Hi! Newbie question

[Keys]

Hi all! Just getting started in this fun hobby. My wife and I built a pond on our terrace about a year and a half ago and stocked it with 6 pond grade koi. They are thriving and have reached about 6 inches in length. The pond is about 450 gallons (11x3x2). After lurking and reading in this forum, I now know that's a pretty small pond. We've become quite attached to the fish, but now realize eventually we're either going to have to expand the pond, or find a new home for the koi.

I guess my question is two fold; What would be the largest koi we could keep in that pond, and how many is too many for that size?

Thanks for any info!

[gcuss]

Quote: Originally Posted by Keys Hi all! Just getting started in this fun hobby. My wife and I built a pond on our terrace about a year and a half ago and stocked it with 6 pond grade koi. They are thriving and have reached about 6 inches in length. The pond is about 450 gallons (11x3x2). After lurking and reading in this forum, I now know that's a pretty small pond. We've become quite attached to the fish, but now realize eventually we're either going to have to expand the pond, or find a new home for the koi. I guess my question is two fold; What would be the largest koi we could keep in that pond, and how many is too many for that size? Thanks for any info!

They're 6" now? How small were they when you bought them? Reason I ask, is that if they've only grown a tiny amount in a year and a half, they may not ever get too big.

At only 2' deep I wouldn't want anything over 12". The fish feed vertically and any bigger than that would be tough on the fish. And TBH one koi in that pond is one too many. I guess you could continually give your koi away when they get too big for your pond, and then get some new ones... But that kinda takes the fun out of it IMO.

The bigger question would be what do you want from your pond? If you're looking for a few pretty fish to watch swim around while you enjoy a morning coffee or an evening glass of wine you might want to get rid of the koi and put in a few nice comets or fantails. They won't get too big for your pond, and you can find some nice ones for next to nothing.

If on the other hand you're interested in Koi keeping, you'd best get a shovel and "get at 'er". There are lots of threads on pond construction and you'll get a good idea of a suitable size for Koi in short order.

Please don't get discouraged though, we all started somewhere, and in fact, my first pond was 1/3 the size of yours. After killing a few koi and doing a lot of reading I decided that I wanted a Koi pond. 3 ponds later, I have a decent environment for Koi and I couldn't be happier. The pleasure I get from it can't be measured. And the people on this board make it even better. Lots of good advice. Sometimes honest to the point of brutality, but spot on none the less.

Welcome to the forum!

Grant

[Sangreaal]

You built and stocked your pond a year and a half ago and your fish are only 6" ? They should be more than twice that size now....are you feeding them?

You're going to have to enlarge the pond and beef up the filtration (you didn't mention what kind of filtration you have) to give your koi at least 500 gallons each to live and grow in. They can become quite large in a short amount of time with the right environment and husbandry. Otherwise, start thinking goldfish....

Good luck and welcome to Koi-Bito!

[Keys]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sangreaal You built and stocked your pond a year and a half ago and your fish are only 6" ? They should be more than twice that size now....are you feeding them?

We picked them up at a Petco when they were the size of goldfish. We didn't feed them as much last winter, but maybe we should have.

We use a laguna filter falls system. It says it was rated for koi ponds up to 2500 gallons, so figured it should be able to handle 450.

Looks like we'll have to figure out if we want to expand next summer. Although we're on a concrete terrace, so no shovel, just more concrete blocks and constuction adhesive.

[mister2driver]

Check this out.


Above-ground ponds completed!

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Keys We picked them up at a Petco when they were the size of goldfish. We didn't feed them as much last winter, but maybe we should have. We use a laguna filter falls system. It says it was rated for koi ponds up to 2500 gallons, so figured it should be able to handle 450. Looks like we'll have to figure out if we want to expand next summer. Although we're on a concrete terrace, so no shovel, just more concrete blocks and constuction adhesive.

While the "2500 gallon" rating is seriously overstated (standard marketing hype) it is still enough larger than your pond to handle the extra load of fish in the small space. Good thing you went "oversized", otherwise you would have had problems with the water.

I'm sure you've been doing a lot more reading and pondering over the last few days and I hope it encourages rather than discourages you. There is much to learn to get it right, but much to gain along the way

[MCA]

Maybe the info in this presentation could help.

http://www.atlantakoiclub.org/calend...ilteration.pdf

[Meg]

Quote: Originally Posted by MCA Maybe the info in this presentation could help. http://www.atlantakoiclub.org/calend...ilteration.pdf

PERFECT!!!! ALL the info needed in one place!!!

[Keys]

Quote: Originally Posted by PapaBear I'm sure you've been doing a lot more reading and pondering over the last few days and I hope it encourages rather than discourages you. There is much to learn to get it right, but much to gain along the way

Yeah, that's for sure. We're not unhappy with the current pond. But, after spending some time here, I realize it's just not a good enough home for koi. We would definitely need to upgrade the filtration and increase the size. Here's a pic of our current pond.