My pond's chemistry; is it fish worthy?

[RobAmy]

Good luck with the new Koi

 

[Telion]

Good luck with the new Koi

Thank you they didn't cost a lot but I do want them to do well none the less. So it's time to learn and watch my chemical levels I will post a pic or video in my build thread. They are just little ones 3-4 inches

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Thank you they didn't cost a lot bit I do want them to do well none the less. So it's time to learn and watch my chemical levels I will post a pic or video in my build thread. They are just little ones 3-4 inches

They will be okay, I have two small starter fish in ours (a shubunkin and a sarassa - Maybe 4" long). I've never lost a starter fish yet. I just avoid the urge to feed them too much, keep the water moving, boost the bacteria, and keep an eye on their activity and water conditions.

I remember when one of my neighbors set up a pond and immediately went and purchased hundreds of dollars worth of large koi, too many to boot, and you can guess the outcome of that. Then later on she paid a few thousand dollars just for one koi that ended up being heron food. After that she was happy to take my comet babies to stock her pond!

 

[Telion]

Oh my that's just terrible. But I could image that it happens all the time. Yeah I think they should be good.

 

[Telion]

Out of fear that perhaps mine spiked a little today too I did another test. So far so good. If I could call it a difference I would even say it has improved a little. Top is today, the bottom is Thursday. Much more zero than .25ppm this time.

 

[Sparky]

Man, I just don’t see you guys having any issues. You both are smart enough to watch and good enough to test. Patient enough to stock slowly is the trick. The volumes talked about are large enough plus bog in full swing, it’s a wonder you’d see anything ever over .25 nh. I watched my 355 closely and the nh snuck in for a day then gone. 2 weeks later a trace of nitrate. Wasn’t even sure if I cycled because it was so uneventful. I have 7 4-5” comets from the start. Won’t be adding more.

 

[Telion]

Man, I just don’t see you guys having any issues. You both are smart enough to watch and good enough to test. Patient enough to stock slowly is the trick. The volumes talked about are large enough plus bog in full swing, it’s a wonder you’d see anything ever over .25 nh. I watched my 355 closely and the nh snuck in for a day then gone. 2 weeks later a trace of nitrate. Wasn’t even sure if I cycled because it was so uneventful. I have 7 4-5” comets from the start. Won’t be adding more.

Very kind words. Thank you.

 

[carolinaguy]

Have you put fish in the water? With 15000 gallons of water and 30 gallons per pound this pond could accommodate 25 adult full sized koi from a water volume perspective. It’s not clear why you would wait. 15 koi ranging from 6 to 18 inches, for example, would start your biofilter, and your chemistry wouldn’t change appreciably. Why the hesitation?