Small deck pond with Tetra PF1 filter

[Alvarero]

Hello everyone. I decided to take out all the goldfish that were in my Koi pond. It was getting a crowded. Still a little crowded but one thing at a time. I had an extra rubber type container about 100 gallons and I decided to buy a tetra trickle style filter. I saw one once at a pet store and the water was crystal clear. I decided I would give it a try.
I know many ponders do not necessarily like commercial filters because they don't work as well as the manufacturers claim. They can be expensive and what not. Even though, I went online and purchased one for about 50 dollars. Tetra claims it will work up to 1200 gallons so I figured 100 gallons should be no problem. I went to Harbor Freight and purchased a small 250 gph pump. For about 75 dollars I was on my way.
The container is overloaded with about 40 goldfish and 30 platys. I've had the platys for about 4 years. They are used to the heat and cold and have been in a filterless pond for many years. When I first moved the container to the deck I did not have the filter or the pump. The water was pea soup. Within two weeks the water is crystal clean. Please find attached a link to the video.

 

[Tula]

Your water is very clear JMHO, but think your fish would be happier with a little more swimming space......maybe a friend or two , could give some a home?

Naples is a lovely area, my folks are there most of the year

 

[Alvarero]

Still trying to give some away. I have a neighbor that made a pond and he brought his kids over. After all the work the kids turned their noses up at goldfish and went home.

 

[sissy]

surprising most children love gold fish

 

[talal101]

Very clear water and the fish look very healthy, although as everyone has already stated, I strongly urge you to find homes for some of those goldfish or even return some to the pond......its just too crowded for the fish and with fish less is always better. You obviously realize that its over-crowded so im not trying to bash you for it. How about some pics of the big pond?

 

[j.w]

Oh are you sure you don't want to dig a nice other pond for your lovely goldfish? You will find someone who wants fish. I found some of mine on a site called Freecycle when I built my first pond: https://www.freecycle.org/

 

[talal101]

I wish I lived close by, I would have taken at least 20

 

[Alvarero]

surprising most children love gold fish

That's what I thought. I will try them again this week. The last thing I want is for someone to take them and use them as fish food.

 

[Alvarero]

I was able to get the neighbor to take 10 fish this morning. Now it isn't as crowded. I will continue to see who else wants some fish. Once I can move out the goldfish I am going to work on my hybrids. I have about 15 goldfish/koi hybrids without barbs.
The hybrids spend most of the time at the bottom of the pond but I really need to bring my numbers down to a more reasonable amount of fish. I've read on the forum that some ponders like to limit their 1100 gallon ponds to 3 or 4 large koi. I don't believe I will get this radical but I think 10 large koi is a suitable number.

 

[RobAmy]

I've read on the forum that some ponders like to limit their 1100 gallon ponds to 3 or 4 large koi. I don't believe I will get this radical but I think 10 large koi is a suitable number.

You can do the 10 large Koi, but you will have a 105 gallons for each fish. You will need some major filtration for this to work for you. At this ratio if you have a problem it could be very bad for the fish and things can happen quickly. Fish load causes many issues that are hard to resolve without thinning out the fish. Do research on high fish load ponds to see the proper equipment you will need. Most of us have ponds that handle smaller fish loads and that is not due to the size of the ponds in gallons but more so in pond setup and filtration deficits.

 

[Tula]

My pond is about 1700 gallons and I have five koi. I can see how it's the max, if I want them to have room to swim around and up and down, as they have grown so much. I'd love to have one butterfly koi, but would have to rehome one. I think I'm going to leave well enough alone, I don't have spawning (must have all males) and don't want to quarantine for 4-6 weeks - that's like half the summer!

 

[Alvarero]

Like most ponders I started off with a few Koi. I had a 4000 gallon pond at one time. Over the years I've decided that smaller is better. I made a small 1100 gallon pond with a a 100 gallon skippy type filter. I even ordered the floor scrubbing mats that are pre cut from an online site. I have a 5000 gph pump that has lasted for years. I bought it from Lowe's.

My small Koi have grown and multiplied over the years. I haven't purchased fish for a long long time.

I really wanted to share how well the Tetra filter works on my small goldfish container. I appreciate all the comments regarding everything else. I just didn't want to lose focus with the intent of my original post under this particular "construction and equipment" heading.

 

[Alvarero]

Very clear water and the fish look very healthy, although as everyone has already stated, I strongly urge you to find homes for some of those goldfish or even return some to the pond......its just too crowded for the fish and with fish less is always better. You obviously realize that its over-crowded so im not trying to bash you for it. How about some pics of the big pond?

I will take some pictures soon.