Pond building questions for buadhai

**ChiangMai noon** · 30-05-2008, 12:58 PM

I'm already struggling here.

I have drawn the outline of the pond, but am failing miserably to make a nice channel for the concrete.

my dirt is very crumbly.

what tool did you use BH, my hoe is too wide.

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 01:00 PM

How wide is your ho?

The channel for the concrete can be 8 to 12 inches wide and about 4 to 6 inches deep. I used an ordinary Thai-style hoe. The blade is about six inches wide.

Maybe better to wet the soil and let is soak overnight and dig tomorrow? It might be easier to dig and shape right if the soil were moist.

No reason to be in a big rush...

**Norton** · 30-05-2008, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

No reason to be in a big rush...

Being a new home owner, he is under the false perception the faster he goes the quicker he can relax and have nothing else to do.

**kingwilly** · 30-05-2008, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

No reason to be in a big rush...

this is CMN we are talking about....

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by Norton

faster he goes the quicker he can relax and have nothing else to do.

He must be younger than we are....

**ChiangMai noon** · 30-05-2008, 01:17 PM

sweating buckets here and feeling rather light headed.

might have a beer break.

**Norton** · 30-05-2008, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

might have a beer break.

Guess that's the end of this thread for a few days.

bkkmadness · 30-05-2008, 02:14 PM

I want to build a koi pond, they recommend 1000 gallons of water and 4 or 5 feet in depth.

The bigger the better.

have chosen the location now.

Hopefully in partial shade, and make sure there are no trees nearby that will drop leaves into your pond. Also, if the concrete isn't sealed properly the roots may eventually work their way through it to get to the water.

If you build a Koi-pond, you'll need to have a bio-filter as well, and a small pump to circulate the water.

As with all fish, it depends how you stock the pond/aquarium. If you have a very low stock level then koi will survive just as easily as the common goldfish without a filter. Likewise a pond stocked to the brim with goldfish will also need a bio filter.

A pump to circulate the water is always a good idea. Ideally I would add a bio flter to your pond as well. You can buy them or make them yourself very cheap.

The over the top need for filteration and UV lights and special care for Koi comes from the often snobby attitude of the expensive high grade Japanese Koi keeper and of course the manufacturers of specialist koi keeping equipment. In reality, they are a carp just as the goldfish is and can be kept in much the same way.

I guarantee you a 2 inch goldfish will produce pretty much just as much shit as 2 inch koi.

Forget Koi, they are voracious eaters and poo producers. Poo means nitrogen which is why Dalton is right; with Koi you're going to need a powerful filter. And, with Koi, you can forget about pond plants as they'll eat them all unless you have a special area for plants to which the Koi are kept from swimming.

Koi are voracious plant eaters, but you can keep them in a planted pond with no problem, which my Dad has done for years in the UK.

If you have lilies (or any potted plants) you need to protect the roots, and if you have free growing bushy plants, then you need to have enough growing (these plants typically grow at a fast rate) so despite how much gets eaten the plant will never disappear from your pond and continue to thrive. Much like a herd of cows can live on a field of grass, eating it all day, but will never completely clear the grass.

The only thing you really need to bear in mind with Koi is that they will eventually reach a large size, around 3 feet maximum. It takes a long time though and by that time the fishkeeping bug will have got you and you'll want a bigger pond, so nothing much to worry about.

These are Comets:

I can see about 5 Koi carp in this photo BH.

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by bkkmadness

I can see about 5 Koi carp in this photo BH.

Nope, they're all Comets. Purchased as such and that's what they seem to be. None of them have the broad head and whiskers that you see in Koi. And, they're three years old and haven't grown much, if at all, since we bought them. And, they do not eat the plants at all.

CMN, did you buy the liner yet? Figure out how to fill it? Going to put in some plumbing? Any waterfall or other feature? Decide how to power a pump?

You can keep Koi as Maddy describes, but before you decide, have a look at Hillbilly's thread:

https://teakdoor.com/farming-and-gard...fish-pond.html

**ChiangMai noon** · 30-05-2008, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

CMN, did you buy the liner yet?

no, but i've managed to dig something that looks like a trench for the concrete.

that's enough for me for today.

got to work tomorrow and sunday so shan't be doing anything else til Monday.

thanks for the fish advice madness and all the other stuff bh.

**ChiangMai noon** · 30-05-2008, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

Going to put in some plumbing?

i wouldn't know where to start, will ask the local building guys who did my house.

Originally Posted by buad hai

Any waterfall or other feature?

yes, shall have a little waterfall.

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 02:45 PM

Take any photos?

**ChiangMai noon** · 30-05-2008, 02:46 PM

^
of course.

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 03:07 PM

Gonna post 'em?

Soon?

**kingwilly** · 30-05-2008, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

^ of course.

so where are they?

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by kingwilly

so where are they?

Don't bother him now, he's having a beer.

bkkmadness · 30-05-2008, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

Originally Posted by bkkmadness

I can see about 5 Koi carp in this photo BH.

Nope, they're all Comets. Purchased as such and that's what they seem to be. None of them have the broad head and whiskers that you see in Koi. And, they're three years old and haven't grown much, if at all, since we bought them. And, they do not eat the plants at all.

I can guarantee you 100% their are around 5 Koi Carp mixed in with your comets in that photo BH.

Comets are goldfish with longer fins, that's all.

Your Koi were mislabelled at the shop, the broader head and whiskers would have been bred out because they have not been bred in the 'pedigree' way.
3 years and not growing much does not mean anything, apart from again pointing to poor breeding.

And they probably do eat the plants, just so little you hardly notice it. As I said earlier Koi can be kept in a planted pond with no problem at all as long as the balance is right and they are well fed.

If you take a look at the three fish on the top left corner of your photo, you have (from left to right) one comet goldfish, and two koi next to it. A little bit to the right and lower down you have another koi (the one with the black marks on it). Directly where the water falls into your pond I can see definitely another 1 koi (the yellow one facing us) and I would say with a 99% probabilty, another 2 koi as well but it's a little hard to tell because of the photo.

The other mix of fish appear to be common and comet goldfish. The goldfish have short fins, the comets have long fins. Other than that, they look exactly alike.

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 04:25 PM

Never mind....

I'll stay out of this thread from now on.

Good luck cmn....

**kingwilly** · 30-05-2008, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

Never mind.... I'll stay out of this thread from now on.

OI, no need to have a flounce because you and maddy disagree on one thing....

**buad hai** · 30-05-2008, 04:32 PM

I hate Issues because I hate arguments.

This thread has become and issues-type argument, so I'm out.

bkkmadness · 30-05-2008, 04:36 PM

Bloody hell Buadhai, I was only mentioning you had Koi in your pond. I've kept and bred comets and koi for 15 odd years in the UK and sold them professionally for another 8-9 years. Not trying to show off here, just saying I do know what I am talking about when it comes to identifying pond fish.

Stick that photo up on any pond forum, they will tell you exactly the same.

Now do come back to the thread, I'm sure CMN could do with your help. You are far more useful than I when it comes to the practical side of building ponds which is the stage he is at now.

bkkmadness · 30-05-2008, 04:38 PM

^^ It's not become an issues type argument you big girl's blouse, you bought some mislabelled fish and I hoped to help you out by re labelling them for you. It's hardly even an argument really, you have Koi carp in your pond and that's all there is to it.

I actually thought you might be pleased to know about this?

**ChiangMai noon** · 30-05-2008, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by bkkmadness

you have Koi carp in your pond and that's all there is to it.

are you sure about that madness, look like Taiwanese taggleback rimpiddlers to me.

**DrAndy** · 30-05-2008, 04:42 PM

Those are the best fish to buy CMN

as for Koi, I like them and they are worth every baht of plant food

how big is you pond now?

bkkmadness · 30-05-2008, 04:44 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_(goldfish)

Comet Goldfish

Red Comet

Sarassa Comet

Red and White Comets in a Pond

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