best way to fill in pond and sell koi?

We inherited a 600 gallon pond with waterfall and 12 small koi when we
bought our house. We've also got 16 month old twins. We're planning to
fill in the pond with rock and keep the water feature until the boys are
much older - then maybe we'll try fish again.

Our local pond store suggested selling the fish, draining the pond,
adding another layer of liner, filling the pond with quarry rock and
then decorative rock on top. If we keep the existing pump and
waterfall, we should be able to run the waterfall without having 2-3
feet of standing water for our kids to drown in, right?

Any suggestions for the best way to sell the koi? I'm not looking to
make a killing, but hopefully end up with enough money to get all the
rock and stuff we need to finish this project. We're in central
Kentucky and the fish are 6 to 8 or so inches long and have all survived
the winter despite our ignorance about how to care for them!

I agree that a pond and twin boys would be dicey.
(My twins are 19 years old ;-)

You might call around to various stores that sell fish
and see if they know of a pond/koi club. When I had
to reduce my stock the local club publized it and came
out to help with the capture of the fish.

The waterfall/ rock feature sounds wonderful but... keep
in mind that you are going to need to get to the pump
from time to time. Dust and debris will drift in and could
clog the pump. Or the pump could give up the ghost.
Plan for a way to remove all that rock. You might consider
having a grid built of rebar so you only have to pile a
small bit of rock on top.

Setting the pond back up again when your children are older
is a lot of fun. I have great pictures of my youngest
and dog going frog hunting. Frogs 99, boy and dog 1.

kathy :-)

"kathy" wrote in message
oups.com...
I agree that a pond and twin boys would be dicey.
(My twins are 19 years old ;-)

You might call around to various stores that sell fish
and see if they know of a pond/koi club. When I had
to reduce my stock the local club publized it and came
out to help with the capture of the fish.

The waterfall/ rock feature sounds wonderful but... keep
in mind that you are going to need to get to the pump
from time to time. Dust and debris will drift in and could
clog the pump. Or the pump could give up the ghost.
Plan for a way to remove all that rock. You might consider
having a grid built of rebar so you only have to pile a
small bit of rock on top.

Setting the pond back up again when your children are older
is a lot of fun. I have great pictures of my youngest
and dog going frog hunting. Frogs 99, boy and dog 1.

kathy :-)

Yes, I would definitely NOT fill the entire pond with rock (I can't even
imagine that much rock and then getting it out). When they show building
water features on TV they often have cement blocks as legs to about a few
inches from the top. That is then covered with a heavy grid which is then
covered with rock and gravel. You could also put garden fabric over the
grid to keep out find particle junk. You would have to remember to add
water on occasion since you can't see when the 'water reservoir's is getting
empty and you don't want you pump to go dry.

"kathy" wrote:

You might call around to various stores that sell fish
and see if they know of a pond/koi club.


No such luck in these parts.


keep
in mind that you are going to need to get to the pump
from time to time.


dkat wrote:

Yes, I would definitely NOT fill the entire pond with rock (I can't even
imagine that much rock and then getting it out).


I don't know that we are ever really going to want fish in there again.
But I'd like to leave the option open for hypothetical new owners if
we ever sell the house.

The pump/skimmer set up is at the side of the pond, not the bottom, if
that makes any difference.


When they show building
water features on TV they often have cement blocks as legs to about a few
inches from the top. That is then covered with a heavy grid which is then
covered with rock and gravel.


We were thinking large channel rock from a local quarry (likely cheaper
than concrete block) with smaller rock on top.


You would have to remember to add
water on occasion since you can't see when the 'water reservoir's is getting
empty and you don't want you pump to go dry.


Of course. But without the fish, there's no problem with turning the
pump off when we're away or not going to be outside to enjoy it.

My observation with folks selling koi is, they price a koi at a
Petshop or garden center and a 4" costs perhaps $15.00, so now that
the koi is 18 inches long the figure they can get big money for thes
ebig fish....usually not the case. MOre times than not, you won't get
even close to any amount to buy what your looking to buy. Unless they
may be some imported from japan and are some fine specimens, your not
gonna get much...............Unless you find an individuala that does
not know any better....

On Koiphen its common for lots of the folks to just give away some
great fish for free.........and I am talking fish the folks paid BIG
money for....Around here I can get 6 to 8 inch koi for about $4.00
each.....at the local koi farm.

Good idea to fill in the pond, but still use the waterfall etc by
filling it in with rock........

On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 18:31:10 GMT, an old lurker
wrote:

===We inherited a 600 gallon pond with waterfall and 12 small koi when we
===bought our house. We've also got 16 month old twins. We're planning to
===fill in the pond with rock and keep the water feature until the boys are
===much older - then maybe we'll try fish again.
===
===Our local pond store suggested selling the fish, draining the pond,
===adding another layer of liner, filling the pond with quarry rock and
===then decorative rock on top. If we keep the existing pump and
===waterfall, we should be able to run the waterfall without having 2-3
===feet of standing water for our kids to drown in, right?
===
===Any suggestions for the best way to sell the koi? I'm not looking to
===make a killing, but hopefully end up with enough money to get all the
===rock and stuff we need to finish this project. We're in central
===Kentucky and the fish are 6 to 8 or so inches long and have all survived
===the winter despite our ignorance about how to care for them!


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

I wonder how much junk will get caught in the rocks? Will they clog and
reduce flow? I suspect the size of the rocks will matter here. Gravel
would clog more easily than 4-6" rocks. If you are running the water
feature, you want a good, reliable flow. Maybe others have a good idea
about rock sizes.

The issue of pump repair is a good one. Is the pump external or submerged?
How easy would it be to repair or replace? If it could draw from the
bottom, but not be under the rock, that would be a good deal.

Enjoy your twins! Our youngest child is 25.

Jim


"an old lurker" wrote in message
news:NTh1e.21216$fn3.11984@attbi_s01...
We inherited a 600 gallon pond with waterfall and 12 small koi when we
bought our house. We've also got 16 month old twins. We're planning to
fill in the pond with rock and keep the water feature until the boys are
much older - then maybe we'll try fish again.

Our local pond store suggested selling the fish, draining the pond,
adding another layer of liner, filling the pond with quarry rock and
then decorative rock on top. If we keep the existing pump and
waterfall, we should be able to run the waterfall without having 2-3
feet of standing water for our kids to drown in, right?

Any suggestions for the best way to sell the koi? I'm not looking to
make a killing, but hopefully end up with enough money to get all the
rock and stuff we need to finish this project. We're in central
Kentucky and the fish are 6 to 8 or so inches long and have all survived
the winter despite our ignorance about how to care for them!

As for the size of the rock, my opinion is that what I call "egg rock"
would be most attractive. Those are about the size of a person's fist.
You don't mention whether the waterfall is made of boulders or how
much surface area it represents. You might post pics if you can, and
you surely will get a lot of suggestions that way. Landscape fabric
over the grid is also a good idea.
If you find a koi club, be sure to let them know why you are getting
rid of the fish. Find out from the people you bought from, if you can
cotact them, to see whether the fish are "pet quality" or something
more, and also solicit an opinion from the folks on koiphen, as
disinterested but knowledgeable parties. I wouldn't expect to make a
lot of money, maybe not even enough to fund your water feature idea,
but anything helps. Spring is a good time to be sellling them.