Just a few Koi pond questions...

[Richardv2]

Contractor who built our koi pond threw in two "males" three years ago. Since then we have had new babies every year. Family of 10 (parents + medium kids + small grand kids) now living in 1700 gallons of water below a 7 level waterfall on our back yard hill, so it is getting to be time to thin the herd.

Southern California warm climate. Lots of algae, water clear. Since weather warmed up last month, using Pond-zyme and AlgaeFix twice a week with not much visible results. Pond lillies and other plants in the pond and the waterfall levels above. Algae doesn't bother me if it is OK for the koi.

I have a UV filter thingey in the pump piping, but other than knowing that the light is on, I have no idea what or how it is doing.

Someone suggested algae-eater fish, and another suggested attacking algae more aggressively. My questions...

I read a formula somewhere that worked out to 96 inches of koi as the max for 1700 gallons. I also read recently that one adult koi per 500 gallons is best. What should my best number be for healthy koi?

Algae - - - Leave it alone?, keep doing what I'm doing?, attack more aggressively?, get algae-eaters????? What are your thoughts on where I should focus?

 

[slakker]

I think if the algae doesn't bother you and the fish doesn't seem over crowed, the more important thing is the water chemistry. The amount of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, Kh, etc. must be good.

I'd focus on getting a water testing kit (if you haven't already) and make sure the water is good first and foremost, then everything else next...

 

[sissy]

I heard that the pond algae eaters may attack fish .i looked into them 3 years ago .

 

[dieselplower]

The algae is helping to keep the levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate down. None of those are good for the fish. Keep in mind anything that eats it, will poop it back out, creating more waste. It's a cycle. The Koi stocking advice that I like is 1000 gallons minimum and 300 gallons per full grown fish. Is that the right level? I have no idea. You could also test for phosphates, which is not bad for the fish, but the algae will use it to grow. Keep in mind the string algae may be thriving because you are using UV to clear the green water, which would otherwise be using the ammonia etc the string algae is now eating.

 

[Dave 54]

Koi are predigious producers of detritus and your filter really has to be man enough to handle the load this is why koi keepers have multi chambered filters especially for the job, you dont mention just what you are filtering your water through ?.
We have been keeping koi for 27 years now both indoors and outdoors , stocking level wise be conservative with your numbers.
There are more than one or two formulas about koi I dont think many of us stick to the rules exactly .
Our own koi seem to keep the algae around our ponds sides and bottom close cropped and as such we dont have a problem

Dave