Well, Dick, one of the things you taught me quite some time back is that a pond's capacity is relative to one's goals.
Right now there are 15 koi, of which 4 are/were tosai. So, it is about 830 gallons per fish, or could look at it as 1,000 gals per older koi, but with 400 gal per tosai. Anyway, I'm not looking for anything more to add. Until the pond settles into a rhythm, gets a healthy green algae on the walls, etc., I don't think any more should go in. I kinda feel I'm pushing it a bit right now. The break-in has been seamless so far, but we are many months away from having any "depth" to the bio-mass, and probably a full year until a mature stage algae growth colonizes the pond. (Besides, there are still valves I have to figure out!)
There is something peculiar about having a larger pond .... the koi swim much more boldly. As a result, they seem to "fill" more space. I've had 15 or so koi in my old pond without it appearing crowded to my eye. The 15 in my new pond look about right. If they all grow, I think it may start looking crowded. The notion of just a few koi in a large pond seemed a bit eccentric, but I am beginning to understand the idea.
