How to Choose between Goldfish and KOIWritten by Brett Fogle
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Pond Goldfish Japanese KOI on other hand, and especially larger ones, will often create a huge mess out of submerged potted plants. They seem to enjoy 'digging' in soil of plants and sometimes even knocking them over. This all leads to added mess in pond, and can create a real problem for pond owner. Generally, it's best to not have submerged plants in large pots, when also keeping KOI. The ideal KOI pond is much deeper than average water garden, so necessity for plants to help with water quality and shade is reduced. However, if you still do want to keep potted plants in your KOI pond, we recommend wrapping netting over tops of pots, to keep fish from digging in pots. Another thing you can do is to top pots with 1" of pea gravel, and then larger river stones or similar over that. The KOI will not be able to get past larger rocks. As far as mixing Goldfish with KOI, this is fine and very common, we've just tried to highlight most important differences between two and between average water garden and KOI pond. Feel free to experiment with both, and then decide which fish is more to your liking.
*********************************************************** Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 6,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary 'New Pond Owners Guide' for joining, visit MacArthur Water Gardens
| | Pond Salt for Health FishWritten by Brett Fogle
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How Pond Salt helps Improve Gill Function to Reduce Stress.... During periods of disease and stress, healthy gill function is disturbed. This can lead to loss of electrolytes through gills, sometimes called osmotic shock. Osmotic shock interrupts healthy gill function by reducing intake of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide and ammonium from fish. Pond Salt reduces risk of osmotic shock by supplying natural electrolytes through chloride cells in gills. Nitrite Toxicity Overcrowding and overfeeding can lead to elevated nitrite levels especially in newly set-up ponds. The nitrite ion NO 2 enters gills and prevents blood from carrying oxygen resulting in nitrite toxicity or "methemoglobinemia". Pond Salt will temporarily block toxic effect of nitrite. All natural Pond Salt is safe and non-toxic to all pond fish when used as directed. Pond Salt can be used safely with Pond Care water conditioners, filtration materials and fish foods. Directions for Use: 1. When used as a general tonic for fish, and as a stress reducer, add 2 -1/2 cups full (728g) of Pond Salt for each 100 gallons (378 L) of pond water. Sprinkle salt evenly around perimeter of pond. Avoid any contact between salt crystals and pond plants. If this is not feasible, pre-dissolve salt first. IMPORTANT NOTE: Once added to a pond, salt does not evaporate and is not filtered out. Pond Salt should only be added as directed; with each water change, or when fish have been treated with medications. 2. When used to reduce stress in separate treatment tanks or during fish transportation, use 4 tablespoons full (95.2g) of Pond Salt for each 10 gallons (37.8L) of water.
*********************************************************** Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 6,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary 'New Pond Owners Guide' for joining, visit MacArthur Water Gardens
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