allanC

I agree Chesters. There really seems no point in keeping invisible fish. A young lad I know, stocked his pond with rudd from a river. You never could see them. Its much like having green tench. Unless your water is crystal clear you will never see them either.

Beware the dreaded trout. I was given 3 fingerling rainbows about 2 years ago. They are now 24" long and must weigh between 6 and 8lbs. it was nice to watch them leaping and darting about when small, but now they upset the tranquillity and harmony in the pond. The Koi don't get a lookin at feeding time because the trout are too fast for them, and they eat and eat and eat. I hate the thought that they may have to go, but they are becoming a bit of a handfull. I would think twice before adding trout to any garden pond.

Pesonally I would not get any pleasure in catching spawning carp. I have been fishing at times when you could reach into the water and lift the carp out. While in the act of spawning they have little regard for anything else going on, and could easily be foul hooked if a bait was dropped amongst them. They do take time out for a rest and a snack, and that is a more appropriate time to catch them.

Personally I don't mind the stuff. It adds a more natural effect around the pond. Obviously I control with a stick until the other plants and lillies take over, but the Koi like to graze in it for the insects and larvae that it attracts. It is also a good spawning medium for goldfish.

Thats alright Peter. Carp pox was the first problem I had to deal with when I started keeping Koi, then I found out it wasn't a problem after all. It just looks worse than it is. I just hope Bacons problem is this simple to deal with.

A good strategy Wunnus. Its not suitable for every occasion, but if you are catching on the drop, side hooking may slow the decent just enough to make it more natural and make a difference to catch rate.

That was exactly my thoughts Pete, but I was waiting for a response from Bacon to confirm or quash my theory. But as you have said, it is nothing to worry about if carp pox is the cause. It seems to be a winter ailment and has no lasting effects that I know of. As for the niegbours' koi problem, something different maybe? [ 15. February 2003, 08:19 PM: Message edited by: allanC ]

It is hard to diagnose without seeing it, so could you be a bit more specific. Are these growths firm or soft to the touch. Do they resemble lumps of candle wax and sort of opaque white in colour. Are they rough or smooth or furry.

The most common reasons for blanket weed are, excess nutrients in the water, clear water, and too much sun. UV lights kill off the suspended algae cells which make the water green, but leave you with clear water. This in turn lets the sunlight penetrate the water and encourages the filamentous strains of blanket weed. Possible solutions are chemicals(don't like them, but they work) but some of these will have an adverse effect on other plant life. Lots of lilly leaves on the surface(bit early for them yet). Or you could shade the pond on the sunny side to cut down on the amount of sunlight the pond gets in a day. There is an electric blanket weed controller similar to what you put on your water system indoors to reduce scale in the pipes. I think it is called "The Weedmaster". A search on the web should find it. I can't say how efficient it is though. According to the makers it will solve your problems forever, but I have never been convinced. Hope this helps.

If your pond is not too large, you could have a wrought iron grid made. The one I saw once resembled a large fancy gate with scrolls etc. It probably wasn't cheap, but it made the pond safe and kept the fish secure. looked really nice as well.

According to everything I have read about sterlets and stergeon, they thrive in cold water and often die in hot summer ponds. They originate from the Ukraine where it is a lot colder. The comment about needing high O2 levels is probably right as colder water contains more O2 than warmer water. I have noticed that all the sterlets I have seen for sale are always inside or under cover where the water temp will stay cool. Blanket weed is a problem for the smaller sterlets so that needs to be watched. Peter, I think it is just boredom and a lack of suitable grazing area that makes them swim on the surface.