Well, Winter is here with a vengeance! As a result, pond water temperatures are dropping fast and furiously, and fish no longer need to be fed the quantities they enjoyed in the Summer months. The main reason is that koi go into semi-hibernation when the water temperature goes below 10 degrees, and food does not digest as well as in the warmer months. Our advice is to not feed at all when water is below 10 degrees, as the food ferments in their tummies and could result in death! If the water is say, 13 – 14 degrees, depending on the amount of fish you have, one or two slices of brown bread or a handful of oats daily, is more than adequate. We do however, offer a Winter food of wheatgerm for fish where pond temperatures are more stable, and this food is lighter and more digestible than the heavy Summer food. Call us if you are interested.

Koi keeping is the same as keeping any other animals in a caged condition (Zoo’s for instant). You have to give animals a large area to move about and play. You have to give them lots of attention and care. Imagine a cemented area; say 4m x 10m fenced with 40x puppies in it. If you have proper kennels and wash the floor every day to remove excrement and urine, feed them well and play with them they will be fine. Leave them alone for a month and you can imagine what will happen. They will become sick, diseased, stressed and die. Now imagine the scenario when the puppies become adult, the cleaning process becomes much more intense.

Now imagine a pond with 40 000 liters and 40x koi 400 to 500mm in length. If you don’t have proper filtration, bio filtration and UV lights your koi will die. It is like koi swimming around in a suraged facility. Sounds crude but this is true.

Must do’s when building a koi pond.

1. Consider the size of your pond first. We suggest 15 000 liters or more. This size is good for 10x large koi to be happy. Stay away from trees as this will cost you in maintenance. Trees are beautiful but will put strain on your filters and roots will crack your pond. Build your pond in an area near your patio and visible from rooms if possible. Don’t build your pond at the bottom of the garden area you never visit. You want to come home sit down near your pond and relax.
2. Fit a bottom drain to suck all debris through a filtering system. Not a bottom drain with a grid on top as this will get blocked with leaves and your pump will seize to work. Use a bottom drain with a screw on lid that sucks around the perimeter of the lid and won’t block. Isivande has special drains for this purpose. Debris that settles on a pond floor breeds parasites and diseases. With a floor that slopes at least 500mm to a bottom drain will prevent this from happening.
3. Use an outside the pond pump designed locally and suitable for koi ponds, easy to maintain and to repair. Always check the relation between filter size and pump size. Seek help from Isivande if you don’t know. Don’t use a submersible pump as they don’t last and electrical problems become a way of life. Submersible pumps cost more and uses the same watts to operate. Submersible pumps are in the water and need to be removed on weekly bases to be cleaned as the suction side needs to be cleaned. Outside pumps have a filter basket to be cleaned weekly, easy peasy…
4. A settlement chamber system, to filter water before the water arrives at the sand or bead filter, bio filter and UV lights. A settlement chamber system consists of three chambers 800 x 800 x 600 deep as a guide line, large debris settle in the first chamber. The second chamber has stainless steel brush filters and the third chamber has bio grog media. Believe me this works and will ensure a low maintenance pond. Without this the maintenance becomes much higher on your sand filter system.
5. A sand filter system must be installed to filter the water. Use volcanic media in this filter as it is brilliant, works better than normal sand and helps with bio filtration. The filter must be a fiberglass filter with fittings inside for koi media. Don’t use plastic roto mould filters or swimming pool filters as they don’t work, crack and need to be replaced. Fiber glass koi filters have easy access lids for stirring sand, last for decades if maintained and can be refurbished.
6. The alternative to a sand filter is a plastic bead filter with a blower to stir the beads instead of stirring the sand. This filter never needs to be opened. The beads weigh half that of sand. The backwash procedure is less labour intensive.
7. Bio filtration after the sand filter is essential as this cleans the ammonia from the water. Never open the bio filter as bacteria colonizes in this system and rids ponds of ammonia.

If you are entertaining the thought of having someone else build your pond read this article before agreeing to anything!

There are professionals who know ponds and there are others who don’t. There are some that are in the learning curve and will become great pond builders one day. As backyard ornamental ponds increase in popularity so do the number of contractors who become overnight experts. Suddenly everyone knows how to build a pond. We know about filtration but every day we learn something new. Don’t ever think you know best, listen and learn from other people.

The truth is, pond construction is an art and a craft and only a portion of those who say they know how to build ponds actually do. We hear the horror stories from those who made “wrong” choices when selecting a contractor to do the work.

There was the lady who paid her contractor R10 000 only to have him skip town leaving behind a pile of rocks and a poorly dug hole.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard the one about the expert pond professional who brought in loads of rock for a waterfall and didn’t place liner underneath.

Oh, and then there’s the one who installed a pond “kit” from a Pet shop and charged R50,000 to “build” the pond…

How does one make the right choice of contractor? Easy! Make sure the candidate knows what he’s talking about! Here are a few indicators to look for when interviewing a possible candidate:

Immediately kick him off your property if:

• He suggests putting in a fiber glass preformed shell. (Idiot!)
• He tells you that there’s no need to fit liner under a waterfall because he’s cementing it. (Unless you love leaks…)
• His only references are relatives. (yeah yeah)
• He says you don’t need a filter. (Kick him!)
• He thinks a submersible pump is good enough. (Kick him again or hit yourself on the head if you want to go this route)
• He’s never built one before but thinks he can do it.
• He only knows one system and that’s the highly marketed gravity feed system with sponges and off cut pipes for bio media.

Consider the following good marks if:

• He uses the phrase “filtration system”. Or “bead filter and blower / aggregator”
• He suggests putting in a bottom drain with an outside pump.
• He has a portfolio, references and even has a showcase pond that you can visit.
• He suggests including a UV light and bio filter in his proposal.
• He suggests a pump room or covered area for your expensive equipment. The sun will ruin your equipment in two years.

A good pond professional will know the difference in pumps, filters and UV lights. He may be booked for a couple of weeks because the demand is so high now for good pond builders. His prices will not be ridiculously low nor will they be extremely high. He will listen to what YOU want and make suggestions on how the pond can be made more attractive and more easily maintained.

Remember that just because someone has been in the “pond business” for years does not necessarily mean he is the right person to build your pond. The trick is to find someone who knows how to install types of systems. Don’t go by “looks” only. Some of the prettiest pondscapes leak like sieves. Any style pond can be constructed with state-of-the-art filtration. Any style pond can have crystal clear water.
If you trust someone who has done your landscaping or who is a friend and would like to give him an opportunity to build your pond it would be a great idea to have him come by and let us show him how to put together a system that does everything you desire and one that won’t work you to death after it’s built.

Once you have made your choice there are a few things you should do to insure you’re getting the best job from your contractor.

• Communicate your wishes to him. If you leave it up to the contractor to build your pond as he wants then you don’t have the right to get angry if it’s not what you want.
• Rome was not built in a day, neither should your pond. Facts are, if done properly, there are some things that must cure or dry overnight or a few days before more work can be performed. It will take a couple of weeks or months, depending on the size and type of pond.
• Have the area ready. Make sure the proper electricity is run and water is easily available before he arrives.
• Settle the money issue before the work starts. Know exactly what it is going to cost you and realize that deviations from the original plan may cost you more.
• Don’t expect your project to be without any problems. Nothing goes exactly as planned. As long as the contractor corrects any problems it still should be considered an excellent job.

Easy peasy. Get building or rather contact us for professional advice and equipment.

The pump room has the following advantages: Keeps all equipment away from the elements especially sun and rain. I have seen pump stations destroyed by sun and rain after 3 years. The equipment is costly and should be looked after. In a pump room the equipment after 3 years looks brand new. When you do your backwashing cleaning of filters etc. you are under roof and in a shady environment. Believe me koi keeping is a lifetime endeavour and should not be taken lightly. You should always have double the equipment recommended by the manufacturers. This has various advantages: If a pump breaks down (and they do) you have a second pump running until you can get the other one repaired. When you do your weekly maintenance it should be easy to get to equipment. Equipment should not be buried in the ground or under bushes and shrubs.

The plastic bead filter never needs to be opened as the blower cleans the beads, also ensure you have a clear pvc pipe on the backwash pipe so that you can see when the water is clear after blowing, backwash and rinse. Remember to backwash 10% of the water weekly minimum,add salt to 0.3% to 0.35%. You need a salt meter for this, it is essential don’t guess.

We have recently introduced a new solution to water pollution called Clinobrite 814. It consists of a specific type of Zeolite mineral called clinoptilolite (found in igneous rock) exclusively mined in South Africa.

Clinobrite 814 is a direct substitute for pool filter sand. No fuss, no bother – just sparkling healthy pool water with a significantly reduced chlorine demand. It is a true 21st Century filter medium, with unique ion exchange, molecular sieving and particulate filtration properties. Discerning pool owners and industrial filter operators choose Clinobrite 814.

Why use Clinobrite?

• Absorbs ammonia
• Reduces chlorine demand
• Eliminates the “Chlorine Devil” in your pool
• No more burning eyes
• No more unpleasant pool smells
• Naturally keep ammonia levels in balance
• Can be regenerated by using a salt solution
• Environment friendly
• Absorbs and holds harmful heavy metals such as lead
• Scavenges some of the most dangerous radionuclides such as Caesium (137?C) and Strontium (90 Sr).

Availability

Clinofish is available in a 25kg bag, and the average sized pool will use two bags.
For more information, contact us, and we will gladly assist with all your requirements.