Above ground koi pond help

[JohnD]

Hi!
I've been keeping fish for a couple of years now and I've always wanted to keep Koi fish. I don't really have the money to set up a under ground pond so I was looking at above ground alternatives. I've watched many Youtube videos out there and most people use the large, 350 gallon rubbermaid stock tanks. Keep in mind I'm only going to keep a few fish at most in something that small. I wanted to find something even cheaper though. I found http://www.amazon.com/Intex-8ft-30i...TF8&qid=1459878365&sr=8-6&keywords=intex+pool while looking around on Amazon and wanted to know what you guys thought about it. That pool comes with a filtration system and I wonder if that would work well for the use I have in mind. The biggest hurdle I've ran into is how to filter the water. I don't want to buy a Fluval FX6 at $350. Again, I would even consider building a framed above ground pond and covering the frame with a pond liner so my problem isn't the place to put water but how to filter it enough to keep the Koi happy. Thanks in advance for the help!!!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I would recommend the Intex pool for use as a temporary holding facility but not for permanent housing. Though a very good product, it only has a 30 day warranty. You need something a little more dependable than that.
Before you decide on filtration you first need to decide the size (capacity) of your pond and what the ultimate fish load will be.

 

[sissy]

above ground would be easy ,You can use retaining wall block or concrete block .Mine is half below ground and half above ground .Those pools and filters would never work for fish and koi get very large fast

 

[JohnD]

Thanks for the great advice! I'll work on something above and under ground. I don't want anything huge, just enough space for ~5 Koi to be comfortable at full size. So the first step would be to get my measurements straight and spray paint a rectangle on the ground and dig half of the height of the pond out.Then I could put concrete block around that hole up to a desired height and put in pond liner. I've read that I'd need around $1,000 gallons? What is the least expensive way to filtrate 1,000 gallons?

 

[HARO]

Probably a little low on your calculations. Five fully grown koi? 2500 gallons would be more in the ballpark. If cost is a problem, why not go with shubunkins instead? Just as colourful, and they'd be happy in your 1000 gallon pond! And filters can be built for less than the cost of that Fluval that would do a much better job! Search this site; it's full of ideas.
John

 

[JohnD]

I have the space for 2,500. I'll take a look around for filtration, thanks.

 

[Smaug]

I have a 2500 gallon in ground pond. I have 10 koi with about half of them over 18 inches and the other half just under that. Along with 5 hybrid koi/comets at around 15 inches and another half dozen full grown comets. Overstocked, yup but I'm also keeping up with maintenance so all is well and they all get just a little fatter every day. All that being admitted to I cannot recomend anything less then 2500 gallons for koi,how many you keep is up to the level of the work you are willing to do.

 

[sissy]

How true they are big waste producers and the more you feed the more problems you have .I use a small stock tank and lava rock for my filter .The more you aerate the better also