Which pond media ?

[Aaron d]

Hi !!! I'm a complete novice who has just built my pond and was wondering what is a good media to have to keep koi ?? I built my pond 2 yrs ago and incorporated a back filter box to also act as a water fall. My pond is 6ft x 6ft x 40 inches deep sloping on the bottom from 32 inches to 40. It is roughly 897 gallons ,4078 litres. At the back is a tank which I made a waterfall in and also planned on using it as a filter box ! I've got all different types of sponges in there and different plastic media but I've seen this rock media called Alfa grog and was just wondering if it would be any good for koi ???? My water is getting much cleaner now as my old pump was enough for my water volume so I brought a much better pump. I brought a baby koi 2 weeks ago but he lasted 3 days !!! Any suggestions on media and knowledge on koi would be very helpfull !!!

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the Forum

If your pond has had water in it for 2 years may be you just had back luck

 

[sissy]

pond is not very deep to hold koi ,have you ever tested your water and did you let the fish acclimate to the water in the bag you brought him home in before you released him into the pond .Could have been temperature shock .

 

[Aaron d]

I left the fish in the bag floating in my pond for 40 minutes as I normally do with every other fish I've introduced so I don't think it was shock as he lasted 3 days. And I wasn't aware that that you had to have certain depths to keep koi ??? My friend has a pond which is a plastic pond and its about 6ft in length 2ft wide by about 2 and half foot deep and he has kept 4 koi about 15 inches long in his pond for years !! And no I have never had the water tested. What would I be aiming for of the test ?? So are u saying my pond is not suitable for koi ???

 

[addy1]

to the group!

Koi get big, they like a lot of water and are fussy about water.

You pond is beautiful! If it was mine I would keep shubunkins in it, they are very pretty, stay smaller and are less fussy about water.

A pond water test kit, helps you know how your water is doing, ammonia, nitrates, ph etc. If you have fish issues it will help you know what might be wrong.

 

[Aaron d]

Yeah I was just wondering if koi would live in my pond. I've got a nice selection of fish any way ,1 crucian carp 6-7' ,1 Rudd 7-8' ,5 goldfish 4-5' ,5 Sarasa comets 3-4' ,2 grass carp 1-2' ,1 white goldfish 2-3' and 1 shubunkin 4-5' but always wanted a few butterfly koi !! Koi are just a lovely fish to see and keep. I think sticking to pond fish is my way forward ! Would Alfo grog media help my water clear up a bit ?? Any suggestions on a good media to stick in my filter box to help me get clear water ?????????

 

[capewind]

Welcome to the group ... and sorry you lost the new fish.

As Addy wrote, koi are more fussy, and grow large. You can "get away" with having koi in a smaller pond, but it doesnt usually work out well over time, With average filtration, the basic rule my hubby told me is 1000 gallons for the first koi, and 200-300 additional gallons of pond size, for each additional koi. There are other "formulas" based on gallons of pond, and surface area, but the method I explained is the easiest one for me to remember. It all comes back to how many fish, how much you feed, and if your filter can handle the load. The filter box you made LOOKS like it may be of appropriate size, but the true test is in your water parameters.

The very first thing that we all need to know is what your water quality tests as. There are several tests that you should be doing, but with the loss of a fish, I would check the ammonia level and water temps first. You can buy test kits online, but also call your fish provider to ask them if they can test your water.

IF the fish provider can do the tests, you want the following (if they cant, you need to buy the tests) ...

PH
Ammonia***
Nititrite***
Nitrate
KH***
GH

The tests I marked with *** are the most important, The ammonia and nitrite tests will tell us/you just how well your filter is, or isnt working. Without the test results, no one can tell you anything, just make guesses.

It really is NOT normal to lose a fish after only three days. Can it happen, sure, but not the norm.

 

[Aaron d]

The place I brought it from ,it's a friends fish shop ! When I told him that fish had died he said that maybe I should have waited a few more weeks to put in the new fish ,now that we are at a steady 10 degrees. Maybe that had something to do with it ?? I'm gonna invest in a test kit as it is worth having for the future. Thanks for all your replies

 

[sissy]

[sharedmedia=core:attachments:51120]Fish like koi are very fussy about water quality like others have said .My koi are over 2 feet long after 9 years I left my fish to acclimate for 2 hours and then left tiny amounts of water from my pond into the bag .But you will need to test your water

 

[j.w]

Aaron