How to get Koi fish big

[WaterGardener]

That's much too small. Filters are generally rated at twice what they can actually handle, or they are rated for a pond with no fish. At an absolute minimum, you need twice what is recommended for a pond your size.

And if you really want to grow those big koi, you need even more, a lot more.

What filtration do you have now? And how many fish do you have?

 

[GBBUDD]

How bout something like this?

Amazon.com

While the manufacturer says it is sufficient for 4000 gallons. Don't believe it as it is usually good for only 1/3 or half as much as they claim

 

[ewllustration]

Thanks Water Gardener, I have 5 Koi, And no filtration. Had Koi for 2 years without a filter system and everything was fine until I had a breach in the wall this winter. That is all addressed now. So I am starting off with new fish.

So you recommend double the filtration?

Really appreciate your input!!

 

[WaterGardener]

I recommend 4 to 5 times the filtration, at least. You can't have too much.

Make sure whatever filter you have is easily cleaned. They need to be cleaned regularly and frequently. If that is difficult to do, it probably won't be cleaned as often as it needs to be.

 

[ewllustration]

What brand of filter would u recommend?

 

[WaterGardener]

Do your research and find the best fit for your pond. The filter that I like may not be suitable for you. And filtration can be expensive.

I like bead filters, like ones from Sacramento Koi, but they are pricey. Many here prefer bog filtration. I also like shower filters and you can build those yourself if you are handy. But there again, a large one can be costly and the ceramic media isn't cheap.

@DBBUDD recently added a nice shower filter to his pond and he can give you an idea of what that might cost these days. But a shower filter is usually used in conjunction with other filters, like bead filters.

There is plenty of information online about all sorts of filter systems. Spend some time learning about each one and decide which is right for you.

 

[GBBUDD]

Do your research and find the best fit for your pond. The filter that I like may not be suitable for you. And filtration can be expensive.

I like bead filters, like ones from Sacramento Koi, but they are pricey. Many here prefer bog filtration. I also like shower filters and you can build those yourself if you are handy. But there again, a large one can be costly and the ceramic media isn't cheap.

@DBBUDD recently added a nice shower filter to his pond and he can give you an idea of what that might cost these days. But a shower filter is usually used in conjunction with other filters, like bead filters.

There is plenty of information online about all sorts of filter systems. Spend some time learning about each one and decide which is right for you.

My 60 inch shower 4 tier I got for 1300 bucks but that was a bargain it's acrylic not stainless. And it has ceramic disc tube's but they are not the king of ceramics murito or how ever they are called. But showers are biological and regardless of who's media you use it's going to get covered in algae
And muck so I don't see one being much better than another. The one thing I gently learned that was different from what I thought was that the strip oxygen from the water I thought they would do the opposite and would add o2 but apparently not.

You want a set up that has excellent mechanical filtering that is easy to clean like a bead filter . To go along with biological. And as we both have said You realy want to way over size the filtration

 

[ewllustration]

Thanks, I think I am going to build a bead filter. Looks straight forward after doing some research.

Also I got some API test strips, I know it is not ideal using paper test strips, but I ordered them before talking to everyone on the forum so might as well use them for now.


Question:
What should NO3 be?
What should NO3 be?

PH should be 6.5 -9.0
KH Should be between 80-240
GH Should be between 60-180


Thanks everyone for getting me on track!!!

 

[WaterGardener]

You can convert a large pool sand filter to a pond bead filter. There are people on Koiphen.com who have done this and you can follow their experiences. There are alterations that have to be done, but they aren't that difficult to do. The Hayward pool filters are much less expensive than anything labeled for ponds.

 

[GBBUDD]

You can convert a large pool sand filter to a pond bead filter. There are people on Koiphen.com who have done this and you can follow their experiences. There are alterations that have to be done, but they aren't that difficult to do. The Hayward pool filters are much less expensive than anything labeled for ponds.

I was going to alter a large hayward In my spare time but that's not in the cards. There's two key factors up flow and reversing the six way valve making sure the media can't get into the valves or sucked out

 

[Marion777]

Bought some small Koi fish.

The big ones were $700!!
My question, Is there any kind of Koi fish food that would help in there growth progress a lot quicker than just standard Koi fish food?


Thanks

I bought 4 1 inch koi for 9.99 each at Petsmart last summer. There all between 6-7 inches long this spring. I just feed koi food from smazon

 

[Marion777]

Thanks Water Gardener, I have 5 Koi, And no filtration. Had Koi for 2 years without a filter system and everything was fine until I had a breach in the wall this winter. That is all addressed now. So I am starting off with new fish.

So you recommend double the filtration?

Really appreciate your input!!

Here’s what I use but my pond is only abt 850-900 gallons. It works great! You set it up w the filter pads then hook a hose to each side. One sucks water in & runs it thru the filters AND a uv light that kills algae, then the other hose pumps the clean water back into the pond after it goes thru the pump/filters, etc. to clean you just pull the “out” hose out & lay it on the lawn (still attached-you don’t need to undue anything) then there’s a handle on the pump between the 2 hoses u pull up as hard as you can & hold for abt 15 seconds. Thst squeezes the sponges & filters inside the pump & spits out all the gunk & dead algae onto the lawn. I squeeze the pads 2-3 times till the water runs clear then just throw the hose
Back into the pond & it continues filtering. Slickest pump I’ve ever seen! Had it abt 4 yrs now-just have to take it out in winter. I love it! The other great thing abt it is if u take the hose out & leave it on the lawn, it’ll pump your entire pond dry! I just spray the sides off to get any dead algae off, then throw the hose back in when done & refill it. I
Don’t havecto take the fish out or anything. I do that abt once a month just because.. the fish like the fresh water I think-they seem too. I pump it right down till their top fins are sticking out then fill it
Back up. I have 6/7 inch koi that were 1 inch koi last summer cuz I’ve always had just big goldies. I have water lillies in there too & a waterfall. I love it & upkeep couldn’t be easier w this pump below:

The Pond Guy SimplyClear Pressurized Filtration System

Provide mechanical, biological & UV filtration for your fish in one unit. The SimplyClear pressurized canister filter is perfect for small ponds. Free shipping!

www.thepondguy.com

 

[Jhn]

Agree, on over filtering your pond, whether It be a diy filter, an expensive store bought one matters not, but ideally a combo of biological and mechanical filtration is a must. To grow fish quickly, and healthy premium food is the key, and by premium I mean food high in protein, protein is what animals bodies use to grow muscle. You can feed your koi a lot of food but if it is not high in quality protein they will not grow as quickly or as healthy as you would like.

Saying a large $700 koi is expensive, is subjective I guess, to me honestly that is kind of cheap. Ive seen small koi well under a foot going for that much, and Ive spent a lot more than that on what I consider mid size koi. Now I wouldn’t spend 700 on a koi if I didn’t predator proof my pond.

 

[mrsclem]

At one time I bought 2 fish from Walmart they had in goldfish tank. I saw whiskers! $1.25 each. Both grew to over 36" and I actually sold one for $250!