Need Advice on Koi Pond Setup

[pm-koi]

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some help with my koi pond. I’ve attached rendered perspectives showing the layout and system, including the filtration setup.

Here are some issues I’ve been dealing with:

• The water stays a bit green and cloudy/blurry most of the time.
• Some of the fish die every few months/year without clear cause.
• The pH drops quickly every time it rains.
• The fish are also reluctant to eat floating pellets, even though we feed them regularly.

We do routine partial water changes and always monitor the pH and salinity. I’d really appreciate any thoughts on whether the pond system itself might need improvements or if there's something wrong with the overall pond setup. I’m open to suggestions on what to change, add, or fix to make things more stable and healthy for the fish.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[WaterGardener]

It sounds like the KH is too low. KH or alkalinity keeps the pH stable and prevents it from falling.

Rain can be very acidic, so if there is not enough KH in the water, the pH will drop when it rains. This bouncing up and down can cause enough stress to kill the fish.

The easiest and most economic way to raise the pH and KH is by using baking soda. It can be bought in large bags from big box stores like Costco.

Raise the KH slowly over several days, not hours, so add a small amount each day. There are more specific amounts online for the gallons in your pond.

Aim for at least 100 ppm to 200 KH. More is not harmful. This will raise the pH to around 8.2. That is fine. Stability with pH is much more important than a particular number.

 

[Tula]

Have you tried sinking koi food pellets? I know some people that do a little of each, sinking and floating.

I agree with @WaterGardener about your KH being too low, PH swings are deadly.

Koi as they grow require more filtration, something to keep in mind.

 

[pm-koi]

It sounds like the KH is too low. KH or alkalinity keeps the pH stable and prevents it from falling.

Rain can be very acidic, so if there is not enough KH in the water, the pH will drop when it rains. This bouncing up and down can cause enough stress to kill the fish.

The easiest and most economic way to raise the pH and KH is by using baking soda. It can be bought in large bags from big box stores like Costco.

Raise the KH slowly over several days, not hours, so add a small amount each day. There are more specific amounts online for the gallons in your pond.

Aim for at least 100 ppm to 200 KH. More is not harmful. This will raise the pH to around 8.2. That is fine. Stability with pH is much more important than a particular number.

Thanks for the explanation! I haven't thought about KH being the issue, but it makes a lot of sense now. Will try adding baking soda slowly and see if it helps stabilize the pH. Really appreciate the tip!

 

[pm-koi]

Have you tried sinking koi food pellets? I know some people that do a little of each, sinking and floating.

I agree with @WaterGardener about your KH being too low, PH swings are deadly.

Koi as they grow require more filtration, something to keep in mind.

Thanks! I haven’t tried sinking pellets yet, I’ll give that a try. Will definitely start working on the KH and keep an eye on the filtration too as they grow. Thanks again!

 

[mrsclem]

Amazing setup you have! Agree about KH.
You say you are testing salinity, any reason you use salt?
How big is your setup- liters, gallons and how many koi?

 

[j.w]

@pm-koi

 

[GBBUDD]

So while your hearing about why your ph is dropping from the rains. Another benefit to you will be to switch to gold fish. Now while the term gold fish says cheap fish. a quality gold fish can be as, if not more expensive than a koi and they can have similar patterns though not as many varieties. There is also another fish that i have been seeing on the market that are koi but with short bodies. i have two myself now someone had said that they were sterile as the were cross bread with goldfish that have stubby bodies. I find these extremely attractive and i don't believe they can reach sizes that will outgrow your set up. the two i have a white with fan flowing long fins. while these are not show quality they are very cool. i have seen others with brown yellow and white and black with some red. Give up on the standard koi thy will outgrow that set up in as little as 5 years. though i do have one koi that was born in my pond we call peaches that is no more than 6 inches with a long flowing tail. though it's siblings are three times that size