Fishkeeping Enthusiasts

[Roland Deschain]

Hi there. Is anyone else here into fishkeeping at all? By that I mean either a garden pond (lakes included), or an indoor aquarium (freshwater or marine, coldwater or tropical). I used to sell fish (live ones) for a living (8 years, just over). My dad owned a 4' (120cm) long tropical freshwater aquarium for years, and got my mum's dad into it for a while too. Dad also had a 6,000 gallon (27,000 Litre) pond with ornamental carp (Koi/Nishikigoi) for most of my teenage years and some of my twenties, so you could say that I grew up around fish. I also kept coldwater aquarium fish myself for a few years, but as I worked ridiculous hours each day looking after fish, I eventually gave them up.

For a while, I skirted the idea of setting up a tropical marine aquarium, and invested a lot of time into researching it, reading so much material, but eventually gave up on the idea, as I wouldn't be able to trust anyone to look after them whilst I was on holidays, and I do like going away when i'm off work (although the average goldfish or freshwater tropical fish wouldn't need much more than a simple feeding whilst on holiday). I still pine after doing so now, but it takes time and dedication to look after fish if you want to do it properly, especially marines, and the one thing I hate is people wanting an aquarium and expecting it to look after itself, leading to inevitable fish deaths.

So if you love fishkeeping, and have an aquarium you want to share, please do so. Also, if you have any problems with fish, or are just thinking of setting up an aquarium, i'll be more than willing to impart what advice I can to you. After eight and a half years, you tend to pick up a little knowledge which pretty much stays with you.

[Sibling DavidH]

My main questions would be about cooking them, but my wife Wendy can do all that stuff. 

[Bluenose]

Well, I do run this site.  Fish is something I have been known to talk about on the odd occasion.  According to Mrs Blue, that would be only about 25 times a day... 

[pieces o nine]

We have a koi pond/water feature in the front yard, but I don't know if it's going to be revived this spring.  The previous owner (and builder) did a few ... strange ... things and there may be more oddities with how he set up the plumbing.  If V doesn't tear it out and turn it into another flower berm, I'll be asking upkeep/maintenance questions shortly.

[Roland Deschain]

That's a nice site you have there, Bluenose. There is such a variety of beautiful fish in the world, that it's hard to know what I would want to keep if I were to start up an aquarium again.

PoN, feel free to ask away for advice.

[Opsa]

Ya ever kept any toadfish?

[Roland Deschain]

Ya ever kept any toadfish?

To my eternal shame and damnation, I have never done so. I've not even seen them for sale in the UK, although admittedly I stay away from aquatic centres now due to the incredible temptation to just throw caution to the wind and buy a very large aquarium. If I ever did do that, then i'd be strongly drawn towards tropical marine fish, but to keep a toadfish i'd have to read up on their requirements first. I'm a very responsible fishkeeper.

[Opsa]

I'm sure you keep your fish people happy.

I had a dream the other night that I had a hugantic aquarium. I think there were dolphins and beluga whales in it. I had to climb a ladder to feed them. Then when I climbed down the ladder, there was a large snake at the bottom. I should have asked the snake "are you Freudian or something?', but being asleep at the time, it didn't occur to me.

[pieces o nine]

So Roland, the water feature/koi pond in the front yard is on borrowed time unless I can come up with a viable option. No pressure, or anything...



The previous owner (and builder) set up a small, two-level pond which is not really enough for koi, although there was an entire herd  of them when we moved in. V immediately gave away 4; some of the local kids who love to look at them then took to tossing small rocks at the remaining 5(!), causing some damage and further reduction. She's got one left (who winters in her classroom), which has grown as they are wont to and ready to move out of his winter aquarium.

The main problem is that we put in new trees (originals weren't healthy) a couple years ago, and they're not large enough to shade the pond yet. Summer sun beats down and causes major algae slimification, which must be removed about every 4 days (even with the largest and best filter & pumps available). On the upside, the flower beds are *gorgeous*. On the downside, de-slimification has completely lost its appeal. This is a semi-rural development, with herds of delinquent deer roaming the streets at night (really!) which have been seen guzzling koi water on numerous occasions (as do some local pets), so even a fish-less pond needs to be 'poison'-free.

Is some kind of (ornamental) canopy a viable possibility? What would you recommend?

[Opsa]

How pretty! I especially love the fountain.

Usually the fish help with the algae, but if there's no fish I guess that doesn't help.

How about an arbor with a fast-growing vine?

[pieces o nine]

The algae grows so fast that it sickens the koi when the weather gets really hot.

As noted, if it's removed at least once a week, algae/fish slime makes a fantastic fertilizer, but there are limits to how much even the most ardent gardener can use!

I'd like some kind of pergola -- wrought iron elements used elsewhere in fencing and benches -- but that gets a negative reaction. So it needs to be a (temporary) something which will not offend the delicate sensibilities of the Homeowner's Association Grand Pouba, who lives, alertly, right across the street.

[Opsa]

Ew, how unfortunate.

Have you tried homemade algaecide?

[Swatopluk]

I'd like some kind of pergola -- wrought iron elements used elsewhere in fencing and benches -- but that gets a negative reaction. So it needs to be a (temporary) something which will not offend the delicate sensibilities of the Homeowner's Association Grand Pouba, who lives, alertly, right across the street.

Is the opposition in principle or just to certain styles?
Could you impress them with some elegant Jugendstil perhaps?

[Roland Deschain]

That's a nice little pond you have there, Pieces. Koi ponds need really to be 3' deep at their deepest, as this will allow you to overwinter the fish in the pond, negating the need to stress them out with the current winter moves. It also needs to have at least 3-4 times the surface area to accommodate the size that they can grow to (~3'), so all in all, i'd recommend getting rid of the remaining Koi. Replacements can include any of the goldfish varieties (Goldfish, Sarasa Comets, Shubunkins), and maybe a Green Tench if they are available near you, although you'd be better off not getting one of these. Fish stocking levels would be around 10-15 of the aforementioned fish (mixed if you so wish), introduced in groups of 5, no less than 2 weeks apart.

Now to the algae. The algae you are plagued with is known as blanketweed (aka string algae), which comes in many different varieties, from coarse to slimy. There are a number of wildlife-friendly liquid/powder treatments on the market that will not poison your dear deer, with many being effective against the algae. Filtration, at least in the form of pump/UV light/filter box arrangement, will not get rid of the algae you have. The UV light will only deal with unicellular algae, also known as green water, whereby it causes the cells of algae to clump together, allowing your filter sponges to remove it. This process takes up to 4 weeks. You are then left with a clear pond. The string algae is usually caused by too much sunlight and too many nutrients, something that green water so helpfully leaves behind. The sunlight issue can be solved with a pergola, and if you threaten the rather strange-sounding Nazi across the street with having his entire lawn sprayed shocking pink one dark night, i'm sure he'll capitulate to your demands (seriously, it's your property, so the bastard has no damn right to dictate to you what you can or cannot have. Tell him he'll go to hell for this, or some such nonsense!!!!!). If you really want to get his goat, try a pergola in the shape of a pentagram or a hand with its middle finger extended, which will quite enthusiastically show your feelings for him. This guy has no legal right to whinge.

You can also use plants such as oxygenating weed, lilies, and marginals. These will compete with the string algae for nutrients, and help provide surface cover, although they are not the answer. Strongly growing marginals such as watercress and reeds are very good for removing nutrients (in this case Nitrate), and would be well-suited to the top pond. One point I would like to make is that lilies do not appreciate moving water, so the bell fountain would be a bit of an issue for them, although I would not recommend removing it. Plants will tend to de-oxygenate the water at night, especially string algae, which in milder weather isn't so much of an issue, but on a warm night could be fatal. This is why I recommend keeping the bell fountain running 24/7 in warmer weather. The filter pump, as you know, must be kept running all day, every day, as the beneficial bacteria which break down fish waste into Ammonia, then Nitrite, then Nitrate, which the plants then feed on, will die if dried out and starved of oxygen. This throws the water quality off, and causes undue stress to the fish.

Ok, so i've lost my train of thought now, but I hope that there's some fun yet useful information in the above that will allow you to remedy your problems.

EDIT: Looking at that link above for a homemade algaecide has me thinking. I've not heard of using cornmeal (maybe it's a USAian thing), but you could use a similar method using barley straw. Buy some organic barley straw that has had nothing sprayed on it. Take the foot of a pair of tights (around 18" in length), and stuff the barley straw into it, packing it tightly (ish). Attach this to the side of the pond, allowing it to float, and eventually sink. Placing it near the outlet to the filter box is good. It's not 100% guaranteed, but it does work a lot of the time. All you need to is to briefly shake it every couple of weeks to loosen it up, and replace the barley straw every 6 months. Hope that helps.

[Bluenose]

Algae is a perrenial problem for pond keepers.  As Roland says, the two main issues are light and nutrients.  If you keep cyprinid fish such as carp (koi) goldfish and so on, nutrients will always be an issue as they produce a large amount of waste of the size of fish.  Over here in Aus we have the option of a number of small native fish that can survive very well with little or no supplementary feeding, which helps out a lot.  Generally the best option is to keep stocking levels low and don't over feed.  As for light, a pergola would certainly help, but if that's not an option try planting a large shrub or small tree on the sunny side of the pond to shade the water.  I grow a small native water lilly style of plant (nymphoides sp.) which covers the water surface and helps out a lot, but I doubt that it would do any good with a European winter.

Barley straw works well in most circumstances and you can even buy pond treatments that contain an extract of it, although how effective they are I don't know.  I use an anti-algae treatment that contains bacteria and enzymes designed to fight algae yet is safe for frogs and fish.  If you use a chemical type option, just make sure it is OK for frogs and anything else that uses the water will be OK.

[Roland Deschain]

Bluenose, there are a large number of Nymphoides sp. available in Europe and the US that are more than hardy enough for the winters even Scotland gets, as they begin to go dormant in our Autumn, die back, then start to grow come Spring. The only issue is moving water.

[pieces o nine]

Thanks, sibs!  I had suggested changing to hardy goldfish, which was initially rejected.

* does secret, joyous victory lap around living room *

There are new filters and pumps; something new for a fountain feature that malfunctioned last year. Also she's pulled out the plants that dropped foliage onto the water surface in the past, so that the no-shedding shade plants can grow, and removed from the perimeter a few buckets of the small white rocks so loved by amateur landscapers here (a very few uncivilized/unsupervised child units were throwing them at the koi and causing damage last summer). Currently just the one remaining koi, who (which?) successfully made the transition to the pond again last weekend.

Neighbors have informed us that herds of unemployed deer are running amok in the streets at night again, slurping koi water. (In all honesty, I always think this is funny, but it seems to crank some people right off!)

Thank you again!  I'll pass on your suggestions and post pics when it starts looking nicer.

[Roland Deschain]

Thanks, sibs!  I had suggested changing to hardy goldfish, which was initially rejected.

* does secret, joyous victory lap around living room *

No problem. I'm glad you've won a small victory.

...removed from the perimeter a few buckets of the small white rocks so loved by amateur landscapers here (a very few uncivilized/unsupervised child units were throwing them at the koi and causing damage last summer)...

Thank you again!  I'll pass on your suggestions and post pics when it starts looking nicer.

On the unsupervised child units, throws rocks at them too. They'll soon get the picture, and you'll be ultra popular in the neighbourhood to boot!

Looking forward to more pics.

Neighbours have informed us that herds of unemployed deer are running amok in the streets at night again, slurping koi water. (In all honesty, I always think this is funny, but it seems to crank some people right off!).

I think it's pretty cool. You should work on encouraging them to hang around for longer. I bet they'd love that...

This is what happens when you build on land once used by animals. If you don't like it, just batten down the hatches. It's like continuing to live in tornado country after you've been devastated by one, then complaining when you get hit again. You can't say nature didn't warn you the first time.