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| Hello all, I own a small landscaping company and have built several ponds for other people, I finally built one for myself. It is approximately 10'x12'x2.5' deep. I used a pond liner instead of a pre-fab plastic tub. I have a Savio Skimmer, 1/2 hp pump, waterfall, and pond light.
In the deepest part I placed a large flat shelf rock to have a hiding place for my fish. It worked too well, after day two, I lost sight of the 4 small Koi. Now, three days later, I introduced 4 large goldfish I rescued from a friends abandoned pond. 10 seconds after they were swimming around, out popped the 4 Koi. My kids were ecstatic as we thought a Heron got them. Here are my questions: - Why did my Koi disappear for a while? Will the bigger goldfish eat the Koi? I think the waterfall is aerating the pond pretty good, do I need more oxygen or filtration? - I have one water Hawthorne plant. What are your suggestions for more water plants? - The kids want a turtle. Won't it just wander off? I like the natural look of all the rocks, but they won't keep the turtle in! My dogs won't stay in my yard, how can I expect a turtle to stay ? LOL Thanks in advance for any help! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Sun, May 1, 11 at 16:27
| Yes, the turtle will wander off. Absolutely. They are escape artists and most sold in petstores won't be native to your area. They also require a lot of filtration, more than koi which require more than goldfish. The fish were hiding because they felt exposed to predators in your new pond without a lot of plants. This is normal behavior. |
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- Posted by pashta_2006 Z4 ADK NY (pashta@aol.com) on Sun, May 1, 11 at 17:34
| Ed, Oh, what a great pond you have built. I can just see it a while from now all "natural" looking. Yeah, you want more plants for sure. Floating plants like water hyacinth are great because they spread (I end up in August putting the "babies" in the compost pile). Any kind of plant around the edges softens it. I love how you positioned the waterfall effect. As plants grow in it will be very special looking. My understanding is that turtles wander but if you get a local turtle that would be okay I guess. You sure don't want a turtle that isn't native to go wandering off. You have done a great job and I think you and the kids will have a fun time with the pond. Please post pictures in the gallery when you have landscaped. I would love to see it. |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Wed, May 4, 11 at 12:41
| Western pond turtles are actually endangered here in the PNW mostly because of bullfrogs and red earred sliders. Both introduced here....thousands of sliders were released into the wild by people who got tired of keeping them as pets and after finding out they harbor salmonella.... If you are in Southwestern WA and get near Portland I'd be happy to share pond plants with you. I always have extras. |
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- Posted by sleeplessinftwayne z4-5 IND (My Page) on Wed, May 4, 11 at 19:03
| Turtles are notorious for damaging the fins of fish. As they get larger they can inflict worse damage or kill fish. Try getting the kids interested in frogs. Just make sure they wash their hands often if they handle any of the critters. Salmonella is common for aquatic animals. I like your pond. |
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