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03-04-2019, 02:22 AM #1
Trying to sort out Dad's pond following his death last year...
Hello all,
One of my Dad's hobby's was his Koi Carp pond. Since his death last July I've done my best to look after it but neither my mum or I have much idea about what to do. Following an initial clean of all the filters - brushes etc. and and application of Cloverleaf blanket answer last July, the pond remained clear and the fish looked well. Once they stopped feeding for winter I turned off the filters but left the skimmer and air stones running - as Dad used to do for the winter.
Now that spring is in the air I've just been waiting for the fish to become active again and then I'll turn the filters back on; but - the pond has gone quite green with all the mild weather we've been having and I've seen no sign of the fish. I don't know what to do.
We want to find the fish a good home and close down the pond but need some proper advice on what we should be doing and how to go about finding them a good home. We are in Congleton, Cheshire. Is there anyone here who is local who could give some help / advice - or recommend someone? Please.
There are 8 Koi Carp - very approx 1 to 1.5 ft length each.
The pond is very approx 5150 gallons, with a waterfall, skimmer, max depth 6 ft, bespoke filtration system and UV tube.
20190331_142527.jpg
IMG_2335.jpg
Pics of the pond today;
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Pics of the fish last Autumn when it was clear;
Koi.JPG
Koi 2.JPG
Any help / advice / suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
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03-04-2019, 07:43 AM #2
Firstly sorry to hear about your dad and thanks for coming on here for help.
There are a few who could possibly take some koi from you and possibly filtration and I am sure they will get back to you soon.John
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03-04-2019, 08:34 AM #3
Think the reason why it has gone green is, you have turned the filters off so the water has not been running through the UV, check the UV and start the pumps.
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03-04-2019, 08:38 AM #4
Empty all water out of filters if they have been left dont let dirty water in to pond
Sent from my SM-N950F using TapatalkFreddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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03-04-2019, 10:17 AM #5
Sorry for your loss everybody on her are nice genuine people and between everybody I'm sure we can help and find the solution that will put your mind at ease and honour your family's wishes, I don't mind poping up to lend a hand if you would like I'm about 40 mins from you, regards Steve
Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
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03-04-2019, 10:30 AM #6
hi as has already been said the reason is you turned filters off as your dad did,best thing is drain filters of mucky water and give a rinse off with hosepipe,then start pump back up and give it a few days to clear,if you want to know if fish still in there,throw a bit of food in and see if they come up for it,as for the fish it depends on what you want for them,do you just want to give away to a good home or are you wanting something for them,if its the latter then you really need some good photos of them,looking at the photos to me theres nothing super about them,i know they were your dads pride and joy,but when it comes to koi its a difficult thing to sell on unless special,and as you probably dont know the proper history as in where they came from and how old,its up to people to take a chance,instead of getting rid why dont you upgrade the pond with an easier filter system, it does look a really nice pond,,,,andi
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03-04-2019, 10:32 AM #7
a small drum filter and a bio chamber would fit nicely where the filters are now,if they are under the wood at front,someone on here is selling an aem drum filter cheap,no cleaning involved then lol,,,,andi
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03-04-2019, 05:36 PM #8
Well done your Dad for creating a lovely pond and garden looks really nice, so sad he isn't here to
enjoy it anymore. But I am sure you will get plenty of help on here, probably a bit daunting for you at the moment,
but hang in there .
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03-04-2019, 07:19 PM #9
Agree with Anne, That's a beautiful pond and it's obvious a lot of thought, care and attention has gone into designing and building it.
With some investment in an up to date filtration system it could become really low maintenance to keep as it looks to have been built quite future proof.
In the meantime the advice above is spot on.... give the filters a good clean and get the old stale water out. If you've already started feeding the fish it would be sensible to only feed them a little every couple of days to start with as it takes a couple of months for the most important biological side of the filters to get up to speed with the bacteria that feed on the waste.
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03-04-2019, 11:34 PM #10
Hi all,
Thank you so much for your replies, condolences and advice.
My mum & I have decided that we will be closing down the pond - she is in her 70s and is keen to reduce maintenance of house and garden to a little as possible; but thank you for the suggestions that would make it easier to keep if that had been a consideration. Our main concern is for the care of the fish and to find them a good home.
I did not know when to turn the filters back on but suspected it would be soon. Thank you for the advice regarding this - I had not thought about cleaning the filtration system before turning it on again, but that does make sense and I will do that over the next few days and then turn it on.
I've not started feeding them again yet as they haven't been coming to the surface.
Once the water has cleared enough to see the fish and they have started being more active and feeding we will look properly at finding them a new home. My Dad did think that a couple of them were worth something so it would be good to find someone who could have a look and advise on this - but, ultimately the objective is to find them a good home whether they are worth anything or not.
Thank you StuffyRat (Steve) for offering to come up. Very kind.
For now, I'll do as suggested and will post here again once the water has cleared enough to see the fish properly. In the meantime please bear it in mind if you know of anyone in this area who could view and give advice, or if you know of anyone who may be interested in the fish or other parts of the pond / equipment.
Thanks again
Jo
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04-04-2019, 01:50 PM #11
Thanks for the update Jo. Sounds like you've now got a plan.
The disadvantage with Koi Values at "enthusiast" level is that any prospective buyer would only be interested if they knew who the breeder was and the age and sex of the Koi etc. Good photos is also a must.
The advantage however is that if the Koi are cheap / free and passed on to serious hobbyists they are highly likely to go to a good home and live long healthy lives.
The alternative is to sell on eBay, but you really don't know where they will end up and whether they will still be alive in 3 months time.
If you take a look in the for sale section here, you'll get a good idea of the process and prices:
https://www.koiforum.uk/koi-pond-equipment-sale/
Good luck getting the filters up and running (and switch on the UV light assuming you have one - that will clear the green water assuming the bulb is good), and clearing the old water out is the best advice as stagnant water will be full of bad bacteria and bugs that could harm or even poison the fish.
Best of luck.
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04-04-2019, 05:57 PM #12
The main thing for me is good homes for your dad's koi, and with people who know what
they are doing and will appreciate them, and not sling them into some puddle they call a koi pond
or even worse sell them on . But as said people on here will advise you at a later date when your ready .
As for the value...………….good home over money for me really, or even a donation to a charity your dad would
have supported Good lock with it all
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04-04-2019, 06:00 PM #13Freddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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05-04-2019, 07:24 AM #14
Definitely agree to good home over money :-)
Thanks very much all
Jo
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08-04-2019, 09:12 PM #15
Sorry I've only just seen this thread Jo.
Sorry for your loss.
Plenty of good advice already given on here and you got to do what's best for you and the family.
Good luck.
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