Bueno

[gregsgardening]

Greetings pond lovers! Although I'm new to water gardens, I have been a lanscape contractor, designer, gardener, and native plant enthusist. I'm interested in building a koi pond out of a galvanized stock tank. I have an area to store the external pump and water spout fall. Just wanting to glean any information for personal use.
Thanks for any input as I try to figure out a filter and pump assembly. Greggo

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the Forum

 

[addy1]

to our group!

The stock tank might be to small for koi, they need lots of room and water, they grow to over 2 feet. Some say a 1000 gallons for the first one. If it was mine I would put in shubunkins, gf etc rather than koi.

 

[Dave 54]

I keep hearing this 1,000 gallon saying and its utter Rubbish come on a 1,000 gallons for the first one, then what about the rest 100 gallons so why is the first 1.000 gallons?
Is it really greedy koi , is it a giant koi no its a koi so 100 gallons should do it per koi .
Our on pond is a former QT pond for a koi dealership and is capable of handling over 100 6-12" koi, not that We'd do that, but it just goes to show its a rule thats stupid to say the very least

rgrds

Dave

 

[addy1]

lol I don't have koi just saying what I have read over and over, no personal experience.

Much prefer my gf and shubunkins.

 

[sissy]

welcome and yep that is to small as they get big very big .Mine are over 2 feet long after 9 years

 

[capewind]

I keep hearing this 1,000 gallon saying and its utter Rubbish come on a 1,000 gallons for the first one, then what about the rest 100 gallons so why is the first 1.000 gallons?

LOL Dave .... how stress free do you think an adult koi would be living in a bath tub? Bet most could rig up enough filtration to even put 10 adults in there. Do you really think that is enough room? We have just over 100 3-7" Koi in our 750 QT and they are doing well (with a lot of filtration), BUT I wouldnt put ONE in 7.5 gallons of water. Just like when we had 10 Koi, 12-24" in the 750 QT ... Would it be okay to put one, say 18" fish into 75 gallons of water? I know this sounds really silly writing it out this way, but hope you are getting the point

 

[gregsgardening]

Thanks for the replys. Sorry I haven't gotten back til now. I ended up choosing an Shubunkin my grandaughter chose. My mosquito fish multiplied greatly also. What type of food is best for Shubunkins?

 

[Fishylove]

Welcome! :wave:

You can use the same food as the koi eat, or they have gold fish flakes too. I have both koi and gf, I prefer to use the smallest pellets ( over the flakes for the gf and small fish, including minnows, and even then they are almost too big) and the next size up ( witch are still pretty small) The reason I use two types is because, again, the small fish ie: minnows, fancytails and the babies. But I always throw out the bigger of the two first and wait because they float, and the little stinkers HAVE to come up to get them and while the bigger fish are busy eating they will leave the smaller pellets ( that do not always float) alone, and the little guys have more of a chance

 

[adavisus]

1,000 gallons per koi is the sort of safety margin you need at dawn when oxygen levels are low

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[mtpond]

Thanks Dave for posting that I have also heard stuff like that. My pond is almost 4 thousand gallons and I have 13 koi and one goldfish. My biggest koi is probably around 20 inches. My koi have really grown this year and they have come very personable .

 

[adavisus]

If ever you have kept adult koi, you will find them struggling at dawn in less than 1,000 gals per fish.

It may serve the purposes of sellers to sell more fish to customers if they choose to ignore the realistic safety margins for koi in a pond, however if you want to breed nice fish you don't want to risk fish that you have kept for years by trusting to luck and machines that will fail

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[gregsgardening]

What type of behaviour do you see when they struggle for oxygen?

 

[adavisus]

Oxygen levels can plummet as temps go up where fish are over crowded, or as dawn approaches when plants have had all night to soak up oxygen, or when decomp gases accumulate under a pond frozen over.

Fish gasp at the surface trying to inhale oxygen and become vulnerable to opportunist predators.

Either way, dead is a likely outcome

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/