a further foam padded filter which outlets into a water fall, due to the size of the pond I also add bacteria (Microblift) monthly as a few of the fish are fairly big , its also well aeriated.
Hey Russ,
Sounds like you’ve got a good system! You could get an automatic dosing system, made by Aquascape, that’ll reduce your maintenance.
Thanks for the video, I'm probably gonna redo my front yard pond to incorporate some of your suggestions. Thanks again!
Looks so natural
cool pond dude & video too & GREAT info.
best pond ive seen in you tube. congrats its beautiful.
Thank you!
You are such a brainiac!!! 🧠 Your pond, plants, and fish 🐟 🐠 🐟 are a work of art!!!!
Good info but lost me there at the end with the hat. Moving on.
I really enjoyed your pond. It’s got a chill vibe and the crystal clear water with beautiful koi fishes. Just Perfect :))
This pond is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
blanket weed is my ongoing battle
Awesome , presentation, you have the best yet ,thank you for your very informative video, dave foster, murphy, nc
Try to figure out what makes blanketweed happy and then do the opposite; beat them at their own game
You have absolutely stunning koi and a beautiful pond well done.
Thats a beautiful pond and awesome video. Very informative and to the point. Thank you
A video about how the water flows from skimmer to falls would be awesome.
Beautiful water feature! I am constantly fighting with green water! I live in zone 5. I do have Aquascape products. It seems after the toads lay their eggs and tadpoles emerge...the pond looks green and cloudy. The fish don’t seem to mind though! I subscribed to your channel! So very informative! I will keep working at it!
Garden Girl get an ultra violet light for water to flow through
The problem with the UV is that it kills the good bacteria too. A gravel bottom if nothing else will help clarify your pond, but boulders or slate stacked inside the pond will quadruple your filtration!
Skimmer (intake bay), biofalls, good shape of pond (stream-like shape), rocks n gravel, plants and if possible underground water reservoir out of sun
Nice pond. Thanks for the video.
Thanks George! You’re welcome.
Small ponds are really difficult to get that "natural" good look and this one has that quality.@@TheBarefootedGardener
Hi, Just came across your video by chance, and I'm pleased I did. It's Informative and to the point. I look forward to watching more.
Regards.
great setup
Yeah... so everytime you Go to the pet store, you feek like to buy more Fish 😊🤣👍🥰
Nadine Jäckel my koi fish pond th-cam.com/video/HTK8pnEhphU/w-d-xo.html
August T that’s very nice and I thank you very much 🐠
I'm in the process of rebuilding my pond. The new one is bigger and deeper about 9000 gal. It has about the same inlet as yours with a gravel plant bed that spills over a foot high falls into a short 10 foot stream. It is a 17x17 square with a hook around a cedar tree. The stream flows into the end of the hook and I plan to build a deck over the hook. I have about 70 baby koi in a 360 gal box for now till the pond is ready. can't wait to see them in there new home
My koi fish keep having babies! At the beginning of last year we had 19 fish. Now we have over 40. I don't know what to do -.-
That’s cool! You could probably sell them to your local fish store or build more ponds!
How Old are the parents?
Oh gosh. That's beautiful. You're quite gifted.
Your koi know u I can tell. ITS FEEDIN TIME.
good koi pond
Love the edge of your pond. Mine needs some work. I would love to know how you got it so natural looking!
Thanks Dianna!
Stay tuned, I will post a bunch if videos about ponds once the ground thaws in my area.
hai am K.C. from india your pond is reallylooking grate and prity.. excelent natural feltering...
Your fish are so cute and clearly are not afraid of you!
Beautiful pond!🐸
Thanks Anthony!
No heron problems? Amazed if not!
Hi Janet,
Oh yes, I have had her on problems... it took them 5 years to find the pond... which coincides with me getting more expensive koi. Murphy’s law at its... most accurate. Motion activated sprinklers and fishing line will help.
Your pond is so beautiful 🥰
I love your pond. I used to do the same set up as you have with the rocks on the bottom. But now I keep it simple no rocks just potted lilies on the bottom with stainless steel wires attached to the basket to lift them up for cleaning.This makes it much easier for cleaning leaves out and debris. The little stones and rocks collect a lot of mud and debris it’s very hard to clean out. I use a pump rig vacuum that I made up to you suck the bottom clean. I Love the koi fish but I’ve gone to simple fancy tail goldfish. Because the coil get too big it’s like feeding a baby kitty cat. Also a 200 gallon Stone filled bio filter . It’s a Rubbermaid Watering tub.
Hi from the uk, great looking pond and plants. I have a 2000 litre pond with gold fish and shubunkins they seemed to have liked our summer this year because I have another 12 small fish on top of the 12 I’ve already got.would you say that’s to many fish I’ve never have problems with the water it’s always crystal clear the only problem I have are the cats so have to cover the pond with a metal mesh 😡
Hi Mark,
You’re probably okay with the fish load, and the system sounds healthy, goldfish/ shubunkin need about 50 gallons per fish. The conversion is 189 liters, I think. Ugh. That sucks about the cats! If you have a way to make the edges too steep for the cats, maybe they won’t be able to get at the fish?
The Barefooted Gardener thanks for the advice, my pond is raised above the ground with railway sleepers and the water is 6” lower from the top sleeper, I think the cat was standing on a plant and scooping them out with his paw, think I’ve stopped it now with wire mesh, cheers
Mark 66 Yep me to uk I’ve got 200 baby’s
Cleaned the pond removed some weed kept it in a water butt
Boom 200 baby’s 😂 now I’m upgrading to 1000gallon pond
Boss Levels 200 babies you’re fish have had a good time this summer 😄
Goldfish & Shubunkins are not so demanding on the filter system as Koi are. You can normally get about 5" of Goldfish to 1" of Koi which give off a lot more ammonia. I found last year my Shubunkin fry came on really good by growing them on through the winter using an indoor tank at about 21degrees Centigrade and using fry food. This year I have split the Koi fry 3 ways ...some indoors, some in a natural pond and some in an isolation tank outside edging my chances .The problem is the more they feed and from the more ammonia, nitrate, nitrite the filter system has to deal with. If you get the water and filtration right then the fish look after themselves