Nobody picks up the poop left by about 200 pets that Martha and Dan Cover keep in their backyard. That's because the waste from their koi keeps plants healthy and lush.
The couple's 8-month-old larger-than-average pond and wetland are on the next weekend's tour put on by the Southern Arizona Koi Association.
Built by Canyon Pondscapes for about $12,400, the 2,700-gallon rubber-lined water feature pumps water from the 3.5-foot-deep basin where the carp live to the estimated 5-foot-high wetlands.
There, the water filters through rocks and plant roots, leaving behind nitrates on its way back to the basin.
Canna lilies, cattail and pennywort in the wetlands thrive on the left-behind nutrients and circulating water while doing their part to keep down algae growth.
The cattail, water lilies, calla lilies, canna lilies and agapanthus have the same symbiotic relationship in the basin. The fish, rocks and water circulation also help tackle algae, "but being in direct sunlight all day, (the pond has) growth of string algae," Dan Cover writes in an e-mail message.
People are also reading…
Several flowering plants in the basin sit in immersed pots. That protects them from the fish, who like to pull up plants and eat the roots, says Martha. The pots can be brought onto dry land for easy tending of the plants.
Fish are essential to the life of a backyard pond, says Nathan Novak, Canyon Pondscapes owner.
"Fish completes an ecological cycle," says Novak, who plans to be at the Covers' home to answer questions during the tour. Koi are especially good because they grow large enough to handle the algae problem.
Koi cost between $5 and $16 at PetSmart. The Covers' fish range from to fry (babies) to 7 years old. They also have black mosquitofish that eat the insect larvae.
"The fish leavings are my fertilizer," says Martha Cover. She regularly scoops water out of the pond to irrigate other plants around the couple's northwest side ranch house.
The koi pond provides endless joy to the couple, who have raised the fish for 13 years in ponds at previous homes.
"I love the sound. I love the plants, the greenery and the flowers," says Martha. "Dan, he loves the fish. He sits out there and throws them food every once in a while."
If you go
Parade of Ponds
• What: Southern Arizona Koi Association's annual self-guided tour of 13 ponds with koi. The tour also includes a trivia game and people's choice voting.
• When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday, May 1-2.
• Where: Seven ponds in Oro Valley, Northwest Side, Picture Rocks and Amado on Saturday, six different ponds in midtown, east side, Rita Ranch, Sahuarita and the same Amado one on Sunday.
• Admission: $5 allows admission to either or both days, free for younger than 12 with paid adult.
• Information: 628-0381, www.sakoia.org
Resources
• Canyon Pondscapes, 820-7737 or www.canyonpondscapes.com
Contact local freelance writer Elena Acoba at acoba@dakotacom.net