I am in the process of purchasing a 100 year old house in a small town in Iowa. The current owners have done a ton of landscaping, much of which will be removed/replaced by me to suit the tastes of my loving wife.
Of particular interest is a Koi pond, complete with small waterfall and about half a dozen small fish. I find this to be absolutely fascinating, but my wife sees it as a potential algae farm. I had a few moments to talk with the current owner about care and upkeep of the pond, and he basically left me with a cryptic, “it’s all about the plants” response.
So, my questions to you, wizened dopers, are “How hard is it going to be for me to keep this thing looking good, and the fishies alive and comfortable? What does maintaining this king of mini-ecosystem typically involve? What to Koi eat?”
I’d love to spend my lazy summer afternoons staring at the soothing fish, but not if it means spending my lazy summer mornings doing a bunch of maintenance.