Newbie - New koi pond

[gofish]

Jim,
it depends on what you are going to do with your fish. If you are going to show them, try to give them about 1000 gallons per fish. If you aren't going to show them you need to give them an absolute minimum of 350-400 gallons per fish, I'd rather you have 500 gallons per fish. Those cute little 5" fish can quickly triple their size in a pond. It also depends on the filtration you put on. Some people who have a smaller pond can keep more fish because of the amount of filtration they put on. My husband owns a landscape company so we have lots of landscaping around the pond. One thing to keep in mind is to design the landscaping to slope away from the pond so you don't get run off during a heavy rain. Also I wouldn't plant anything near the pond that needs some kind of treatment (we used to have some pretty knockoff roses that the Japanese beetles loved) because you can't/shouldn't do a treatment for pests near the pond.

8000 gallons is a good size pond for a first pond. Are you going to do straight down sides? HenryC's construction thread is a really good thread to read. He did everything right and his fish are doing great in his pond. He gets amazing growth out of them.

Tamara

[jim2069]

Incase anyone hasnt already gathered im from the UK , this seems like all american site ... ah well im here now lol

im using two bottom drains running off two seperate filters (Nexus eazy 200) they manage 4000 gallons each and my pond is about 6300 in uk gallons.

I will be taking run off into consideration when it comes to my plants. what made me chuckle was my friend had to get in a dingy the other day to move one of his plants lol he cant swim...

i on the other hand can swim like a fish how ironic lol

if i go for say 14 fish i should be ok then... id like them to grow to a reasonable size though... but not prize winning lol

[Motown]

Jim,

We have people from all over...US, Canada, Japan, UK, Denmark, and the list goes on....

[Otter]

One rule of thumb is 1000 gallons for the first koi, and another 250 for each additional koi. Another is 1/2 inch of koi for each square foot of surface area, or about 50 square feet for each koi. Plan with the adult size of your fish in mind. As this is your first pond, I suggest that you not exceed either of these rules, and if possible stay below them. Once you have more experience and you're sure your pond is set up right, you can think about whether or not you want to overstock, but if you start out overstocked, you should buy your favorite headache medicine in bulk.

Generally, a fish that's twice as big needs four times as much pond. Hence if you'd like more fish in your pond, you could trade two koi for eight goldfish or a whole school of minnows. Personally, I think smaller fish make koi more interesting. The small ones show off how big the koi really are, and there is more motion in the pond. But many koi purists would dismiss this idea as the raving of a mere water gardener.

[MCA]

Otter,

Water gardening is not a lesser hobby. It is just a different hobby. Ask any koi keeper.

[Otter]

Quote: Originally Posted by MCA Otter, Water gardening is not a lesser hobby. It is just a different hobby. Ask any koi keeper.

LOL, I've run across some who would definitely disagree. In fact, a few of them would probably hurl water gardener at you as if were a racial epithet merely for suggesting that water gardening could be on the same level as raising koi for show... or perhaps that would be water gardener lover.

[MCA]

The fustration between the two hobbies is when water gardeners continue to use a relatively shallow still pond for large riverine carp. Remember, that koi keeping in the West happened because folks like Peter Waddington had that epiphany that a pond system should be designed and maintained to cater to the specifics of the fish....not the plants.

That was a huge step forward...the concept of designing an animal's environment for their needs...not the needs of others (plants, goldies, humans).

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Otter LOL, I've run across some who would definitely disagree. In fact, a few of them would probably hurl water gardener at you as if were a racial epithet merely for suggesting that water gardening could be on the same level as raising koi for show... or perhaps that would be water gardener lover.

We have both. A water garden pond that has its own niche and a Koi pond for the Fish. They peacefully co-exist... as two separate and distinct features designed for two distinct and separate purposes. My wife dearly loves her water garden and I enjoy it. I love our Koi pond and she enjoys it. The Water Garden benefits from the Koi pond water changes (providing nutrients to the plants) and the Koi pond benefits from the decorative value of the water garden with none of the problems associated with mingling the two in the same body of water.

[MCA]

Well said Larry!

[jim2069]

Hello all,

well... what can i say, i had my friend round this weekend who is going to build my pond for me.

Here's what we decided.

16 X 12 X 6 = 7200 gallons

rectangular with rounded corners but the outside shape will be a rectangle with sharp corners. This will make it much easier for me to make a cover for the pond in the winter. (cover that is on a pulley to cover it)

2 Nexus Eazy 200's
3 pumps (2 for filters and 1 for top skimmer)
my bottoms drains will be the ones with built in air pumps...
1 top skimmer
im not using slider valves im using ball vavles for my filters as these are much better and last much longer. (2 of my friends slider valves have snapped / leaked)

2 50W UV lights
1 water polisher (if thats what its called lol the one with sand in? looks like sand)

all equipment will be inside my newly built shed about 5 feet away from my shed.

my friend told me that the bigger my pond the more stable it will be with reference to water temp etc...

im looking starting my build early next summer sort of april pay time

thanks for all the help and info you've all given me...

thanks again