A magnificent pond in the heart of California's wine country.
Over one year ago I started communicating with several people online. One interesting gentleman was located about two hours drive from our offices. This individual is known as, Ron the Koi Man.

Upon arrival to his home I was immediately impressed with his sense of art, living space and harmony with his immediate environment.

I learned that Ron was an accomplished fresh water aquarium and pond aquarist. After several e-mail exchanges, we were invited to his home to view and photograph his pond and many aquariums.

The following photographs were taken with a Nikon F. 28 mm and a 55 mm auto-nikkor optics were employed. Kodacolor ISO 100 film was set at 125. The following report was filed.

In the heart of the Napa Valley, California is the premiere wine country of America. It is also here one of the most beautiful ponds in the US is located.

This pond is about 5000 US gallons. It measures about 16 feet in diameter with a depth of about 4 feet. It features marginal shelves for plants. This magnificent display utilizes a cyprio biological filtration system. It employs a UV Sterilizer and a Sequence 1000 pump.


I immediately recognized three things. a) This was truly a labor of love. The effort put forth to create and produce this pond was extraordinary. b) From all angels, each view produced yet another vision and sense of serenity. c) No expense was spared in this display created for the betterment of the owner, visitors and for the captive aquatic animals.

The pond is home for 30 Japanese Koi. They range in size from 6" / 15 cm to 26" / 65 cm. They are: chowas, sankes ging lings and kowakos.

The pond took over one month to build. It uses a 40 ml thick edpm pond liner. The rock decorations are flat flag stones. Ron located and individually selected each rock, decoration and plant for his pond. Ron ultimately borrowed a pick up truck to transport items to the site. Each decoration was assiduously positioned, then evaluated for visual impact. In numerous instances they were repositioned.

Three water falls that total a 65 gallon per minute flow offer visual and auditory sensations of tranquillity. The positioning of water falls was chosen to highlight visual stimuli and to maximize the best options for water movement and filtration. Decorations positioned under water falls were painstakingly adjusted to offer the most pleasant sounds from cascading purified water.

Depending on the season, the filter is cleaned every 7 to 10 days. A 50% to 80% water change is performed every month. Nutrient rich waste water is utilized to water the surrounding garden. The pH is maintained around 7.6. The temperature goes from the mid 40's F in the winter months to the mid 80's F during the summer.

A variety of foods are offered several times per day depending on the season. Wheat germ is offered as an all around food. Other foods offered on a more selective program are: Hikari Koi Pellets, spirilina and color enhancers. No foods are offered when the temperature is under 53F.

If anyone is interested to learn more about this pond, you are welcome to e-mail Ron the Koi Man at: RKOIMAN2000@aol.com



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