Building a minumum koi pond.

[KC Crook]

We dont have a ton of money, but want a pond healthy for maybe 4 or so Koi. What is the minimum needed to accomplish that? I will tell you the minimum I know is necessary.

1. At least 3 ft deep.
2. A filter
3. An aerator of some type...bubbler or fountain.
4. Obviously liners, rocks...ect...

Other then that, I read alot about skimmers and waterfalls. What can provide a good home now, and asthetics that can be added over time?

 

[sissy]

I don't have a skimmer but I do have 2 filters .Koi can grow fast .I wish some one had told me .I went from 1000gallons to 1500 gallons to 2500gallons to 3000 gallons and now at 5000 gallons and 17 fish only 2 koi

 

[KC Crook]

I don't have a skimmer but I do have 2 filters .Koi can grow fast .I wish some one had told me .I went from 1000gallons to 1500 gallons to 2500gallons to 3000 gallons and now at 5000 gallons and 17 fish only 2 koi

Oof! So what you are saying is, ...once the pond bug bites you, its never satisfied? Thats scary! I suppose I understand. I was given 12 dollars worth of koi and I am contemplating several hundred (eventually several thousand, I suspect) dollars worth of pond!

 

[Tula]

Koi grow large and create a lot of waste. You'll need both good mechanical and biological filtration. A dedicated koi pond has a bottom drain, which is most easily installed, when building the pond.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
4 koi at a minimum 4000 gallons
And that is the is with great filtration. And then you will add more or they will have babies.
If I had all to do again I would be around 20,000 gallons with great filtration.
Koi are hardy fish but your in for a lot of work if you go to small and lack
Of filtration.

Ruben

 

[morewater]

The smaller the pond, the more difficult to achieve balance.

If you're going to go "smaller", I'd suggest Comets or Shubukins rather than Koi.

Koi are pigs with fins.

 

[sissy]

That only comes with not overfeeding them .I have seen people here who call me and say what is wrong with my water and feeding 3 or 4 times a day is why the water looks so bad .There is plenty to eat in the pond .I have no mechanical filter ,I have no bottom drain and I have no skimmer .I have 2 filters with lava rock and plants and use a pool net and have been doing this for 12 yeas no .I have had 2 dogs destroy my pond liner and moles chewed my liner ,so 3 times were not any thing I could do but rebuild .The only reason koi produce a lot of waste is over feeding and they are not as fussy as people say .They do need care but do not breed as much as shubbies and goldfish .If it was up to me I would only have aggie and burt and my fat fantails .Most people panic and do things wrong with the pond .You feed them right and no problems .But koi get large very large and the more aeration the better and that is for all ponds. Aeration in the filters is very important

 

[Tula]

I have 4 koi in a 1700 gallon, 3.5 foot deep pond, and I work hard to keep the water in good shape. An adult female koi, will spawn once a season, unlike gold fish and shubunkins, who spawn more frequently.

 

[sissy]

tell the truth they are doing all the time .They are breeders LOLI have not had my fantails breed at all

 

[KC Crook]

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! It gives me alot to think about. Scares the hell outta me too. I have a very bad habit of going all in on a project and I fear the costs and also making terrible costly mistakes.

 

[KC Crook]

@sissy Do you get alot of waste like leaves and stuff in your pond? Because I am surrounded by pine trees that drop needles badly in fall and spring and I have to seriously consider that problem as well. Netting a large pond seems a daunting task.

 

[KC Crook]

I want a pond about 8' x 6'. Appromimately. 3 ft deep at one end I think. Nothing so large it becomes a money pit. With a pond that size, can I manage a simple filtration system and forego many fish? Its about 1000 gallons more or less at 3 ft deep.

 

[KC Crook]

I managed a pic of both the new babies.

 

[Nepen]

Beautiful fish.

I think they are Shubunkin though.

 

[KC Crook]

Beautiful fish.

I think they are Shubunkin though.

You think? I thought shu's had like fan tails. I was told they were Koi but what do I know? Lol. This is my first foray into those bigger fish. They were given to me.