Discovery Channel Cycling
What is a koi pond without koi? A pond! Now that is boring...
Many clients who want a waterfall and koi pond do not want koi fish to take care of. Actually, a pond will require less attention with fish than without. If a koi pond has a waterfall to aerate the water, koi fish will produce waste that is broken down by nitrifying bacteria into nitrate nitrogen, and water plants will use the nitrogen and thrive. In turn, the koi fish eat the algae and small water insects that live on the rocks and plant roots. And those bugs eat other smaller bugs that eat microscopic bugs that eat bad bacteria bugs. This is called the nitrogen cycle. A properly balanced koi pond like this will pretty much take care of itself.
Koi fish food can get lodged in the plants, rocks and vegetation around the perimeter of the koi pond. If the koi fish cannot find the food, it simply decays, adding unnecessary nitrates to the water and resulting in more food for algae to grow. To eliminate this problem I fashioned what I term as a Koi Fish Food Corral made from a 4 to 5 foot piece of 1-1/2 inch flexible PVC pipe and fastened together with a single 1-1/2 inch coupling, creating a circular corral.
This corral keeps the koi food in one place, and prevents it from floating off into rock crevices, plants or the skimmer. Plus it allows for the proper portioning of koi food. It is easy to tell if you’ve given the koi fish too much. If food is still there after a couple of minutes and the koi fish seem to have had enough, they have, and you should remove the leftovers. Lay it in the sun to dry and feed it to them later. It is easy to collect the extra food that the koi fish don’t eat by using a small net. It is better to feed them too little than too much. In a case like this, more is not better.
Sometimes my clients originally expressed a concern that koi fish would be a burden or a hassle. They would worry about having to feed them daily, or what they would do when going on vacation. I would explain that the koi fish are extremely important with regard to their contribution to the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle is what makes a koi pond low in maintenance and nearly self-sufficient.
As long as you only stock the koi pond with small fish such as guppies and mosquito fish, they will never need to be fed. They can exist solely on food that the pond provides naturally.
A chlorinated pond, on the other hand, requires continuous maintenance. The chlorine dissipates from the water as it flows over the falls and turns into chlorine gas. This means that fresh chlorine needs to be added regularly and your backyard will smell like a swimming pool all the time. The chlorine also causes many minerals and suspended particles to precipitate and build up on the rocks, causing unsightly white stains in the water's path.
When chlorine is not added regularly, leaves and other decaying debris in the pond will cause algae to grow, turning the pond green. So after convincing the client to give my suggestion a try, I returned a few weeks later to find that they have not only purchased some large koi fish, but have given them all cute names, like Charlie and Doug.
If the client wishes to have larger fish such as koi, the nitrogen cycle will need a little extra help from a biological filter and an ultraviolet light. The larger the number and size of the koi fish, the greater the waste material produced. This means that some of it must be removed from the water. Increased quantities of nitrates and nitrites increase the amount of ammonia and other by-products such as pea soup algae, the type that turns the water green. A biological filter will aid in the breakdown of toxic nitrites into less harmful nitrates, and an ultraviolet light will kill algae spores and disease-causing pathogens as they pass through the UV light on the way to the filter.
So, what else can I say to convince you to get fish? They are fun to watch? They are cute? They come in handy during times of famine? Got fish? Got turtles? Got tadpoles? No? Then, get some! Your pond will be much more appealing and exciting. It is like having the Learning Channel or Discovery Channel in your back yard.
Every day brings a new discovery: baby fish hatching; a dragonfly struggling from its cocoon; a tadpole slowly, very slowly, turning into a frog; two crayfish, doing what they do to make baby crayfish... now that is a discovery! A turtle, shedding its shell... now that is a miracle. If you have kids or grandkids, or neighbor kids, grab some or all of them and make it an adventure. Pile them into the car or bus and go to the local pond store and gather up a passel of predacious and peculiar pond creatures. Better yet -- build a koi pond first and then do it.
Happy koi, peace and joy.
Discovery Channel Cycling Tour de France celebration video
|
|
NIKE~DISCOVERY CHANNEL~PRO CYCLING TEAM~T-SHIRT~SZ XXL~ $0.99 |
|
|
TREK Discovery Channel cycling keychain - Bike, Bicycle, Tour de France jersey $7.50 |
|
|
Nike Discovery Channel LANCE ARMSTRONG Trek Cycling Jersey Men L Great Condition $69.00 |
|
|
'05 NIKE TEAM DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING JERSEY LIVESTRONG LS LARGE EUC $80.00 |
|
|
NWOT Discovery Channel Womens Cycling Jersey size L --KC17 $70.00 |
|
|
Discovery Channel Cycling Jersey Medium 3/4 Zip Hidden Zipper Men's Replica $14.99 |
|
|
NEW MENS S NIKE DRI-FIT DISCOVERY CHANNEL TREK ARMSTRONG CYCLING BIKE JERSEY $49.99 |
|
|
'05 NIKE TEAM DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM ISSUE THERMAL CYCLING JERSEY M $110.00 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL LONG SLEEVE CYCLING JERSEY BIKE SHIRT RACING size S-3XL $35.95 |
|
|
'06 NIKE TEAM DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO ROAD CYCLING JERSEY LS MEDIUM EUC $80.00 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL STRIPES CYCLING JERSEY LS SIZE: L $27.76 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL WORLD CYCLING JERSEY LS SIZE: L $27.76 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL AMD UCI PRO TOUR MO CYCLING JERSEY XL $21.35 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL STRIPES CYCLING JERSEY SIZE: XL $25.63 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM EMBROIDERED HAT-NIKE $19.98 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL CYCLING JERSEY BIKE SHIRT size S-3XL $32.95 |
|
|
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team: Teach Your Kid How $3.75 |
|
|
2007 NIKE DISCOVERY CHANNEL CYCLING JERSEY LARGE EUC $80.00 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL RACING BIKE ROAD CYCLING RIDING BANDANA HAT CAP HELMET JERSEY $13.95 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL CYCLING TEAM GLOVE BIKE RACING JERSEY MOUNTAIN BIKING M L XL $18.95 |
|
|
NWT DISCOVERY CHANNEL CYCLING JERSEY BICYCLE BIKE SHIRT + BIB SHORT S-3XL $35.99 |
|
|
NIKE DISCOVERY CHANNEL TREK CYCLING JERSEY Large $29.85 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM CYCLING SHORTS JERSEY RACING BIKE BICYCLE SHIRT szS-3XL $26.95 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL CYCLING PANTS LONG JERSEY TIGHTS RACING BIKE BICYCLE sz S-3XL $29.99 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM BLUE RACING CYCLING JERSEY BIKE + SHORT SHIRT sz S-3XL $34.99 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL STRIPES CYCLING JERSEY SIZE: L $25.63 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL Pro Team Cycling Cap Hat $11.99 |
|
|
NEW 2005 Discovery Channel CYCLING JERSEY by Nike $70.00 |
|
|
DISCOVERY CHANNEL Pro Team Cycling Cap Hat $11.99 |
|
|
CYCLING BIB Size XL Discovery Channel, AMD and NIKE logos EXCELLENT - Free Ship $78.00 |
|
|
{Import - UK} Science of Lance Armstrong DVD The Science of Lance Armstrong" is a fascinating look at the many behind the scenes efforts that play a crucial role in Lance Armstrong's successes. In a race such as the Tour de France seconds count, indeed a mere second could be the difference between winning and losing. Thus if new technological advancements can shave as little as a second off Lance's racing time, it's worth doing! This captiva... |
|
|
Stunt Junkies Season 1 - Episode 4: Cliff Biker STUNT JUNKIES is a fresh, immersive, weekly, half hour series in which the world's best extreme sports athletes, designers, and stunt fabricators execute one unbelievable stunt. It's a show about imagination, daring, intellect and science. STUNT JUNKIES is a backstage pass to the world of the extreme athlete and explains what it takes to pull off a an eye-popping, hair-raising stunt. DARREN B... |
|
|
Chasing Lance #7 DVD Region: 1... |
|
|
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team: Teach Your Kid How to Ride a Bike $0.24 ... |
|
|
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team Teach Your Kid to Ride a Bike ... |
|
|
UCI ProTour: Competições do ProTour, Equipas do ProTour, Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, Volta a Cataluña (Portuguese Edition) $14.13 Fonte: Wikipedia. Páginas: 30. Capítulos: Competições do ProTour, Equipas do ProTour, Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, Volta a Cataluña, Milão-Sanremo, Giro d'Italia, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Vuelta a España, Paris-Nice, Giro di Lombardia, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Tirreno-Adriático, Deutschland-Tour, Rabobank, Amstel Gold Race, Team CSC, Caisse d'Épargne, Ast... |
