An Isaan Pond

[Jack meoff]

Question that gardener

He looks tooooo young.

[baldrick]

Sorry for the text ran into some weird problems when trying to copy/paste.

easy way to do it is copy into a open text document and then rearrange to your hearts content and then copy paste on to the forum

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[Mendip]

So... pump out more sludge and top up with fresh water it is next week! There's rains forecast so hopefully I can get the bad water pumped out before, and the pond will fill up fast.

It's not as though I've got much else to to... no work on the horizon with this coronavirus.

In the long term I'd like to stock a few pla nin again, and will have to work on a permanent oxygenating system.

[Neverna]

How about some small paddle wheel aerators to help with oxegenating? I've seen some in the klongs in Korat so I suppose they must work to some extent.

A smaller version of this, perhaps.

[Mendip]

^ I find them very obtrusive Nev. I'm thinking more along the lines of perforated hosing or piping lying along the bottom of the pond through which air will be pumped.

[Mendip]

Just to give some idea of how green the pond water has become.

Yogi's just been for a dip to cool down... guess how deep he went?!!

[Fondles]

^ I find them very obtrusive Nev. I'm thinking more along the lines of perforated hosing or piping lying along the bottom of the pond through which air will be pumped.

My old Koi pond was a few million litres smaller than yours but I built a Venturi aerator for it.... worked well.

maybe you could do similar but on a bigger scale.

[panama hat]

In the long term I'd like to stock a few pla nin again, and will have to work on a permanent oxygenating system.

I can't remember who, but a previous suggestion on a fountain or two would do well and be pleasant on the eyes and ears

I'm thinking more along the lines of perforated hosing or piping lying along the bottom of the pond through which air will be pumped.

. . . and this. Sounds like the best solution so far until it clogs up

[Jack meoff]

Just fill it in and get back to teas on the lawn, lesson learnt, money down the swanny.

[Klondyke]

Just bought a couple (?) of pla duc (33 Baht on market) and introduced them trustfully to my kois (please clean the mess at the bottom of the pond)...

[helge]

Fed my fish for the first time after the 5 month winterbreak.

They came and nipped nicely

[CalEden]

How about some small paddle wheel aerators to help with oxegenating? I've seen some in the klongs in Korat so I suppose they must work to some extent.

A smaller version of this, perhaps.

The recently deceased King designed that paddle wheel system and may be the reason it is so prevalent in Thailand.

[CalEden]

Just fill it in and get back to teas on the lawn, lesson learnt, money down the swanny.

For pond owners when things go tits up, fish die and puts demands on your time. For me it would never fail, right before a business trip and a plane to catch I would discover some crises that needed immediate resolution.

[naptownmike]

When I started reading this thread I was having second thoughts about filling in our pond last year. Not so much now, bit late for second thoughts anyway with 550 loads of dirt gone down the hole.

Good luck with yours it's sad to see your fish dying off.

[Mendip]

I can't just fill it in... that would be admitting defeat. Although I must admit that it's rapidly turning into more than just a hobby.

Anyway, it's not all bad news... I was just starting a major steak and kidney pie cooking operation in the kitchen when Yogi started doing his 'snake' bark. He just wouldn't stop, so I went outside to investigate...

He'd caught a catfish (pla duuk) out of the pond. I knocked it on the head... the gardener will be well chuffed with his free lunch!

[Mendip]

^ Correction...

I started thinking and something wasn't right. I cleaned up the fish and it's not a pla duuk (catfish), it's a pla chon (snakehead). These are supposed to be nice and I don't think the gardener need know about this! About a pound in weight... should be nice grilled.



This is also a worry. At the end of the wet season pla chon will leave ponds that are drying up and walk across land to try and find permanent water. They are a predator and I put four in our pond a few years ago to control the tilapia fry, and it seems the pla chon must be breeding.

But... maybe Yogi didn't catch it... maybe it had left the pond on it's own to try and find a new home. That doesn't bode well for the quality of my water.

[panama hat]

Ok, here's a Trump-esque thought.

Why do fish in 'natural' ponds survive and why aren't natural ponds all greeny glubby (a technical erm you might have heard of). Maybe thinking backwards from au naturel would help

Different plants that oxygenate or process water differently? Different fish? Etc...

Just a thought

Yea, yea . . . I know nothing about ponds

[Mendip]

I don't know!

But I wish I did. I guess my pond is supporting a much higher population density than a natural pond, and the fish are bigger due to feeding. We've tried lots of different plants, but the fish seem to eat them.

Anyway, check out the teeth on this pla chon!

[Headworx]

But...maybe it had left the pond on it's own to try and find a new home. That doesn't bode well for the quality of my water.

Plot twist: What if it was walking to the pond...

[David48atTD]

If you are a guest at a Thai person's home and they prepare a 'snakehead' ... feel honoured.

It's considered a 'better eating' fish.

[David48atTD]

Plot twist: What if it was walking to the pond...

You get that ... one of the biggest offenders are called Dr Fish.

[Mendip]

^^^ Now that would get confusing!

^^ Any recipes! ... I may honour myself tonight... but I just know the littlun will want steak and kidney pie!

[Stumpy]

Snakehead fish are excellent eating. When I lived in Cha Am I entered a few Snakehead fishing tournaments on Kraeng Krachan lake. Caught a couple of nice ones, 6lb and 9lb IIRC. They hit a plug like a large mouth bass and do not like being dragged up on shore. They also make a interesting low growl bellow noise when you hold them and then you can watch them slam their mouths shut. Its loud and if you have your fingers in its mouth you might pull a way a stump.

BTW Mendip, those fish are extremely aggressive and dominate in their environment. They kill everything (or can). It is a BIG issue in the US as they have gotten into some water ways from people letting them go and they destroy the native fish.

Deep Fry that bad boy Thai style. Good spicy dipping sauce and enjoy

[Mendip]

^ Yeah... can you believe that I DELIBERATELY introduced them into my pond. Not one of my best decisions!

[Stumpy]

^ Yeah... can you believe that I DELIBERATELY introduced them into my pond. Not one of my best decisions!

^Funny that.

They can live in virtually any water like a catfish and also live out of water for quite a long time. I read up on them a lot early on as I am an avid fisherman and wanted to know what to use to piss them off being they are an aggressive predator fish. They seem to be annoyed by a medium depth shad type rattle plug. You reel it by their school of fry they are protecting and they attack. There have been documentaries about them attacking people that inadvertently swim near their fry.