i have a question....

[powerman]

is ph a big factor to consider when moving koi from one pond to another...i have kept my fish indoors this winter and am close to releasing them into the new outdoor pond..inside i have a ph of 7.6 and outside i have a ph of 8.0.. also the temp outside has risen to a pretty stable 54 degrees f.. inside i have turned off the heater and it has dropped to about 61 f.. I would like to see the outside pond warm up some more but spring has been slow in coming this year..i could do another big water change outside to lower the ph a bit but last time i did that it gradually increased back to 8.0.. there is some rock and concrete work in the waterfalls and top edges..from what i've read a ph of eight whouldn't be bad but i cant find any info about the effect on koi from moving them into water with a different ph..

[koiczar]

You're on the right track with the water change idea. If it will lower it temporarily to a closer level to what you have indoors the fish will not notice the change as much as it comes back up. It can shock the fish with that much change if done suddenly. Also, I'd be concerned about putting them in water that is immediately 7degrees different (cooler). That can stress them as well.

Mike

[powerman]

i have been fighting the urge to move the fish because i dont want to cause any problems..i'll try to cool the tank in the garage off a bit this week..try the big water change outside and see how things look next week...my indoor tank is only 500 gallons and outside they will be able to stretch out...

[PapaBear]

In addition to bringing the ph in to line, it should also warm the pond a bit. Generally speaking the water lines should be deep enough to keep the fresh water in the 60+ deg range.

[dick benbow]

I don't blame you about being excited to get the koi outside....BUT....think your pushing it a little bit. I usually don't get too excited to move mine till the first week in May. ( we're only a coupla hrs drive apart ).

It's easier to move fish up then down. I like to be no furthur than 4 F apart.

PH is a lot more critical than what we think, the koi will adjust but initially try and match for easy adjustment. I'd like to see you half the distance they are apart right now minimally.

[RogerL]

Doesn't it make more sense to very slowly adjust the indoor pond rather than mess with the outdoor one?