After seeing all of the beautiful ponds in Santa Cruz last weekend, I was inspired to feed my fish less. All of the ponds that were crystal clear were owned by people who believed in not feeding their fish. They said the food is just fertilizer for the algae. Well, I haven't gone to the extreme of not feeding my fish at all, but I've gradually reduced the food ration each day. I started at two tablespoons a day and reduced this by 1/3 of a tablespoon each day. I'm at the minimum of 1/3 tablespoon per day. I have 10 fish in the pond. I've also replaced about 10 gallons of water a day.

Well, the ponds has cleared tremendously in five days! I attribute most of the improve to the reduction in food, since 10 gallons of water is only 5% per day. So, I haven't even replaced 25% of the water in the pond. After my pond is an adequate clarity, I may gradually increase the food ration again and see where the optimum point is in balancing fish growth and water clarity.




Oops, I posted this to the wrong forum. I meant to post it in Koi and ponds.




Here are some pictures from the ponds I saw in Santa Cruz:

http://dancescientist.com/Galleries/06_06_...arade_of_Ponds/

It's funny - sometimes ponds just take care of themselves when you leave them alone.

Glad to hear you are still enjoying the experience.

Hmmm I don't mind having green pond as long as the goldies are well-fed.

funny that... i was feeding my empty pond about a month ago to add ammonia...then it went green!

Yeah, I think it all makes sense to me now. I had notice my pond turned very green as soon as it cycled. However, I think the real reason the pond turned green was that I began to dump in a lot more food after I knew the pond was cycled! Now that I have reduced the food ration, I'm getting a clear, cycled pond!

I have a 1/3 tablespoon scooper, which I have been measuring out the food. Before the pond cycled, I was dumping in only one scoop every other day. I kept increasing the food ration until I was at dumping in six scoops (2 tablespoons) every day. Since Saturday, I've gradually reduced the ration back down to one scoop a day. I'm not going to go any lower than this, since I want my other plants to survive!

Before:



After:



Amazingly, this transformation occurred in only five days! Who needs AlgaeFix!? Just feed your fish less.

Those were some beautiful ponds! I am so envious! Someday I am going to have a beautiful water garden, with a shady path, a stream, and a pond. A lot like some of hte ones in your photos. But, it is not to be where I am at now. Las Vegas is a BAD place to have a fish pond!

that's some improvement george! good Job


how many fish do you have and what size are they? just curious for when i come to feeding my lot in the pond...the first few are going in in the next 4-5days or as soon as my pond salt arrives!

forgot to say last time that i too enjoyed those pics...beautiful ponds!

I have about 10 fish in there mostly medium size (4-6 inches).

sorry i just realised you said how many fish at the start of the thread!

do you think your fish are ok on this new amount of food...do they seem hungry at all?

Hey!

It's looking great with the plants and all.

Were those taken in homes or parks? My most favorite pond is the one in San Jose called Kelley Park.

All of the ponds I went to were in people's homes.

One thing I learned about these fish is that they will survive on an incredibly little food. I guess they're not warm blooded animals like us, who need a lot of food just to maintain body heat. If you don't feed them much, they won't grow though.

Just feed them hikari hi-growth

Our outdoor fish don't always get fed daily, and they are doing fine. There is a multitude of insects that fall in the pond, as well as snails and other goodies like that.

Your pond looks great now!

Well, the pond wasn't clear as it looked from that angle in the picture. However, the pond has cleared even more since the picture was taken. I can see the bottom of the tub for the first time in a while!