adding some koi

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I inherited about a 700 gal pond with my new home and I would like to add some fish. It's been running off and on through the winter and spring and now I've had it running full time for a couple of weeks. I've checked the ammonia, nitrite, ph and nitrate and everything looks good. The main question I have concerns adding water. Do I need to dechlorinate my water in buckets before I add it to the pond? Or can I add the dechlorinator to the pond after I replace the water with a hose?
 

DrDave

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Do you have fish in there now? How much water are you adding?
I have added several hundred gallons to my pond without dechlor and the fish were fine. When it gets to more than 15% water change, I add some dechlor to be sure it is safe.
 

DrCase

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Lol :icon_mrgreen: :icon_mrgreen: :eek2: :icon_mrgreen: sorry Use the hose..and declor as you go
 
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I would have to agree. I read some of the declor directions and I couldn't believe the use of buckets was common. Anyway I put some koi in this weekend and they've been hiding ever since. They're small and have many places to hide. Is this normal? I took my time acclimating them. Is there anything else I need to check?
 

koiguy1969

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if your water perameters are good then they should be fine..give em' a chance to get comfortable in their new home... to them you are a huge possible threat. feed them and step back a few steps but where they can still see you. hunger will over come fear..they will get the picture indue course.
 

BlakeA

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When i add water to my pond, I hang the hose over one of the surrounding rocks, and just throw a mild treatment of dechlor to the pond in the surrounding area. My fish usually hangout in the deep part of my pond, so i try to add the water in the shallow part. I have noticed though, they'll go right up under the water i add, and it worried me at first, but they're fine.

As for adding new fish, the 3 times i've added fish they do the same thing you say yours do, and i did almost exactly what koiguy suggested, and now they come up and swim through my hand and fingers while i feed them, they will run and hide till i take a few steps back thought after those first few bites.
(And this is within a 2 month time period)
 

clm

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You add the declor before you add the tap water and only enough declor for the amount of water you are adding or replacing, not the total gallonage of the pond.

Small koi are skittish. Little fish are snacks for predators, it's a natural instinct for them to hide. They'll get bold as brass in no time though.

Cindy
 
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I don't see them at all. Not even after I've been gone all day and look down from my deck. They don't run and hide they're hiding all the time. I'm sure patience is the key so I'll be patient.
 

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