I think I'll find a cheaper hobby.

[KIM]

Yesterday my new all singing all dancing pondovac 3 arrived £200 ish. Weather was awful so I didn't get to use it. Last night one of my pumps broke [thats the 2nd one this year] so off to the shops to buy a new one another £200 ish. This afternoon I have vacuumed my pond and fitted my new pump lets hope when it settles down it has made a vast improvement so at least I won't be so miffed about all the money I have spent this week.

[TerryKoi]

bad luck, you could have bought a nice koi with that

[Davej]

Hi Kim,

It certainly goes like that sometimes, with me at the moment it is airpump diaphrams!

At least with the Pondvac you have five years peace of mind..

Regards

Dave

[GERRY5]

kim...cheap and koi dont really go hand in hand , but what interests me is you say one of your pumps went down ....i therefore assume that you have a two pump system which is something that i am a great believer in ....i.e. if one goes at least your still filtering ....for those who only run one pump i would suggest that its a fairly prudent excercise to have a spare or access to a second pump if problems do occur , this of course applies to air pumps as well , especially in these long hot summer months we are experiencing (sic) by the way welcome to koi quest

[B.Scott]

Two pumps in one year? Kim, you either have a whole lot of pumps or need to switch brand.
But seriously, that is rotten luck. expensive bit of kit should last much longer.

B.Scott

[KIM]

Both pumps were Aquashift 1500 one about 6 years old and the other was bought from world of water when they did a refit so could have been any age. My fish seem to throw small stones into my pumps and jam them up on a regular basis. Hopefully with my new super duper pondvac I can rid my pond bottom of any further small stones. I run 2 pumps because I have a filter at each end of my pond as it is a dumb figure 8 shape, I know now I should probably redig it and make it a more regular shape but it got this way after 3 digs and now it is estabished and has been running for 3 years in its latest form I don't want to risk my fish some of which I have become quite attatched to.

[Lesley Jones]

Have to agree that koi keeping must be one of the most expensive hobbies going. We have a pond full of waifs and strays that only a mother could love and they probably cost as much to keep as the most expensive prize winners.
We dont seem to have much luck with pumps either but like you we have a pump and filter at each end of the pond so if one lets you down then something is still going through.

[B.Scott]

Where do they get the stones from Kim?

B.Scott

[Andy H]

Koi keeping most xpensive??? I pondered over that and decided yes you are right! Scuba gear and diving is costly but close!!!

[maxinegrundy]

Hello Kim
One way to stop the pumps getting jammed up is get rid of the stones out of your pond
Gerry5 told me to exactly the same thing ."get rid of the stones and rocks"..and it is very good advice.
Stones in a pond are a great home for parasites to live ..so you would keep getting re-infested with them.
Stones also provide the perfect thing for the fish to flick on ..then they do damage to themselves..leaving you to treat them.
So ..no stones ..no more broken pumps and no damaged fish ...makes sence really.
regards
Max

[KIM]

Where do they get the stones from Kim?

B.Scott

I used to have a gravel area around one side of my pond BUT pond is raised about 2ft so god only knows how the stones get in there I have never knowingly put any in there. But there are quite a few dotted about the bottom. Now I have my super duper pondvac I intend to get them all out and we will see if more appear !!!!!!! Somehow I think they will.

[dazzafjr1300]

i think you might find at night you have a heghog sniffing about as i had one looking around my pond but i am raised 1 feet above my slate that i laid looking for slugs ect/just a thought

[B.Scott]

I'd kill for a hedge hog. Soooo many snails and slugs here (big slugs about 4" long). When I take the dog for his last round in the evening, if it's been raining the ground looks like it's covered with horse chestnuts, except these crunch if you step on em (and there isn't a chestnut tree)!

B.Scott

[Jules]

Trust me Koi keeping is a much cheaper hobby than keeping horses!

Jules

[TerryKoi]

like me hedge hog less I have to do a slug patrol with a good torch and a nice length of stone off cut ( better than a pointed stick ) strangely satisfying