first post have questions

[hotdog19d]

Hey all! I'm new to this sight and new to Koi. First of all the pond I built is 4x5x2 feet deep. I know thats not to big, but I'm young and poor and I wanted an entry level pond I guess you could say. I have a small pump and filter for filtration/aeration, and I have 3 small koi about 2-3 inches long. Now on to my questions.

First how old are these Koi that I purchased? How much should I feed them a day ? They like to hide pretty much all day other than when I feed them, I know it's a good instinct to have, but I would like to see them more often.

Is my pond big enought for 3 Koi? Also I'm losing atleast and inch or two of water a day, is this normal.

[ChrisC]

Your immediate problem is that the pond is too shallow. Many of us on this board complain about predators eating or mangling our fish in ponds that herons/racoons etc. cannot stand in. Two feet deep would present no problem for any predator to pull up to the koi-buffet.

Koi also like to have places to hide and shade from the sun. For now, maybe your best bet is to give them some places that they can put themselves (as they grow) where they are harder to get by fish eating creatures.

Your fish are in their first year. They can grow very rapidly at this stage.

Feed them what they can eat in 5-10 minutes until you get a feel for them.

How do you have your pond filtered?

[koifishgirl]

I want to add that the stock level is ok and I would feed at least three times a day and make sure you keep it planted heavy with maybe water lilies to help keep some shade for the koi and dont add anymore koi as you do not have room for them and you will not be able to maintain good water quality for the. If you are new to pond fish and have never keep koi there is some basics you need to learn
#1 you need to get you a good pond test kit to keep up with your water quality and make sure you get one that test for everything. Salt, ammoina, nitrate, nitrite, ph and make sure if you have city water that you get you a chimical to remove cholorine.

[hotdog19d]

there's a filter on the pump, right now there is plenty of cover for them to hide, which is what they do all day except when they are being fed. Do you know why I would be losing so much water? I would say atleast an inch or two a day, is this normal?

[hotdog19d]

Also what type of growth rate should I expect, I'm feeding them approx. two-three times a day. About as much food as they will eat in a few minutes or so.

[hotdog19d]

One more thing, the pond gets full sun all day I would like to get something to provide partial shade for them. What should I get?

[andy rose]

water loss?

I will take it you have checked for leaks on your pond and being in full sun all day i suppose you live in a very nice warm country ,i would imagine you are seeing the effects of evaporation.
Dont expect too much growth out of a small pond like yours but keep up with water changes and try to introduce some flow in the pond for the koi to exersize

[hotdog19d]

how would I go about checking for leaks? It has been around 75-80 degrees here, and since the pond is small evaporation could be a possibility.

[hotdog19d]

I have water lillys planted, also I have been using tetra dechlor everytime I add water

[dick benbow]

first of all thanks for posting. I know it's always hardest the first coupla times.
your welcome here.

next i want to thank the ladies who are relatively new to the board for their active assistance. that tickles me to see the willingness of our growing family to reach out and help someone.

you do need to provide shade for your koi and i'd suggest to float a piece of strofoam on the pond. It also wouldn't hurt if you had a flower pot (sterilized)
that you could put on the pottom that they could dart into for security as they are so tiny and afraid. As they grow they will become bolder and more suseptible
to predation.

don't worry about apologising for what you have. learn from what you've got and move forward. it's all part of the learning curve. keep in touch!

[MikeM]

Welcome 'dog.

Unless you are in a very low humidity desert-type environment, that sounds like a leak to me. To find it, let the level drop a few days & see where it stabilizes. If the leak is on a sidewall, it will be at the water line. But, you can also think of it as forcing yourself to do a 5% or so daily water change, which is not a bad thing if you keep the dechlor on hand.

Given your current temps, sounds like you are in a warm climate where those little koi (probably just months old) could be over 12" each by September. However, the pond size, filtration etc likely will limit them.

To shade the pond, rather than putting plants in it, think about something being planted beside it on southern side that will arch over it a bit, but not block your view. In my area of Florida, I would be thinking along the lines of a Queen Sago or tree fern. These would not be shedding leaves into the pond. They grow fast, do well in full sun and provide quite a bit of shade after a couple of months. (If you are in Florida and pond is made of liner, do not plant a palm near it. Only the thickest liners can withstand palm roots. )

Let us know whare you are and maybe someone familiar with your climate could post suggestions.

[bekko]

In the desert of Tunisia, the evaporation rate is about 1/4 inch per day. When you figure out how to find a leak, let me know. People talk about dripping milk along the wall and watching for a place where it is pulled to the hole - but it didn't work for me. I usually have to wait until a root grows through the hole to find it.

Plants in a koi pond are taboo around here. You will be sent to a water garden forum if you talk like that. I use water hyacinth, but try not to admit it publicly.
My advice to people with a pond like yours is to grow goldfish. They can provide more enjoyment in that situation. However, goldfish are taboo around here as well.

-steve hopkins