What do you think about 5 koi in 1200 gal pond with veggie filter, will they outgrow this
koi pond planning
- Thread starter gnarlygnu
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crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
You will get all sorts of recommendations and advice and they all should be equally weighed to make it as tough on you as possible. hehe, 
I have read many say 250 gallons for each koi. The Nishikigoi Mondo book out of Japan recommends 2400 gallons per koi.
Here is what I think...
I think that will work. Koi produce much more waste than the typical comet goldfish. So, assuming each fish becomes 17 inches long totalling a potential of 85 inches of fish; I then double this since they're koi making it 170 inches of fish; this gives ya 1.4 inches per 10 gallons. HOWEVER, I am assuming an extremely light feeding schedule that is once every 2 days with food that is not extremely high in fish protiens. Typically, koi is an ornamental fish admired for its huge size and colors. So, a typical avid hobbyiest feeds the koi with a much higher protein quality fish food that promotes colors and fast growth to the point of the fish possibly reaching 36 inches long (if the fish's genetics allow it). So, if you were to take care of your koi to this extent, that is 36 inches long, and doubling the potential as I have mentioned, this would give you 3 inches of fish per 10 gallons; this indicates you definitely need a bio-filtration for your 1200 gallon pond and the veggie filter might be good enough depending on its size, how it is built, and what plants you use. I'm not a veggie filter expert, but I have read the inadequacies of them since they tend to be built too small with the wrong type of plants using the wrong type of plant medium.
If you were to put more fish in there that could possibly start totalling 4 inches per 10 gallons or higher, then I would definitely think about building your self a more efficient bio-filter or using multiple bio-filters. Save your money; don't buy the retail bio-filters. Bio-filters are far too easy of a DIY if you know how to simply operate a hole saw on an electrical drill.
Here's a picture of how big a koi can possibly become if fed well, environment is correct, and the fish's genetics allow it. Take notice that they are in a swimming pool type structure.
I have read many say 250 gallons for each koi. The Nishikigoi Mondo book out of Japan recommends 2400 gallons per koi.
Here is what I think...
I think that will work. Koi produce much more waste than the typical comet goldfish. So, assuming each fish becomes 17 inches long totalling a potential of 85 inches of fish; I then double this since they're koi making it 170 inches of fish; this gives ya 1.4 inches per 10 gallons. HOWEVER, I am assuming an extremely light feeding schedule that is once every 2 days with food that is not extremely high in fish protiens. Typically, koi is an ornamental fish admired for its huge size and colors. So, a typical avid hobbyiest feeds the koi with a much higher protein quality fish food that promotes colors and fast growth to the point of the fish possibly reaching 36 inches long (if the fish's genetics allow it). So, if you were to take care of your koi to this extent, that is 36 inches long, and doubling the potential as I have mentioned, this would give you 3 inches of fish per 10 gallons; this indicates you definitely need a bio-filtration for your 1200 gallon pond and the veggie filter might be good enough depending on its size, how it is built, and what plants you use. I'm not a veggie filter expert, but I have read the inadequacies of them since they tend to be built too small with the wrong type of plants using the wrong type of plant medium.
If you were to put more fish in there that could possibly start totalling 4 inches per 10 gallons or higher, then I would definitely think about building your self a more efficient bio-filter or using multiple bio-filters. Save your money; don't buy the retail bio-filters. Bio-filters are far too easy of a DIY if you know how to simply operate a hole saw on an electrical drill.
Here's a picture of how big a koi can possibly become if fed well, environment is correct, and the fish's genetics allow it. Take notice that they are in a swimming pool type structure.
j.w
I Love my Goldies
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No koi here,just goldies and they are filling my 2500 gal pond little by little :goldfish:
crsublette
coyotes call me Charles
Good point JW. I completely forgot about that.
Gnarlygnu, you must remember that koi also do breed so you will eventually get baby fish that will further add to your potential total fish inches. There are natural critters such as dragonfly nymphs and other stuff that can help with population control, but I am not too familiar with them to reccomend much.
Gnarlygnu, you must remember that koi also do breed so you will eventually get baby fish that will further add to your potential total fish inches. There are natural critters such as dragonfly nymphs and other stuff that can help with population control, but I am not too familiar with them to reccomend much.
My opinion is similar... I am still really low on the learning curve for fully understanding all the filtration options, but hubby installs/maintains several ponds professionally and either goes with a total biological system, or a bio/mechanical filtration combo set up, depending on the client. Most of the ponds he installs are 1500-2500 gallons. If the pond is under 1000 gallons, he tells clients NO KOI. He says you must have at least 1000 gallons for the FIRST koi, and then for each 200-300 gallons (inline with what was already written) you can add another koi, or a few goldfish DEPENDING ON YOUR FILTRATION ABILITIES. Five adult koi in 1200 is pushing it. While small, no problem, but over the long term, no. It would become a lot of work to keep their enviroment healthy and if anything went wrong, you may very well have dead fish before you know what happend.
sissy
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My pond is 8 years old and koi were only a couple of inches long when i bought ,thought hmmm easy ,well now they are over 2 feet long and produce a lot of waste .
LOL Sissy... are you expanding in the near future???? hmmmm????
Welcome!! :wave:
I agree, you would need both with that many koi eventually. Do you have room for a large bog? Around 25% of the surface area of the main pond would give you ample filtration. If you can go larger than that, even better.
I agree, you would need both with that many koi eventually. Do you have room for a large bog? Around 25% of the surface area of the main pond would give you ample filtration. If you can go larger than that, even better.
sissy
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I plan on making both filter bigger but pond will stay the same size