Koi tank setup

[Jamesabbott418]

I am getting into raising and breeding koi I want to redo my 125 gal to accommodate them. Can you give me ideals. Aqua scape , sand or gravel. Large rocks and huts maybe?

 

[henningc]

I don't think the tank is really big enough for Koi. If you must, put rock ledging on the sides as they will use it to breed-i.e. drive the female into it.

 

[Scottyhorse]

What are the dimensions of the tank? Koi get to three feet if housed correctly. I would only put 2-3 in there. Lots of people recommenced 100 gallons per koi. They have very large bioloads, so you also need a huge filter.

 

[Jamesabbott418]

I do not plan to leave them in this tank. They are only a year old maybe. I plan to build a pond in the yard within the next couple of years. Until then I want to keep them a comfortable as I can. My tank is 72" by 18 by 20 or so.

 

[Samzter]

I do not plan to leave them in this tank. They are only a year old maybe. I plan to build a pond in the yard within the next couple of years. Until then I want to keep them a comfortable as I can. My tank is 72" by 18 by 20 or so.

I personally feel that's a little too long to leave them in a tank which they will probably outgrow in that time maybe you know someone else with a large enough pond?

 

[jlk]

I do not plan to leave them in this tank. They are only a year old maybe. I plan to build a pond in the yard within the next couple of years. Until then I want to keep them a comfortable as I can. My tank is 72" by 18 by 20 or so.

I agree with what others have stated here. Short term (as in a few months or over winter), a few small koi may work in this tank. A couple of years? Absolutely not as this is no where enough room for even a single koi. They will also never breed in this size tank as they will never reach maturity and will be stunted. I would suggest building your pond first then start looking into stocking it appropriately and using this tank as a qt for the pond.

 

[Rivercats]

Just so you have something to reference I had a 220g tank with 2 FX5 filters for about 6-8 small, which I call fingerling koi that were about 6" head to tail when introduced as it was too cold to add them into the 4000g pond when they got here. I kept them in the tank until spring and fed them very, 3x daily, so they would grow well and by the time spring rolled around they had grown ALOT. Some doubled in size if not more. You just can't keep them inside in a tank for any great length of time. They also have a huge bio-load and 50% weekly water changes were needed and sometimes 2x week to keep the water pristine. Your best bet is to wait on the koi and put those funds into working on a pond. Plus remember they need a large pond with good filtration and water movement. It also helps if part of the pond is at least 3 foot deep especially if your in a cold winter region. We've had ponds and kept koi for years and they are not fish to be kept in a tank.