Hey there. Almost without a doubt they must be above water. There are different kinds of lights but most of them use a 10 watt halogen bulb that lights up in a kind of bubble underwater. I have noticed a lot of people like these daisy-chain lights that fail when one dies but I think it is annoying. I saw some brass lights that were to die for but finding the right light gets real tired real soon. I use the single lights from Harbor Freight at under $10 and pick up replacement bulbs when I see them on sale but if the case is properly closed a bulb will last a long time. Now if only some one would explain how to make them all work off of one transformer. By the way, is it true you can damage a halogen bulb by getting your fingerprints on it? Sandy

We had a pair of coons really messing with the pond. They ate all but 1 of my frogs and were trying to get the fish, but the pond has sides straight down so they couldn't get in. But they would pull at the lily pads and cause the pots to fall over and make a mess. The chicken wire sounds like it would work as long as you can secure it so they can't get under it. They are very strong and also persistent. Now that they've found your pond, it's a cinch they'll be back. victoria

Hi Fireweed22, Thanks for your message. I had a pond guy come by who thinks the fish are mosquito fish. We are doing some troubleshooting with the pond to figure out where a leak is- somewhere in the pump. The pond is quite big and the turtles were sunning themselves on the pond's perimeter but the water level dropped a few inches and they can no longer reach so they've been struggling to sun themselves on the pump itself. I bought a floating fake log from petsmart but it's a little small. Hoping to have the pond fixed this week- it will be drained and cleaned with the turtles kept in a tank for a few hours...The pond guy said the pond is very primitive, he was not impressed, but hopefully we will get it running well. Also, I took the coffee can of "fish food" to a pet store and they said it was turtle food so I've been throwing some in every few days but the pond guy said they will eat fallen leaves mostly. Any other advice you have is much welcomed. Here's a bigger picture of the pond. Thanks!

Hi Jane, the upper smaller pond is called a bog and it's purpose is to clean your water and offer a naturalized setting. This is a good thing that someone planned that feature. Your iris as with most of the water iris can be on the aggressive side. I divided mine with a saw a year ago. You wouldn't know that today though. I have Gamecock and Yellow flag. Yellow flag are super water cleaners. My gamecock has never bloomed but I do feed them with the approved pond tabs so as to not upset the overall environment. Personally, I would wait to divide as you could still get some cold snaps and they might be too stressed to handle the cold under those conditions. Placing them in a water garden plastic container/basket would make the job of dividing in the future much easier. There are many bog type plants to choose from. I love parrot feathers. They like to float on top and koi like to eat them so it is better the two don't meet. In regards to water: You might check to see if there is a koi club nearby or a garden center with knowledge about water gardens and koi. Of course the internet is full of information and it can be like the wild, wild west. You will run into many differences of opinions. I ran into that and it was very disheartening and totally confusing. In the end, it's up to you to do homework on water chemistry and how best to maintain your pond. I only say this because of experience and I hope you understand. I would gladly tell you what works for me but our ponds and environments are very different. Sad experience tells me that stuff happens on Saturday nights when there are no stores open to get emergency supplies so now I have those things, just in case. At minimum, you should know how to test your water. The good news is your pond is established meaning you have all those beneficial bacteria working for you. That can take months to get going. The first year of a pond can be an adventure :( Barring an ammonia spike, the bacteria should be able to handle the majority of work. Prior owners said to just add water occasionally. That probably would be okay because of your total volume. Doing the whole chlorine removal probably isn't necessary unless you are changing out thousands of gallons. A couple of hundred gallons added to what you already have will dilute it enough, I would think. Looking to the immediate future, spring is coming which will mean a food change. Water warms up, bacteria get more active. I would imagine the number one mistake people make is overfeeding. When the water temp. is low, you might not feed at all. The fish's metabolism slows down and food won't process. Koi can live in iced over conditions with a small vent hole for gasses to escape. They can do this for a long time so don't feel you are torturing them. But then spring comes and they are hungry and you need to be careful with the type and quantity of food because they will make a lot of waste and your bio filter needs to warm up in order to process waste. Are your Koi more cigar shaped (male) or rounder (female)? Spawning season is coming and that affects water quality too. Finally, think long and hard about adding more fish until you feel really confident in your maintenance routine. You probably will have to muck out the debris on the bottom, old leaves and such. Does this pond have a liner? Cleaning it out is messy and exhausting. Your filter will need to be cleaned or backwashed and you should check all your equipment for wear and tear. Pumps do wear out mostly when you least expect it. Hopefully they left you some notes on the how, what, where for reference. Did the prior owners take care of this themselves or hire a service? I hope this helps a little. Have a great day!