Welcome to our Pond Question Forum! On this page you can browse through questions that have been posted or submit your own question to have answered by our Pond Experts/Aquatic Biologists. Also, new in 2006, you are able to post replies to posted answers…if you have something to add, or don't understand an answer, we'd love to hear from you! Keystone Hatcheries reviews each response before posting and reserves the right to not post any question or reply that we deem inappropriate for this forum.

Browse through the questions & answers in the archived categories below:

Koi Ponds & Water Gardens Algae Control (36) Bacteria & Biological Filtration (6) Floating Islands (1) Koi & Goldfish Health (31) Koi & Goldfish Keeping (32) Miscellaneous (20) Pond Equipment (33) Pond Installation (15) Pond Management (21) Predator Control (6) Water Garden Plants  (18) Water Quality Management (34) Winterizing (7)

Lakes and Natural Ponds Aeration Systems (14) Chemical Questions (21) Control of Algae (26) Control of Cattail  (13) Control of Duckweed & Watermeal  (20) Control of Other Aquatic Weed (21) Control of Water Lilies (10) Fountains & Surface Aerators (5) Gamefish & Minnows (41) Miscellaneous (12) Native Aquatic Plants (7) Pest & Predator Control (4) Water Quality Management (29) Winter Aeration (1)

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The 10 most recent questions & answers are listed below:

Posted By:Colin Plummer	Posted: 7/3/2008
Question:
Hello,my new pond is now 10 weeks old,I have made a small water and included pebbles for the water to run through,my question is, I have noticed hundreds of tiny black worms in clusters on the pebbles,are you able to me what these worms are,what caused them to appear,and are they harmful to my fish. Many Thanks. Colin.
Answer:	Submit Reply
It sounds like some species of aquatic fly larvae. They shouldn`t become a problem.  Stopping the pump and allowing the stream to dry up should take care of the majority of them.  Koi will probably eat them if they have the chance.

Strange fish??  Posted By:Peter Dimond	Posted: 7/2/2008
Question:
I have several little 1 inch black or clear fish with legs and large eyes at the bottom of my pond. They dart around quickly when disturbed but will stay stationary for a long time. The tank is a large 20` kidney shaped structure in ground sloping from 1` to 4` in the center. It has approx 3200 gals and I have adequate filtering through a skimmer and sand filter. I have bought pond plants from a trusted source, but I can`t be sure they did not come from there. This year there were snails on the plants, I have not had that in previous years from the same supplier. I am concerned that these may be some type of larve and may turn into something serious. So, one - What are they? two - Do I want to get rid of them? three- How do I do that. I do have lillies, hyacynths and goldfish in the pond. Thank you
Answer:	Submit Reply
I would capture one and use the internet to positively ID them.  It sounds like a species of darter, which shouldn`t become a problem.

fish pond predators  Posted By:Roy Gibson	Posted: 7/2/2008
Question:
We`re going to be building a home in Cordova, Illinois on the Mississippi River. We have a fish pond now and have no problems. We`re very worried about natural predators - eagles, heron, etc. Is there any special way to build our new pond to deter these predators?
Answer:	Submit Reply
Predators normally only take small numbers of gamefish from larger ponds. Natural camoflouge and wariness make them dificult targets.  Decreasing the volume of the pond under 4 feet of depth and adding cover will help.

Do Goldfish Hide?  Posted By:Bonnie	Posted: 6/27/2008
Question:
We have about a 1500 gallon pond lined with rocks. We purchased 22 goldfish. 2 died and we only see about 8 fish at a time. Where are all the other ones? Do they hide between rocks? Did they eat too much that they got stuck? Please let me know. Thank you.
Answer:	Submit Reply
Using a flash light after dark is a good way to tell if the fish are just hiding or have been removed by a predator like herons, kingfishers, or sometimes mink.

pest control  Posted By:Hugo	Posted: 6/25/2008
Question:
I made a pond in my back yard about 1,000 gallons. but i have a frog problem. and they keep laying eggs. I have some catfish, Koi`s and Goldfish. I thought they would eat the eggs but they don`t or maybe there`s just to many. Is there something I can do? My wife said she saw like 6 pairs of frogs in the pond the other day. it`s a concern because (1) I hate frogs (2) the eggs get all caught up in the filters HELP.
Answer:	Submit Reply
No simple solutions to your problems.  Many people would be thrilled...we sell tadpoles.  I think that all you can do is remove the frogs and eggs that you see.

pumps and filters  Posted By:Judy	Posted: 6/24/2008
Question:
My pond is approx. 12x6, and 24-30 in. deep. I have 9 Koi- 1 large, 4 med. and 4 small. I just purchased a Savio 2050 pump, but my current filter can`t handle it. What size filter do I need? I prefer a uv filter. What is the pump to filter ratio?
Answer:	Submit Reply
You have roughly 920 gallons of water in your pond.  One option would be to add a T splitter and 2 ball valves to allow some water to discharge back into the pond.  We usually recommend moving the volume of the pond once every hour or every 2 hours at the least.  We consider the Ultima II filters the best, and the AA20 model would match up with that pump, but the AA10 model matches your pond size.

losing fish  Posted By:Elaine J Mowery	Posted: 6/22/2008
Question:
My fish keep dying. After the first episode we cleaned out the ponds and added new water. About a week after the water clouded up quickly to which I added algae killer. A few days later we lost fish again. I am also wondering since I have water lillies and have never repotted them, could that be a problem.
Answer:	Submit Reply
There are a lot of reasons for fish to die.  Temperature shock or fluctuation is one.  Poor handling is another.  Poor fish is another.  Poor water quality is another.  Adding too much or the wrong type of algaecide is another.  I recommend that you talk with the place you are getting your fish from and see if they can help you close in on the problem.  If they can not help you, then you may want to consider another fish dealer.

cattails  Posted By:pete	Posted: 6/19/2008
Question:
i have a cattail problem in my spring fed pond. i heard if you cut them about 12 inches from where they grow from the bottom of water that they will die.is this true as a biologist told me this.I WOULD THINK THAT HE WOULD KNOW THIS.please advise asap. thanks pete
Answer:	Submit Reply
REPEATED cutting below the water line will eventually have an impact.  They are tough and resiliant and a mix of Shore Clear and Cidekick is a quicker and more effective, environmentally safe alternative.

Pond Algae  Posted By:Jeff	Posted: 6/19/2008
Question:
Please help! I bought a pond in April I think. It was going great, but it has been over 100 degrees in vegas, and I cant seem to clear my pond of the green color, and cloudyness. It makes it impossible to see in the pond. I have a 145 gallon pond, 30 gallon bowl with waterfall, 679 GPH pump, 345 GPH pre filter, and the pond has goldfish, aqyuatic plants ( maybe about 5 of them, with the water lillies that float and I have three or four of them). Before it got to 100 degrees, I had the same problem, bought ALGAEFIX, added it, and it cleared the ALGEA, but left water cloudy. I was satisfied, because the green was gone and water tested great. The pond has no way to be in shade, I live in a new community, and the tree in front of it is not matured, I dont want to keep looking at a disgusting pond. Furthermore I cant keep killing the fish.
Answer:	Submit Reply
Read the Koi Pond & Water Garden Management Program page of our site.  It has a section that focuses on green water.  In particular, I think Phosclear will really help your situation.

Posted By:sherwood kneebone	Posted: 6/11/2008
Question:
what is the actual water surface of a water pond that is 8`x11`?
Answer:	Submit Reply
Surface area is calculated by length times average width. 88 square feet is surface area.  We have a simple calculator on the website.

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