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  • Results 1 to 13 of 13

    Thread: Need a new design for a feeding ring

    1. #1
      sworley's Avatar
      sworley is offline Senior Member
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      Need a new design for a feeding ring

      Some of my koi have gotten quite large - 25" - 30+" - and they splash the food out of the feeding ring I use. I made it from a 3'diameter hula hoop and covered it with pipe insullation so it would continue to float. I also put some liner material around the edge of it that extends about 1" above the top and about 8" in the water below it to help keep food in it. They're too big for it now - they splash it out both over the top and underneath in their feeding frenzy. Any ideas would be appreciated. I don't want to have to continue stand out there with a net to scoop the food back into the ring to keep it from ending up in the skimmer! Any ideas would be appreciated!
      This is an old picture but you can see the feeding ring and some of the fish which are quite a bit larger now.
      Name:  5-18-16fish.jpg
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    2. #2
      coolwon is offline Senior Member
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      Throw another made up hula hoop in front of the weir to deflect and slow the food down when you feed them.

      Fit a length of rope to it to save the back and knees.

      Garfield
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      koi4u2c is offline Senior Member
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      Your pond looks nice. Ferns are a nice touch.
      Nancy



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      Just throw it in the water.

    5. #5
      sworley's Avatar
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      Thanks, Nancy!


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      Nice pond! I also use a modified hula hoop. If I give them a whole handful of food at once, they grab the food and dart out of the way, splashing food everywhere.
      The answer for me was to feed them more slowly. If I give them just a little bit, then a bit more, they quickly get past the initial "give me food!" craze and settle down. The I can dump in the big handful and it doesn't end up in the skimmer.
      Hope that helps.
      -Steve in Phx.
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    7. #7
      two_wheeled is offline Senior Member
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      Nice pond! I also use a modified hula hoop. If I give them a whole handful of food at once, they grab the food and dart out of the way, splashing food everywhere.
      The answer for me was to feed them more slowly. If I give them just a little bit, then a bit more, they quickly get past the initial "give me food!" craze and settle down. The I can dump in the big handful and it doesn't end up in the skimmer.
      Hope that helps.
      -Steve in Phx.
      Novice Extraordinaire

    8. #8
      aquaholic is offline Supporting Member
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      What about using a 3 ring inflatable kiddies pool about 60cm diameter, put a 10 cm hole centrally in the bottom then flip it upside down so the bottom becomes the top lid. Food would roll down into the hole but not be able to splash out.

      You might have to weigh down the hole area (to create a funnel) and somehow disguise it.

      Have not tried this, just seems like a workable solution.

    9. #9
      Roddy Conrad's Avatar
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      Just turn off the skimmer circuit when you feed and then there is no problem. I changed my skimmer so the feed to it is below the surface so the floating pellets from the automatic feeder stay on the surface until eaten.
      Your koiphen chemist and environmental scientist.

    10. #10
      icu2's Avatar
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      I put my "ball" valve in the skimmer at feeding time...

      Name:  skimmer block..jpg
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      --Steve



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    11. #11
      two_wheeled is offline Senior Member
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      Ball valve. LOL!
      -Steve in Phx.
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    12. #12
      coolwon is offline Senior Member
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      Buy +- a meter of aquatic aerated air hose pipe.

      Plug one end of the hose off and connect the other end to an adapter to suit an air pump hose.

      As an experiment hold the aerated pipe against the pond wall across the mouth of the skimmer below the water line.

      About maybe a foot down. Try different depths for the best result

      Switch the air pump on and watch the curtain of air rise across the mouth of the skimmer and hold the food back from entering the mouth of the skimmer.

      Lower the pond water at the height you have decided at which creates the best air curtain and secure to the wall.

      Alternatively, you could use cable ties and secure the air hose to a straight piece of stainless steel rod and tie pieces of fishing line at each end and lower the

      pipe down across the mouth of the skimmer.

      Mount the air pump electrical idolator switch in an easy and safe to get to position.

      Alternatively you could use your existing air pump, and switch on and off a control solenoid valve to open the valve at the air feeding time

      If using a feeder you could use a timer with slightly extended time to control the air pump to switch off giving the fish time to complete feeding.
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    13. #13
      batman is offline Senior Member
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      Never tried it or seen it done before but always wondered if landscape edging would make a very good feeding ring.
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