FishChannel Forums / Freshwater Forums / Ponds

Freeze warning in So Calif tonight

Cichlasoma_hollywoodi — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:50:38 GMT

Winter update:

The conditioning tank is set up in the patio, and I'm staying up with the goldfish tonight to periodically add scalding hot water to the tank. Our unusual freezing weather has really chilled their tank and the heater just can't keep up. I know we must sound like weather wussies - we go into a panic when the temp drops below 40F. So anyways I'm posting in between microwaving hot water back and forth, back and forth. Anybody out there tonight? It's gonna be a long night. Overnight low is forecast at 34F around 5 a.m. The pond outside is staying warm though at a nice 62F.

Need a New Post in PONDS so ...

Cichlasoma_hollywoodi — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:29:22 GMT

Rainy day in LA and I'm gonna go to the garage and dig out my vintage Pemco breeding tank (it's the smaller size), I have never set it up. I wanna have a wintertime conditioning tank for some comet goldfish before they're put in the pond, which is heated to about 60-62F. They need to get nice and fat first, plus get used to me. If they don't get to know me first, they'll hide when they see me at the pond and they won't come up for food ....

Dirt as plant substrate in ponds?

Rabid Puffer — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:50:27 GMT

Hello. Recently I have been considering building a pond in our backyard. It will be divided into two section; one for fish and another for plants to grow and sell for money to help fund this hobby. The section for fish will contain some koi and maybe a sterlet and will measure 18x8x3ft. The other part will measure roughly 7x7x2ft and will be stocked with plants. The plant section will be right by the filter return, so it will also aid the pond as a kind of refugium.

I have been told that if I use organic garden soil capped with gravel for the plant part of the pond, I will get the occasional pH crash which could be fatal to my fish. I was told that I should put plants in pots instead of using soil for the entire section of the pond. There are a few problems I have with this:

1. It greatly restricts the amount of plants I can have in the pond.
2. Plants such as swords cannot send off runners and produce new plants.
3. Using pots large enough for plants like swords forces me to put several inches of soil in it. I see this as a potential problem even greater than potential pH crashes seeing as it could result in it becoming anaerobic and result in the build-up of hydrogen sulfide, which would kill my fish as well as my plants.

So my question is, will adding lots of crushed coral to the substrate in this section as well as some crushed oyster shells allow me to buffer my pH enough so that I will not have this problem? My tap water is already about 7.8 without any kind of buffer.

Thank you.

Can you use Aquarium plant Fertilizer for your pond plants?

MRBLUBS — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:17:06 GMT

Can you?
Because I have an Iris, Parrots feather and 6 hyacinths in my pond and want them to grow at there best but forgot to buy pond plant fertilizer at Pisces which I wont go back because it "too far away"
Thanks

Pond Plants and fish....

MRBLUBS — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:32:13 GMT

This year im renevating my pond into a pond tub instead of the liner.

Last year In the pond i hade 15 Comets goldfish, 1 red ryukin, Water hyacinth and water lettuce. In the winter I moved the Plants and fish to my 20 gallon aquarium. The plants grew way to much so i threw them outside to die. I decided on selling the goldfish becasue I wanted to raise guppies. Now that my fun of breeding guppies is over im going backto the pond. I was thinking of getting 15 comets (not the good quality ones just the feeder fish) a shubunkin, maybe 2 Ranchus, and Mr.Blubs will be returning back as well. cAn i add all of these fish?

The pond is a 60 gallon tub.... Heres a pic

I was then thinking of adding 2 water lillies for the deep section and a carpet of water hyacinth, Water lettuce, and fairy moss in the left side. I am also thinking of adding some type of marginal plant for the other side but i have to go to Pisces to see the types.

In the end there will be 19 goldfish and probley anwhere from 10-20 plants.

Is this all possible to do?

Thanks for the help!

new pond setup

Coinr — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:27:39 GMT

I have a 20 and a 55gal tank in the house. This year I built a 1600 gallon koi pond for my wife and need some advice on setting things up. I have the liner in and it's filled with water. There is a shelf around the outer edge that varies from 1 to 2 feet and the center of the pond is 4 feet deep. I live in Michigan, haven't bought anything else yet and would like to be ready to add fish in the spring. I plan on buying a pump, a waterfall and a protien skimmer (the pond is in almost full sun). I plan on putting the filter media in the waterfall. Also, I need some way to clean debris (mostly leaves) from the bottom of the pond.

I'm a little confused about the pump. It seems like the goal is to circulate all 1600 gallons of water through the filter/waterfall roughly every hour. So what size (gph) pump do I need. I know that with a regular sump pump that the gph decreases as you pump the water higher.

Also, how does the water stay clean if you remove the pump and filter in the winter? I'm assuming I will have to do this to prevent it from freezing.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks, Roger

Pond plants for shallow pond

Airbreather — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:56:27 GMT

Hi. I live in Regina, Saskatchewan and was looking for some plants that could overwinter in the pond. Problem is, the ponds average depth is 8 inches, and the deepest part is 12-14 inches. It would surely freeze from top to bottom, so I would like to know my choices. Thanks.

I have a one acre pond and would like to try some sturgeon

sssl — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:45:09 GMT

I know the Brittish do this, keep sturgeon in ponds, and I was wondering where I could get some native US species for stocking. If regulations are too tight, I would consider stocking Eurasian species. Any help appreciated.

Do you have photos of birds at your pond?

afmweb — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:17:04 GMT

Send Us Your Bird Photos for Ponds USA!

Do birds regularly visit your water garden—and have you taken some great photos of them? If you have some photos of birds at your pond or water feature, we invite you to turn some in for possible inclusion on our bird photo page in our next issue. Help us put together a page full of beautiful pond birds by sending in your photo—we may be able to include it. Any photos of birds at ponds or water gardens are candidates.

Digital photos must be at least 4x5 inches at 300 dpi to be considered. Photos can be e-mailed to ponds@bowtieinc.com. Please put “Bird Photo Page” in the subject line, and include your name, city and state in the message; attachments must be smaller than 8 megabytes. Please send submissions in by February 1, 2012.

We look forward to receiving your bird photos!

hurt koi

maypo — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:56:28 GMT

I am new to this site. I've been trying to find info on a hurt koi I have.
A blue Herron injured him about 3 weeks ago. I took him out of my pond and he's in an aquarium in the house. I put salt mixture for his wounds. They seem to be healing but he still can't right himself. I know if he doesn't eat he's not going to make it. I don't know how to get him from laying on his side. Any suggestions? I don't have the heart to kill him, its been 3 weeks and and he's still trying to live. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Goldfish pond

marlin — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:54:09 GMT

I setup a pond about 5 or 6 years ago and all the fish are dying. I started out with 5 comet gold fish and 5 minnows but, the fish bred and upuntil a few days ago I had 8 comet goldfish. 2 have died in the past few days and I don't know why. The pond has not had any problems until now. Does anybody have suggestions as to what I should do?

Got a pond!

A.M anabantoids — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:44:43 GMT

Well, I finally convinced family members to let me keep a container pond, and now I have one! It's a 55 gallon container pond that I just got. I'm planning on getting some longear sunfish and maybe a cray or a few male mosquito fish. I got a 65 gph pump, that the local pond and water garden store said would be fine, considering I provided healthy plants, and lava rocks for nitrifying bacteria to thrive, and if I stocked it appropriatley with hardy fish. Tommorow, I'll dig the area where I want it, an d take pics of the process.

As for the pump, I bought a basket which I was going to half fill with lava rocks, place the pump, and fill the rest with lava rocks. I'm planning on cutting a whole through the side, and running the output tubing through there and along the side of the pond and then through a bundle of rocks whcih will flow into the pond. Sound like a good plan?

Now for livestock, sunfish would be neat, but would they withstand 60F water in winter? I know mosquito fish and native crays would probably. What other native fish would be fine in that temperature?

Any other advice would be great too.

Is thier an Algae eating Fish for a pond?

MRBLUBS — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:41:37 GMT

Is their any fish that will eat algae and grow only around 6" or less and can live in a pond?

Thanks

Share your pond photos!

afmweb — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:43:05 GMT

Don’t forget to enter our photo contest for this year’s Ponds USA & Water Gardens! Just go to http://www.pondsmagazine.com/ponds-web-exclusives/ponds-usa-2012/photo-contest.aspx to find out how to enter! The deadline has been extended until October 29, 2011.

container pond maintenance

lilcherna — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:29:36 GMT

i was poking around my container pond today and i realized that things were pretty overgrown and could use some thinning and maintenance. the thing is, i live in florida and so i just keep it out all year round but i know, for people that live up north, container ponds are kind of a spring/summer thing. so my question is, could i trim the plants and clean things up now in the summer or is there another season that it would be best to do so in? or does it not matter at all because i have a pretty long growing season here? >.<

Small pond problem..

JustKeepSwimming — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:46:13 GMT

Hello

WE have 3 ponds. One in the front yard is doing GREAT! We have algea problems due to its in the sun all day, but its nothing we cant handle.

But we have 2 smaller ponds in the back yard.

They are about 100 gallons. we dont have very good luck with keeping plants & fish in there.

Like I said they are about 100 gallons a piece. They are in the back yard under several oak trees. so they are in the shade all day. They have the deep spot as well as the shallow spot. We do not have a filter, for we dont really know what kind we can get & the last one we had was a fountain/filter, but it was way too strong for that pond. we would clean it every week.

Anyways would anyone know what kind of filter as well as fish & plants that would do good in those ponds? I would really like to get them going as good *** ours in the front yard. Also because there are no fish or moving water, there are alot of bugs in it.. yuck!

Anyway any tips or help you could give me to get them going would be nice!

Thank you!

Making Pond Water Clear

MRBLUBS — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:40:35 GMT

Hi,

My pond in my backyard has been Murky the last few days. You can barley see the bottom of the deep zone and its only 1' 1" deep.

I have no plants yet, i plan on getting them this week And thier are 2 goldfish in it a Comet and a Ryukin but, the Comet has been their for a day and the Ryukin i just put in. So they arent making the water Murky.

I have an Underwater filter and a water fall and i clean the filter every 2 days!

How can i make the water clear so i can see my fish are eating or ALIVE!!

Thanks

what fish can Live in a Pond

MRBLUBS — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:29:16 GMT

I was wondering what types of fish could live in this outdoor pond i have.I know that their Are Koi and Goldfish but i was wondering if their are any other species that could to. I live in canada by the way so the pond in the winter freezes to the bottom almost. So i would bring them in a fish tank i have.

Thanks

Is it okay to feed baby fish bits of flaked food?

Fishy68 — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:55:27 GMT

One of our Goldfish in our outdoor pond recently had babies. We do not have any baby fish food, but have been smashing flake foot in to very tiny bits. We think they are eating it, but is this okay to give them? The are still really young and small.

Chinese Algae Eaters??

savetheanimalsx — Sun, 22 May 2011 16:29:36 GMT

I bought 2 chinese algae eaters 2 months ago without being told they get to be 11" in length which will not fit in my tank. They are only about 2-3 inches now. They are adorable and fun to watch and I hate to part with them. My fiance's parents have an outside pond filled with goldfish so I was wondering if the algae eaters would be able to live in the pond as well. Thanks.

Mosquito fish pond?

A.M anabantoids — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:54:36 GMT

I am interested in setting up a native, very simple, mosquito fish pond in my back yard. Probably round 300 gallons. I got a great idea of using a cow tank as the pond from another topic, and I will probably use one of them. Filteration will be difficult to install because we have to dig up the thick ground, slide the wiring through a really long PVC pipe and and connect it to a power outlet by the garage. I think it will be better to have natural filteration such as aquatic plants that remove nitrates and phosphates well. What kinds of plants should I use? I want them to be native too, and also interesting looking, but I have to resort to non-natives, they will do too.

I just need some basic steps for seting up a small pond. I was going to border the cow tank with large, flat stones that people use to border hot tubs and swimming pools. Any advice?

Also, I thought the pond would just be stagnant and unnatractive without some kind of water feature filteration, so how can I make good water circulation without electricity? I had an idea of getting about 3 humongous gravel vaccumes and leave the end out of water i a way that they can let water trickle over some layered rocks. If the gravel vaccumes have the power woud this be a god idea?

I am pretty set on getting mosquito fish for a primary inhabitant, and I have too stable sources of the two different species of mosquito fish, but what other small native fish can I add to the pond? I had a thought about least killifish being possibility, or maybe a native species of crayfish to keep the livebearer population in check. Any suggestions?

Pretty much any advice on this would be helpful. My main question is the about the filteration though.

My first pond!

Koiangel — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:53:42 GMT

It's not exactly a pond, It's a 300+ gallon Cow water tank.
I have a few small problems..

first of all, I am in Missouri and the weather stinks here. So I'm not sure if I can keep fish in it. (besides goldfish... I don't want them)

second, I have no way to get any filtration in it so the oxygen level might not be enough for fish.. (I really want fish though!)

I was thinking of keeping lots of plants in it to act as the filtration. I want to keep platys/danios/white cloud minnows in it, and yes I am prepared to catch them and bring them inside every time the weather is bad.
So is this going to work out???

Is it possible to breed koi indoors?

ZmanArt007 — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:03:38 GMT

Hi, new to the forum here, but I've been a koi hobbiest for a year now. I have a koi pond wintering right now, but I also have a group of three larger koi in an indoor 500 gallon tank.

I've recently discovered not one, but three potential buyers for koi fry within a 30 mile radius of my home. I've desided that I need to get ahead of the game and start my breeding early this year. I've never actually bred my koi, so I need some help.

Setup:
I have a 600 gallon indoor tank with adequate filtration and more than enough oxygen through air stones. It is a wood shop, so it has easy access to both a hose and a drain. It stays pretty warm in the shop, but I've started bringing the water temp down, although I'm not sure how low I can make the temperatures. I have five yarn spawning mops ready outside the tank.
Stock:
I currently have four fish in the tank. One is a large 12-13 inch red and white koi that is much wider than my other fish, so I assume it is female. Two of them are mutt koi fish that are thinner and about 10-11 inches, who I assume are male. The fourth fish is a small adolescent black and white koi fish that, well, isn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be brought outside after his injuries healed. I sort of forgot about him and then the pond started to freeze. Oops.

So...
I have these questions:
1. How do I get these koi fish to breed indoors?

2. Do I need to make a simulation winter by lowering the temperatures for a while so the female developes here eggs? If so, how long do I need to keep it cold, and how cold does it have to be?

3. Does a drop or raise in pH stimulate breeding? What else can stimulate breeding?

4. I plan on removing the fish after breeding, not the eggs, is that alright?

5. Do I need to remove the younger individual before breeding? Will he interfere with the romancing?

6. How long does the breeding process take? How do I know when they are done?

I have more questions, but thats all I can think of for now. Please help!

goldfish in outdoor pond.

steven22 — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:52:03 GMT

Hi, we have in our outside pond seven or eight goldfish but one of them has swelling on its left side which is quite large,could someone give me some views whats wrong with the goldfish...........cheers everyone......steven.

greenhouse ponds

Sam fish — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:49:38 GMT

i was wanting to keep a small pond (like those plastic molds at places like homedepot and loes on blocks) with about 2 fancy's. With a 10g with a large filter and two tubes one with water return and one to git the water into the 10 gal my ???? is how am i going to move the water to and from the 10 . what are some nice pond plants and am i just crazzy or is it a good idea

Starting Out

crazybetta123 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:51:54 GMT

So my dad just made a pond (11' by 9' I think) and we finally got the waterfall in, the skimmer, and the pump, so we put some fish in (I forget what there called, there really small and some are a brownish color and some are pinkish and there not minnows) we put them in to stabilize the pond (since there just feeder fish) and the pond has been sitting there with water for a while (before we got pump) since it took a long time to get pump in, and the pond started to get alot of algea in it so the waters murcky, now that we have everything in how long until it clears up??

Getting into outdoor ponds?

A.M anabantoids — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:00:42 GMT

I've been very interested in ponds for a very long time, and I really want to have a small pond when I get the money. I know there are some good container ponds you can get in hardware stores and other places, and they seem like an easier way to get into outdoor ponds. I want to get a pond that's about 300 gallons. I really don't know where and how to get started, so I was hoping anyone over here could give me some advice.

I'm not really sure about keeping fish in there because the main purpose is to attract more wildlife like box turtles, snakes, and anything else, but I might add some bream minnows or mosquito fish if I can get this pond.

How much would everything I need for this pond cost at the least? If I can ever get this pond, I was hoping to make it as low cost and low maintainance as possible. What are the supplies needed for a 300 gallon container pond (possibly with no fish)?

I also have possible problem with building this pond- I'm not sure if our house owner would agree with the idea. My plan was to make this pond very easy to remove inf necessary by keeping the container above ground abd keeping it in place by stacking big flat rocks from a pond store all around the pond. That way, if I ever needed to, I could just drain the water out, remove the pond, and remove all the rocks and plants around it. How would that work? We also have a sprinkler system under ground, so would a pond still be possible without messing the sprinkers up?

Any and all advice would be great!

Using goldfish in rain collection barrels

GooseOne76 — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:01:59 GMT

This topic may relate to outdoor fish ponds?

I am playing with the idea of using goldfish or another type of fish (inexpensive) in my rain collection barrels to eat mosquito larvae and other unwanted organisms that may take refuge in my collection barrels.

I don't know if this would be the right type of fish to keep and if they would do the job?

In addition to collecting rain for my garden and keeping the unwanted living organisms controlled, I'd want to take care of the fish that live in the barrels. I'd scratch the idea if I cannot keep the fish in a humane and healthy manner.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Paradise Fish

Finny — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:26:59 GMT

Hello all,

Just wondering, can I keep a paradise fish in an "Aqua Bowl" (a modified pot made 2 hold water) outside. Im not worried about the size, but more about the temperature fluctuation from day to night. Any help is appriciated. Thanx

Saltwater Pond

ramoth41 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:19:05 GMT

Ok so we have 125g reef and it is in bad shape at the moment and needs are complete overhaul. Not having a place to put the critters while cleaning up the tank we decided to move it all outside! Ohio summers aren't to bad and it isn't going to be a forever salt pond, unless it work really well! So here is what we have. all DIY. 250g pond, Filter will be kind of a reverse trickle filter waterfall combination made from rubermaid tub. By reverse I mean instead of gravity feed to the sump it will be pumped to the sump and gravity feed back to the pond. We also have a large venturi skimmer we will be running from the sump. I know it's going to be work but has ANYONE out there ever tried this? It's been done but I wanted to hear some ideas! I don't need to hear from the nay-sayers because it will happen.. just need thoughts on set up etc. never had a pond at all!
Thanks! pictures on my blog pages here and more as we go!

Keepin tropical ponds out all year

polywer — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:49:26 GMT

I have a pond that I keep tropical fish out in the summer. I wanted to know if I can keep them all year round outside in the zone 10 region of Los Angeles. Just asking, if I can't even with a heater, I'll just keep them inside. I keep all tropical fish in that pond. Thanks

How do you keep hawks from getting fish from our pond?

Fishy68 — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:31:14 GMT

Our house is near a woods, which lurks with all kinds of animals and birds. There are rabbits, deer, coyote. The only thing we have a problem with are those hawks back in the woods. There are dozens of them, each coming one by one to swoop down and grab one of our goldfish. We've tried one of those nets to put over the pond, but the hawks get their feet stuck which is a whole other problem. We almost had to call a vet one time because the hawk barely got out of the net without hurting himself. Anyways, what should we do about this situation? We don't want the fish or hawks hurt in any way. Any advice would be appreciated

Container pond dreams cont'd

LilMissBetta — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:39:39 GMT

I posted a while ago about wanting a container pond on my balcony. I sort of thought "It's not possible," because I have no outlets out there and hardly any sun to grow plants. What do you guys think about that?

I also saw the half whiskey barrels at Home Depot for less than $40 (I was surprised it was so cheap). Would you need to put pond liners in these? I would assume so (it still smells like whiskey!), but on the instructions, it says to fill it with water (pond) or put moist dirt in it (planter) once you get it home because it can dry up and break apart if it's not constantly wet. If I put a liner in it, it wouldn't be wet, so wouldn't it break apart and then I'd have water everywhere? (resulting in angry landlords)

Does anyone know how many gallons fit in one of those? I'd think you could keep maybe one or two goldfish in there.

Ponds Photo Contest

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:50:08 GMT

Take Your Best Pond Shots and win great prizes!

http://www.pondsmagazine.com/ponds-web-exclusives/ponds-usa-2011/photo-contest.aspx

Container ponds on apartment balcony?

LilMissBetta — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:21:37 GMT

I have this crazy longing for a pond even though I live in the city and have a tiny apartment balcony. I saw the most gorgeous little "container pond" in a magazine, and I think there were guppies in there.

Two huge problems I have are that I hardly get sunlight and have trouble even growing thriving terrestrial plants out there, and my second problem is that there's no plug outside for a pump or anything.

So, has anyone heard of a solar-powered tiny pond pump? And fake plants or something that could be used as cover on hot days? Also, it gets a bit cold at night (not freezing). Would common guppies need a heater or to be taken inside?

Is it even worth it? I'm by no means ready to begin this project anytime soon, but when I'm dreaming about it, I want to know if it'd be possible one day. Of course, when I go back and read this post, I realize I'm insane and it'd probably never work!

Water Hyacinth Reproducing

Finny — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:46:21 GMT

Hello all,

My 2 Water Hyacinths r reproducing and making daughter plants. These daughter plants now have their own root system. However, they r still attached to the mother plants by a long stem. Can I remove the daughter plants by cutting the stem or is that a bad idea? Their is one daughter plant on the 1st hyacinth and 2 on the second. ANy help is appriciated. THANX!!!

Hyacinth flower

Finny — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:06:54 GMT

Hello all,

My water hyacinth recently flowered but now i think it is done. However, the stalk the flowers were on has now bent into the water and it looks like it is producing foliage. Is this normal? Should i just cut the stem off? The flowers r still on it but they r wilted. Any help is appriciated. Thanx!

Bubble Eye in a small Pond ?

racer21nj — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:18:20 GMT

Can you put a Bubble Eye in a small Pond ? There going to be other Goldfish that have gotten to big for the tank they are in. Currently there is a few Koi in there. My wife seems to think he may have problems.

Ponds

Bluefinch — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:13:50 GMT

I don't have a pond, and it isn't likely that I'll get one any time soon, but I was wondering:

Is fishkeeping in a pond expensive? What are the kinds of things you have to buy/pay for when starting up a pond?
What are fish varieties are most suited to a pond? Are there others, besides goldfish and koi?
How big of a commitment is it, in comparison to fishkeeping in freshwater tanks indoors?
Koi - how big do they get, and how much space (gallons) would they need in a pond? How expensive?

Sorry for all of my questions but I know absolutely nothing about ponds.

New Pond owner

Finny — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:27:22 GMT

I am setting up a small pond in my backyard. It will be about 40 gallons give or take. Heres what i was hoping to do with it...

Plants:

2 Water Hyacinth (They have new one branching off so soon 2 be 4)

1 Yellow Water Iris

1 Graceful Cattail

2 Floating Hearts

Duckweed

Animals:

1-5 Goldfish (Pearlscale or Shubunkins)

1-5 Frogs or Newts (Not sure what kind yet. Most likley Budgetts Frog, Surinam Toad or Fire-bellied Newt)

I am going to set up the pond this week and have it running by friday at the latest. It is just a rubbermaid container in a cedar box. R these plants and animals good? Also how do i over winter them? And what would be good underwater plants. Do Amazon swords work? Any help is appriciated. THANX A LOT!!!!!!