koi

[newport king]

ok so i bought a house that came with a koi pond. i dont really know anything about the upkeep of these things. The previous owner pretty much gave up on taking care of the fish once he got my offer on the house. Well recently after cleaning out some leaves, the filter/pump system seems to float towards the top of the water which leaves the pump/sprinkler underwater. After 2 days of sticking my hand in freezing water i decided to come on here and ask around if anyone knows or has any ideas on how to keep it from floating to the top. thanks.

[sr71blackbird]

No need to feed them anymore now. The pond will freeze over during the winter and they will be in hibernation at the bottom. One the spring thaw comes, they will wake up and act as normal. Its really cool, actually to think that they are at the bottom, with a foot or two of ice above them and they are just sleeping.

I didnt read the whole thing, sorry. Why not tie something heavy like a stone/cinderblock around the pump and let it sink with the pump?

[Chigworthy]

Is the pump attached by rigid or flexible pipe to the pump?
Usually you would use heavy decorative rocks to hold the contraptions in place.
If there is no waterfall, than the sprinkler is aerating the pond and needs to be on the surface.
Does the pump have an attached box about 16 inches square, with a fibrous pad for a lid, or a smaller cubical filter attached directly to it.
Either way, this filter needs to be unobstructed and cleaned every so often as it gets clogged up.
Ponds take a decent ammount of upkeep, so you may want to stop by a pond store. Bring a sample of the water in a clean jar, and sketch the pond (with dimensions and depth). Also, get any info off the equipment, or take some digital pictures. Beware of the markup on products, they can be ridiculous.

[topless_mike]

yeah, there is no need to feed the fish beyond the first freeze.
their resp slows down to about 1 per minute, and they just kinda "freeze" underwater.
each year, you may have some losses, but they are built for this.

not too sure about the upkeep. if its anything like a reef, its nothing as long as you stay on top of it.

look around for some forums one nite. there has to be one for pond owners.
oh yeah- never ever trust what your lfs (local fish store) tells you. well, there are a few you can trust, but you have to figure out who they are.