Recent content by Rip Fantom

Im in the Chicago area and just found my largest Koi on his side near the opening in the ice in my pond. I have a de-icer and its been cold so the hole was only about 18" diameter and my pond is about 10x12. I grabbed a hammer and opened the hole to about 2'x 5' and put two bubble bars under...

Air Pump??? Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking the same but wanted to hear it from someone else. Does anyone keep their pond aerated during the winter? I was told that koi don't need additional air, but could it hurt them? -Rip

I'm in the Chicago area and the weather has recently gotten much warmer. I've noticed my Koi are much more active, but the water temp is only about 48-49 degrees. Has anyone ever fed their koi mid-winter? I'm sure this is a no-no since the temp could drop before they digest the food, but I'm a...

Does anyone know how one would go about finding out how much their koi are worth? I have some large koi and I'm not sure what kind or their value. :?: Thanks.

I usually bring my koi inside during the winter, but I'm late this year and the outside temp has reached the mid 20's. The koi in my pond are pretty lethargic already. Can I net them like this or is it dangerous? I move my fish inside my garage for the winter because a good portion of my pond...

The tissue is more like thin flaps of skin. Thin like the tails on a butterfly koi, but located around the nose holes. Not where the whiskers are. -Rip

I have 10 koi and 2 comets. 6 of my koi are 8-12" and the last few years 2 or 3 of them have extra tissue growing around their nose holes. I thought nothing of it, but on one of the koi, the tissue is rather large, maybe 1/4" from the face. Is this normal? Should I be alarmed. 8O -Ripley

I need to repot my water lillies into larger containers. Can anyone tell me what type or size should be used? Does it matter? Also, do I have to use the clay potting medium sold at pond stores or is there a cheaper alternative? That stuff is expensive and comes in small bags. Thanks a...

Well, I moved my fish into a holding tank in the garage. THis worked well for me last year. It gets cold enough for them to go dormant, but doesn't freeze. I am going to move my lillies into bins in the garage as well. Last year I put some aeration into the bins with the lillies upon the advice...

Thanks for the advice. OK, I will bring the lillies in my garage again and I will cut back the cattails. The pond is a stretched triangle shape, about 16' at the longest and 10' wide. It is 2' deep overall with an area in the center that is 3'x3' and 3' deep. The center area is the only area...

I have a couple of questions regarding my pond. I built a mostly above ground pond, but since i'm in the Chicago area, I'm not taking any chances. My fish are coming in. My questions have more to do with my plants. I have mostly hardy lillies and grasses (cattails). First, since my pond is...

Rip's Pond Thanks for the response Bernie, I was in the Dominican Republic this last week so this is my first chance to respond. I saw some nice tropical ponds, plants and big fat koi. Anyway, my new pond will have a rough dimension of 11'x 18' or (3,000 gallons) at 2' deep. One end will have...

I'm getting ready to build my new pond at my new house. My calculations show that I'll have about 3,000 gallons of water. Do I need to match my pump size closely or can I get a 4,000 gph pump? I guess I'm wondering if more gph is better for filtration and waterfall asthetics? :idea: Also...

Thanks for the advice. The water temp is just under 50 degrees now. I was just getting nervous because the fish are moving around more and I don't want to accidentally starve them. I'll be patient. -Rip

I have been storing my koi in my attached garage all winter and they have been doing well. I stopped feeding them when the temp went below 50 degrees. Over the last couple of days the outside air temp. has increased and the koi are much more active. How soon should I start feeding them? And...