When to transfer koi to larger pond?

[Lardeelion]

Kids: Mommy, we got you some goldfish for your new pond! Do you like them?

Me: Oh, yay! And look, they're actually *koi*! (Inner groan) (Stupid Petco.)

So they got me tiny koi for my pond last Mother's Day. Fast forward to now, and the koi are about 3.5 inches. Luckily for me, and for the koi, there is a public art center just a block away with a lovely koi pond and a beautiful bog filter and everything a koi could want in life. I'm not equipped to handle koi past a certain size. This place has a resident pond company who monitors the pond and takes them somewhere warm in the winter where they get little koi drinks with paper umbrellas and fin massages.

Their future home has 3 large koi in it and some comets. At what size would you koi folks recommend I make the transfer? I want my guys to thrive, and not be injured. My pond is only 300g.

 

[Priscilla]

I don't know BUT LOL!!!!!! This cracks me up! And sounds so familiar!

 

[Lardeelion]

Yeah, don't even get me started on the guinea pig we bought our older son. She got fatter and fatter and then one day about 3 months later there were four pigs in the cage instead of one. Our weekly veggie bill is ridiculous.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

LOL! Sorry.....Had to laugh at that one. I always said pigs are like potato chips, you can't have just one!

 

[Priscilla]

Haaaaa! Sounds like we are living parallel lives!

 

[Lardeelion]

LOL! Sorry.....Had to laugh at that one. I always said pigs are like potato chips, you can't have just one!

It's hilarious when we walk into the room in the morning at chow time and they let loose with a chorus of squeaks and squeals. They are demanding buggars!

 

[sissy]

geeze I think you on the loosing streak end of animals

 

[dieselplower]

Are you sure they are koi? That's a small koi at over a year old. If so, I would say now since they aren't growing in their current environment.

 

[Lardeelion]

They're koi. And maybe they're 4 inches. I'm horrible at estimating size. But yeah, they didn't grow that much. Last year as little tiny ones they were only in a 50g. It's taken me this long to get a bigger pond.

Sissy, don't get me started on the cats my mother in law dumped on me and the canary I inherited when my grandpa died! Good thing we like our critters and our dogs are kind souls.

 

[sissy]

been there done that dad died and we got his birds until we found a neighbor that had them and wanted more and they are happy to have them .I did not know how to take care of peach faces and the fish went to live in a friends fish tank .My son years ago brought a kitten back from my mom and dads garage in PA after he found the rest of them dead .Then he brought home 2 dogs i adored until they broke my heart a couple of years ago after they past away

 

[addy1]

laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I needed this thread right now! you guys are cracking me up!

 

[sissy]

I went out and put food again by the baby bunny nest last night and watched momma and babies eating away from the front porch .I put 1 of the LED lights out there so we could see them better .Under the porch there is a nest of baby birds and they are now flying out to the feeder and the birdbath .Then the hummers are all over .We still have lots of frogs and lizards .

 

[Fishylove]

I would think 4in should be big enough to join the big guys. My biggest is 24in and I have some smaller than yours in there. In fact the two blue shubunkins I got last fall are just now about 2in, just barely bigger than some of the minnows I find my koi are pretty accepting of new comers

 

[Fishylove]

Sissy if I put a light out to see the bunnies eat better, it would be like putting up a huge neon sign saying 'free buffet serving now'! :$

 

[Dave 54]

In Japan space is at a premium but the people love their koi , so they build small ponds for their koi often on roof grdens , others keep their koi behind glass "which Val and I did succesfully for 22 years before ill health forced a move to our now pond", they even keep them in small containers
Now I'm not claiming they are right in what they do but they consider the koi to be of wealth and good luck and this is why the Japanese keep them
But who are we to tell them they are wrong when they have been keeping them this way for generations the large ponds that many folk have are more of a western thing
As long as they are looked after given regular weekly water changes, you dont over feed them and pay attention to the ponds filter(s) then your koi will live quite happily together.
We did however we did sell most of ours on at 22" which is becoming a hard thing to do, what with the recent economic down turn and all

Dave