Winter Closing Time Advice

[John Kenny]

I am new to Koi Hobby, I have been doing my best to get good advice. I have had good luck with my Koi so far. Now it's cold and water is dark I am runing one pump 5000gph on my winter water fall to keep O2 levels up.
I have shut off pumps to my Bio falls and have been washing my mechanical pads in skimmer.

Oak leaves are everywhere. I have alot in my pond i will try to get out this week end with nets.

If I had a bottom drain how would it keep from clogging up with leaves? Do they go up into tanks?

I plan on installing bottom drains next spring or is fall better time to move fish in and out of pond?

Water temp is around 47 today

I have stopped feeding, If i clean up pond will they have food for winter?

When should I drain down pond for cleaning Fall or spring?

[John Kenny]

My pond is 50 x50 ft too big to net for leaves I think i could not pull net out full of leaves..
Any ideas?

[lildude]

Quote: Originally Posted by John Kenny My pond is 50 x50 ft too big to net for leaves I think i could not pull net out full of leaves.. Any ideas?

If you could move the koi inside for winter, and the entire winter. Say a doboy pool inside the garage, or a stock tank(s).

Then in winter, you could install a bottom drain.
Doing this would keep your koi safe from harm. Their immune systems are less active during this time, thus increasing the chance in which your koi can get an ailment, this is eliminated if they are kept warm in a garage or basement.
I suggest you install another skimmer to battle those falling leaves into your pond, but this is optional, but is also good.

I believe you said your filter system was a biological filter, if it is, What kind?
I also suggest you install a Ultraviolet Sterlizer, but if you like the green tinge, then you dont have to, but know this, sterilisers also kill unwanted bacteria.

Beautiful pond by the way. I like the Island, and the natural look.

[John Kenny]

I have a Laguna Biofalls fillter system I have two skimmers and two biofalls units each treat up to 5000 gals so I have 20k gals of treatment I have two other ponds that I shut down and put all my fish in the big one for the winter.

This is my first year I built them this spring, I bought the small rigid pond from Lowes 270 gal great QT tank, then I built the the big one 15000gal. So around july I got this Idea i could a have a farovites pond near my patio and built that one. 1000gal I like building them. Wish I had found these sites before but I never mind making them better. Anyway I have around 150 fish so far. I bought most from Whetstone creek and Blackwater. I love them all very healthy.

ps. Stay in School! My wife works at URI Bay campus They have a great Marine Biology School.

[lildude]

Quote: Originally Posted by John Kenny I have a Laguna Biofalls fillter system I have two skimmers and two biofalls units each treat up to 5000 gals so I have 20k gals of treatment I have two other ponds that I shut down and put all my fish in the big one for the winter. This is my first year I built them this spring, I bought the small rigid pond from Lowes 270 gal great QT tank, then I built the the big one 15000gal. So around july I got this Idea i could a have a farovites pond near my patio and built that one. 1000gal I like building them. Wish I had found these sites before but I never mind making them better. Anyway I have around 150 fish so far. I bought most from Whetstone creek and Blackwater. I love them all very healthy. ps. Stay in School! My wife works at URI Bay campus They have a great Marine Biology School.

Thank you, I will stay in school. I would not let a bad decision like that screw me up.
You started out good, I like the fact that you made the pond 15,000 gallons.
Your Filtration system is not adequate, I suggest you also upgrade the system this fall, it would be the best time to do it, because everything is dormant..somewhat.
You System takes care of the Biological filter somewhat, but it does not take care of the mechanical filtration. I suggest you install an Ultima 20,000 bead filter. This would be a good prefilter to your biological filters.
There are other ways to filter your pond, and you could probably find a more efficient filter than the ultima, but others may require much more work to install, but not necessarily more maintenence.

How many fish are in your pond? if you have any, what species?

[John Kenny]

I have around 150 average size 6-8" some bigger I have all diffrent kinds. Heres a picture of some

Thanks for info I am filtering around 8000gals an hour. I had a great July and August crystal clear. I could not afford UV light so I have had green days but none in those months.

PH has been 7.5 almost always -+ .5
0 ammo
0 nitr
gh is 60 I am working on that

[lildude]

Quote: Originally Posted by John Kenny I have around 150 average size 6-8" some bigger I have all diffrent kinds. Heres a picture of some Thanks for info I am filtering around 8000gals an hour. I had a great July and August crystal clear. I could not afford UV light so I have had green days but none in those months. PH has been 7.5 almost always -+ .5 0 ammo 0 nitr gh is 60 I am working on that

150 fish will be a problem in the future. I suggest you cull in the future, preferably when the koi get a little bigger.
Here is a quote to live by.

Koi grow, Filters dont.

A filter can not filter everything and support life if there is too much of a bio load in the pond. They say that a filter can filter 50,000 gallons. Which is true and not true at the same time. You cant put a 400 5" koi in a 10,000 gallon pond and expect the filter to handle that much bio load, or even 200. Your filter is going to totally crap out and the ammonia, nitrates, nitrites are all going to go off of the charts, and your koi will die. If by some chance your filters can handle it, when the koi grow to say 8 inches, it is like having 2 4" koi, or 1 3" koi and 1 5" koi. so you said you had 150 5"-6" koi.
That is like having forty 26" koi swimming around your pond.

But say all of your 150 koi grow to 15". Well then the stocks would be much much worse. That would be equivalent to having close to Ninety 26" inch koi swimming around. Now lets add into the factor that they spawn when they are 15 inches, Millions of Eggs will spew into the pond and raise all of the Parameters and cause a massive fish kill, thus you lose all of your koi.
What I want you to understand is that you need to cut down on your koi before they get out of hand. Having 30-40 5"-6" koi would be great in the 15,000 gallon pond that you have. That would allow them to grow quicker and bigger, and you wouldnt have to worry to much about overstocking.

I am really happy I am kicking it off so well with you.! I see some potential in you, you could really become an awesome hobbyist, or even more.
Welcome to the great world of Nishikigoi (Koi)

[mitten]

You shouldn't have let those dwarts get their hands on the boat. They have all left the island. As a matter of fact I see a couple of them drinking beer in the shade. Lazy dwarts.

Mickey the windowman

[John Kenny]

What is the best? I was planing on 100 gals per fish

My Gnomes want in they are cold. I told them not until they clean those leaves out

[lildude]

Quote: Originally Posted by John Kenny What is the best? I was planing on 100 gals per fish My Gnomes want in they are cold. I told them not until they clean those leaves out

I would do around 500 gallons to a fish, but you can go lower like you said, 100.
But Realise that these fish will grow. I cannot stress that enough. You will see ponds with much higher stock rates, but they all have proper filters for koi ponds, you just have 2 bio filters, which is good, but not as good as it could be.
A 15 inch koi should get a minimum of 300 gallons to itself, but you can overstock, but it is best that you dont. that would allow you with 50 fish, and it would maintain a healthy pond, but not for long.


I strongly Reccomend 500 gallons to a fish. I cannot stress it enough. This would allow you 30 fish, that will grow.