Thinking About Starting a Pond

[LogansMomma]

Hi I was thinking of starting a pond with coi. And I know nothing about them lol. I currently have two freshwater tanks and know pretty much all there is to know the tank dept.... I figured it really can't be to different but wanted to know what I would need to start a pond..... I'm ready for a new challenge

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Just realized my phone spelled koi wrong lol. Sry about that.

 

[andresdeo]

Hey there, you should be very proud of yourself if you know pretty much everything there is to know about aquariums, my hat is off. I guess the first question is, do you have a big enough yard? Koi need a lot of swimming space. Second question, do you have a big enough budget, starting such a big pond in my opinion (I just have a small pond) is a huge comittment, if you plan on doing it the right way. DIY can always save you a buck if you have the time and skills.

 

[LogansMomma]

I stand corrected...lol. there is always something learn* . But anyways yeah I realize any kind of fish keeping is a huge commitment meaning time any money. But I have always admired koi. I'm not sure about if I could keep them outside year round due to winter temps.....I'm sure they make heaters right? Lol idk. Also what would you recommend as far as pond size for about six koi? They get about 36" and I am assuming are about as messy as goldfish.... So how many gph do I need to filter? What Ph do they like? And what plants work well with koi?

I have a great yard for a pond. Just would like some answers before I go out and splurge on something I know nothing about.

 

[andresdeo]

Hey there, I have a small pond as I said before, and goldfish only, no koi. But according to what I have been reading a pond 8 feet x 6 feet and 4 feet deep, (around 1200gal) should be appropiate for your setting. Hope other members chip in now. Specially on the weather front, maybe you need to go a bit deeper if temperatures in your area would completely freeze that depth of water.

Maybe you can find a local pond club in your area which can give you advine as well. If you plan on going all out, maybe hire a landscapper/pond builder and have them create a scenario with a small waterfall. Thats how I would like to do it, if I had the space right now!

Best way to solve the "not knowing" problem is to read up! So start researching! Have fun! Hope this helps and you start building soon.

 

[Minnesota-koi]

You definitely want to go at least 1000 gallons when dealing with koi. Having the pond at least four feet deep will allow you to keep the fish in year round even if the surface freezes. All you will need if the water does freeze is a floating heater or deicer. For the warm months all you need is a canister filter and pump. Koi are great fish, there is nothing better then when you walk out and they all come up to you looking all like, hey I'm so happy to see you now give me some food.

 

[LogansMomma]

That sounds wonderful guys..... Thanks for the tips I'm gunna do some more research on koi and hopefully soon I will be posting my new pond

 

[Ghostriderphoto]

You can save $$ with a DIY filter. Nice plans available at www.tadege.com

Good prices on liner and underlayment on eBay and at farmtek. Depending on how rocky your soil is... You may need a layer of sand, an underlayment and a good liner ( PVC mesh or freeze resistant epdm liner).

Koi are VERY messy. I have two 10" koi in quarantine for a friend of mine. They are in a bare fifty gallon aquarium for observation and treatment. Every 12-18 hours I have to do at least an 80% water change to reduce the nitrates from 40ppm.

Koi are also excellent jumpers and easy prey for birds and raccoons. Netting or other deterrents may be helpful.

Depending on how cold it gets... You can vary your pond depth with a shallow and deep end. Here in florida we go at least 3' for winterization. Incorporate plants and waterfall for nitrate removal and aeration.

Hope this helps...

 

[LogansMomma]

It does greatly thank you

 

[Darth Sorcerer]

Building Koi Pond

I have to tell you, Do your research,look at the various koi pond sites on line to get a good feel of what you are getting into. I have a purpose built koi pond (Not a Water garden pond) a proper Koi pond has walls straight down to the bottom at least 3ft. deep,so that wading birds and other four legged predators have difficulty stealing your precious Koi. If, and I know you do,want to have a water garden also it is a good idea to have a bog to plant your water plants upstream from your pond to work as a natural filter and help combat the inevitable Green Water (suspended algae). Koi and Plants Do Not Mix! The Koi will Dig Up, Eat and Tear Apart any and all plants that they have access to making a horrible mess of the water. Consider bottom drain water intakes to help drag all the fish refuse to the filter rather than having it accumulate on the bottom of the pond as a toxic muck.Just don't let anyone talk you into the gradual step down sides and multi leveled depths if you are serious about your koi. Hope I have helped you get an idea of where to start and what to expect.Have Fun with your project and best of times

 

[DragonFish71]

Actually, we have no problems with our koi uprooting the plants, even when spawning.

We use plants native to our area, or ones that can stand our zone.

Here's a picture of the deeper part, the stream leads up to a smaller pond. We use zebra grass, irises, mini-cattails, regular cattails, straw grass, corkscrew rushes, umbrella plants, lizard tail. Once our garden centers get their hyacinths and water lettuce, we'll be adding those.

We also have clipping from my tanks in there, java moss and ludwigia repens.

 

[Darth Sorcerer]

Plants & Koi

The plants you have and where you have them OK. But Waterlilies,Horn wart and Lotus plants in deep water add a few 8 to 10 pound Koi and none of these plants will be in their pots in no time flat. When it comes to the Water lettuce and the Hyacinths they will not survive with the salt level in my pond,of coarse I hope you realize that Hyacinths are poisonous to your Koi??!! Just putting that out there!

 

[DragonFish71]

Again I state that our koi don't eat any of the plants. When the weather is warm, we add floating plants, they have yet to nibble on them. We have lilies in there now, one has about 6 pads, funny how they haven't eaten a one. We have also had hornwart, parrots feather and anacharis in the past, none of which was eaten.

And hyacinths are not poisonous to koi. The bulb portion (think of a tulip bulb), which would be if you were planting them in a bog area, are the poisonous parts. Since the floating plant does not have the bulb, the koi are safe.

A list of poisonous plants: CNYKOI - Plants poisonous to fish

This shows that it's the bulb portion: https://koistuff.com/shoppingcart/pages/Plants-that-are-deadly-to-koi.html

Also a google search of : are hyacinths poisonous to koi shows on the first page 8 sites stating they are not poisonous.

 

[Darth Sorcerer]

Poison Plants

I have to say that you have the best manured Koi that I have ever heard of! Are your fish all babies,do you have an automatic fish feeder set for 1,000 adult fish,are your plants cemented into your water garden pond,is the PH in your pond crashing that your fish are so docile?? Do you not realize that koi will eat the feathery roots off of the floating Hyacinth plants, also the poisonous part of the bulb/roots,bulb is a root?? After observing the water garden that you have posted with koi ruthlessly forced to endure living in, It is obvious why your plants remain in your pond as in the stream portion? is too shallow for a koi of any size to swim comfortably. The goldfish pond that you have provided to house your koi is really not very inadequate to house koi, as they will eventually out grow such an environment and will begin to display deformities such as hunching of there backs as an example.Goldfish are programed by hormones as such to stop growing in isolated cramped conditions,while a koi grows to the size dictated by its genetically assigned adult size, not unlike that of the iridescent shark,a fish labeled a tank buster! I find you some what rude and misinformed when it comes to keeping koi at this point, As I was only trying to help a future inquisitive and very enthusiastic koi ponder in making right choices in building a proper koi pond,so that he or she could enjoy for years to come with happy healthy koi. Koi ponding and breeding is my specialty and my game!

 

[Minnesota-koi]

Darth you are going a little crazy. Also floating water hyacinth roots are one of Koi's favorite things to nibble on.

 

[DragonFish71]

I have to say that you have the best manured Koi that I have ever heard of! Are your fish all babies,do you have an automatic fish feeder set for 1,000 adult fish,are your plants cemented into your water garden pond,is the PH in your pond crashing that your fish are so docile?? Do you not realize that koi will eat the feathery roots off of the floating Hyacinth plants, also the poisonous part of the bulb/roots,bulb is a root?? After observing the water garden that you have posted with koi ruthlessly forced to endure living in, It is obvious why your plants remain in your pond as in the stream portion? is too shallow for a koi of any size to swim comfortably. The goldfish pond that you have provided to house your koi is really not very inadequate to house koi, as they will eventually out grow such an environment and will begin to display deformities such as hunching of there backs as an example.Goldfish are programed by hormones as such to stop growing in isolated cramped conditions,while a koi grows to the size dictated by its genetically assigned adult size, not unlike that of the iridescent shark,a fish labeled a tank buster! I find you some what rude and misinformed when it comes to keeping koi at this point, As I was only trying to help a future inquisitive and very enthusiastic koi ponder in making right choices in building a proper koi pond,so that he or she could enjoy for years to come with happy healthy koi. Koi ponding and breeding is my specialty and my game!

And I find you to be arrogant and ignorant, believe me, I have not even begun to be rude. There are two types of hyacinths, water and bulb. Bulb are just like tulips, you plant them in the ground or bog area or you have water hyacinths which float and do not have a bulb. I suggest you google them both.

You obviously aren't a very good judge of size if you can't tell how large that portion of the pond is. We have 3 koi that are 15 inches and quite a few juvies. The stream is designed for the smaller fish to swim up and down, hence the barrier of bog plants. The large koi can and have gone up and down the stream to the smaller pond but prefer the larger section obviously. Our fish are far from being deformed or mistreated in any manner. I suggest you rethink your superiority over another.

As for well mannered, that has nothing to do with it. They are fed fresh greens daily so that they don't need to chew on plants.

Since you want to assume I'm rude and abusive to my fish. I'll go ahead and report your reply plus mine so the other mods can make the decision.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I don't know too much about Koi specifically, so not going to comment too much in that area. This is what I do know, Koi are in fact, a species of goldfish that get quite large. I don't personally know how realistic it would be expect to move them indoors in the winter once they reach adult size. We do have a fellow here in town that does this, but in my understanding he turns his entire garage into a indoor pool for the winter in order to do so.

 

[Darth Sorcerer]

Floating plants

Darth you are going a little crazy. Also floating water hyacinth roots are one of Koi's favorite things to nibble on.

Yes having a sick koi makes me crazy! Yes they love to nibble the roots but it will weaken their immune systems,of coarse they also love the water lettuce which is safe.On the other hand you really should be salting your pond to at least 0.13 % for optimal gill function,also the maximum salt concentration when plants are involved,Hyacinths can not tolerate salt in the water and will die off while water lettuce is a little more tolerant. Now if you want to detoxify nitrite, control green water, string algae, and kill off a large variety of unwanted parasites you will want to salt your pond to concentrations of 0.3% to 0.5% although this will stunt your waterlilies, cattails and other reed type plants will do fine. After a week,but no longer than two weeks dilute your pond back to 0.1% to 0.2% to maintain parasite control. I maintain my pond water salt content at 0.15% so I am unable to keep hyacinths in my isolated bog area,of which I wish I could keep because of the pretty blue flowers, but the health of my selection of koi are much more important,also I prefer the selection of floral plants in my bog and pond to the uninteresting bobbing water lettuce. Any way enjoy your pond and koi this coming summer. Cheers

 

[Darth Sorcerer]

I don't know too much about Koi specifically, so not going to comment too much in that area. This is what I do know, Koi are in fact, a species of goldfish that get quite large. I don't personally know how realistic it would be expect to move them indoors in the winter once they reach adult size. We do have a fellow here in town that does this, but in my understanding he turns his entire garage into a indoor pool for the winter in order to do so.

Koi are a totally different species than a goldfish. Koi fish are a river carp that have been closely inbred for their colors.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Koi are a totally different species than a goldfish. Koi fish are a river carp that have been closely inbred for their colors.

Well see, I told you I didn't know much about Koi specifically LOL. Both the goldfish and the Koi are members of the carp family, the goldfish being inbred for color from a different member of the carp family than the Koi. Given that the Koi are actually river carp I'm still not sure that moving them indoors in the winter is all that viable of an option.

 

[jetajockey]

Overwintering the large ones definitely takes a big setup to do correctly. I have a single koi in my small pond outside, I'm sure he will outgrow the pond eventually but I plan to give him to a retired neighbor who is building a dedicated above ground koi pond over the summer this year. On that subject, he told me that he recently went to MS?(or somewhere in that area) for a koi club gathering and after paying his dues to join he soon found out that the club members kinda turned their nose up to him because he is a jeans and t-shirt old biker guy. Hasn't been back since.

We all have our preferences but I think we should sometimes step back and realize that not everyone does things the way we do. It may not conform to what we consider an ideal setting or plan, but it doesn't in any way give us the right to be condescending or elitist in our reactions. I know I'm guilty of this as much as anyone, and I have to get my bubble burst on a regular basis.