How much should a koi grow per month?

[talal101]

Hello,
Today I got a 5-7 inch koi and I'm wondering how fast is average for it to grow per month?, I know that this depends on different factors but I'm just wondering under good, not excellent conditions how much should he grow per month and how much should he be by the end of the summer?.
Thanks

 

[fishin4cars]

Hard to say what a Koi will grow per month. like you said a lot of variables, Another is small koi grow fast and then start slowing down as they get bigger. I would say that you can expect your 5-7" koi to be 10-12" Koi by the start of winter is a safe figure to estimate.

 

[talal101]

Thanks fishin, I do agree that it's not easy or even possible to figure out an exact number and I just wanted an educated estimate like the one you gave me so that's good to hear I'm happy with a foot long or so by the end of the winter. Just another question, how often should I be doing water changes and how much should I be changing?
Thanks

 

[fishin4cars]

Good question, my rule of thumb is change out about 10% per .10 ppm of Nitrate. My pond normally raises the nitrate about .10 in a week, so I do 10-15% weekly. The idea is you want to keep the nitrates as low as possible. By keeping nitrates low it means that ammonia and nitrites are being kept under control and in check. With Koi you will find they produce a lot of waste, the more of it you can get out of the system and the quicker you can get it out the better. I back flush my filter weekly, clean all my prefilters daily, do weekly water changes, and keep close tabs on all my water parameters. I keep a journal to go back and look and see when ph, or temps fluctuate. What my ammoinia, nitrites and nitrates are doing and what triggers them to climb faster. You would be surprised at what I have learned by doing this. High quality koi food breaks down so much more than Cheap koi food. High end 42% protien food with low filler does not jump up the ammonia nearly as much as the same amount of 38% protien Tetra growth sticks! I can tell you when lilies will start showing leaves( Water temp of about 58-60 degrees, when the Goldfish will spawn 68-70 degrees and a PH fluctuation of about .2 This is usually triggered by rain so barametric pressure may have something to do with this as well., When the koi are most likely to spawn. Early may to June, water temp fluctuation of at least 5 degrees and a ph fluctuation of .2-.3 in PH ( Watching daily now! This rain tonight just might trigger them.) The main key is, if you keep the water clean, the ammonia nitrites, nitrates low, keep the PH stable and a GOOD bacteria bed in your filter. Your fish will be less stressed, grow faster, and be far more vibrant in color.

 

[talal101]

thanks so much for the great and well thought out answer. i dont know why but that just made my night lol. i like the idea of keeping a log of all the thingsthat are changing in a pond and when they change because it will allow me to know if something is off way from the begginning and i can make changes before its too late. i wish they made some sort of testing strip or liquid that you could use to test if you water has any parasites or sicknesses and what kind they are. it would be so much easier if you could just buy a fish and test the water and see wether or not the fish should be quarantined or can be added right away. im really excited to start my second year in pond keeping and this year promises to be an amazing one. im not sure if your familiar with the microbe lift products but today a couple of days after adding water to my pond {still no fish in it yet} i added a capfull of the microbe lift 2 nitrification cycle booster liquid and my questions is that on the back it says to add an ounce so i added a capfull and im wondering if the capfull is an ounce?...i know i should have found out first but i assumed that they would be smart enough and design it so that its easier to use and make the cap an ounce but i need to make sure.
thanks

 

[koidaddy]

I have found in the last year that koi that have been spawned in my pond have grown at a much faster rate then ones that were store bought. Last years spawn are the same size or bigger then ones that were in there before the spawn. This year I have about 15 new additions from the spring spawn that are 1/4 inch up to an inch and a half.:bouncycig:

 

[fishin4cars]

tatal, I'm familar with microlift products. Good product! as for the cap being one ounce, NOT SURE, It would be best to make sure of your dosing to be sure your adding the correct amount to your size pond. This product is not like a medication though as if you happen to add a little to much your not going to do much damage by adding a little too much, It will still settle and start working. Your bacteria will form to the amount of use able food is available to it. I would start with the recommended dosage but be sure to have some to add when the ammonia spikes. When it does If you do the water change and add another dose at that time you should see the ammonia drop after a day or two as the bacteria really start using the ammonia to start establishing themselves.
As for adding fish and testing for parasite's and disease's. A Microscope, a Quarantine tank, and salt. That is how to keep it from your pond. My hospital tank is my tank for quarantining fish, treating fish, separating fish that have been beat up due to breeding and can become a nursery in about a half hour if needed. I also use it later in the season to keep new plants and make sure they are doing ok before adding them to the pond or trading them to my local dealer. So it serves many purposes and yes, I have found fish that looked 100% healthy and had them in the hospital tank and had to treat, SO glad I quarantined them as it was far easier/cheaper treating two or three small fish in a small area than 30 fish in a large pond!!!!

 

[talal101]

thanks, thats good news to hear. i found it on sale for 5 bucks a 16 ounce bottle so it was a great deal, i added a capful yesterday and i added food so as to start the cycle, im thinking of buying a couple goldfish or koi to keep the cycle going and then slowly add fish once it settles but i don't want to hurt the fish with the ammonia but i do find that fish tend to keep the cycle more stable then adding food. i may just buy a couple small feeder comets and add them in and a few rosey reds so that it can build up and i guess it would double as a quarantine tank because i don't plan on adding any fish to it for at least 3 weeks so that should work out well, what are your thoughts?

 

[talal101]

and very interesting observation koidaddy

 

[koidaddy]

and very interesting observation koidaddy

I deffenitally think they get stunted from going into smaller tanks as youngins for resale.

 

[talal101]

and they receive fairly poor care aswell, but i try to get the new shipments so they should be good