Geesh, Saturday it was raining and the aeration hole in the pond opened back up again and there was standing water on the thinning ice and today as I look out the window, there's a freakin blizzard out there! I know, we say "welcome to Iowa" in an attempt to smooth it over some, but truth is: This is getting really, really old! A recent article in Koi magazine was really berating us Iowa(northern koi keepers) for keeping koi outside under the ice. He said it shouldn't be done and the fish are not thriving but narrowly surviving. Made me feel bad. I too, have previously lost koi under the ice and it was devastating. As a KHA, part of our mission is to spread the word about koi keeping and encourage the hobby. But from experience and watching many a pond owner kill their favorite finned friends, I too, am beginning to realize that maybe, just maybe, having koi is not for everybody. People say they are tuff and a domesticated carp, but the truth is they've been so inner bred that they are more like the tender orchid in the flower world. I see people putting 100 koi in a 100 gallon tank, or ponds that are not well cared for. Dirty ponds, feeding them cat food, or not feeding them at all. I wish I had a dollar for every time I stood next to a sick pond and they told me they'd been doing the same thing for 5 years and the fish have always been fine. But you know, I've done all those mistakes too. I've killed more koi than anyone I know! So occasionally I need a wake up call, that tells me, "it's OK. Don't be critical. Sure fish died, but,
that's how I learned and that's how they will learn also." Heck, I'm still learning. I learn from other people's sick fish. And, occasionally from my own, still. So while this article in Koi magazine upsets me, (and maybe he's right, maybe we have no business trying to keep Koi under the ice) I still plod out there to check on them and worry about them. January is almost over.So that's at least 2 months under the ice, already. February is still to come and can be as bad as January. I know Mother Nature rules, so am just hoping she'll help me out a little this year and bring an early Spring. The fish inside are oblivious to it all. Let's see how can I possibly make room for another pond down there for the other fish? Maybe if I got rid of the 2 selves of seasonal house decorations. I'm sure Harry wouldn't miss them. Furnace is taking up entirely too much room. Got any ideas how to get rid of that?