Originally Posted by
Paultergeist
Cheryl is telling it like it is, in my opinion.
Let me also add this. Having a pond does not have to be an "all-in or nothing" sort of game. Perhaps there is more of a mid-point balance for your situation. Now, what I am going to suggest may sound like heresy to the purists, but.....I think you should consider getting rid of all the Koi in your pond. Koi are big, messy, fish which eat a lot (and seem to find a way to *beg* for food from us humans, so we often get suckered into feeding them a lot). Unless you really know what you are doing, the tendency is for Koi to be fed a lot, which means they will get big, and in turn will eat even more, all the while creating a lot of poop, which leads to yet even more maintanence. There are some nice pond goldfish out there (Comets, Shbunkins, etc) that do not get nearly as large as Koi, are much easier on water quality, and will get along well with plants (large Koi will up-root most plants).
Just thinking.......