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fong_11

koi max in a pond

fong_11
17 years ago

hi, I have a some what new pond in my backyard, it's about 2000 gallons and is 9'x5'x3.5' and has a couple shelves before the bottom. I was wondering what would be the maximum number of fish I could have in there. right now I have an 18' male, a 12' female and 3 6' koi, along with 3 orfe...the orfe were a gift and I don't really like them but I don't know what to do with them. soon I will be adding 6 more 6' koi that I got a while ago and holding them in QT.

does anyone know if 14 fish is too much?? and what about the babies that I just hatched...would a couple from that group be okay to go in there? I just don't want to over crowd my pond and end up loosing a bunch because of a small problem.

Comments (13)

  • nedchiu
    17 years ago

    According to KOIVET.com, the general rule is 1" of fish to 10 gallons of water.

  • fong_11
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    so, let's say my fish were all 20", I would only be able to have 10 fish. great!

    thanks for that.

  • surfhead
    17 years ago

    there are other factors then just the number of fish per gallon. Size of the filter and how effective it is plays a major role, also the quality and amount of food you feed them plays a big part. Other things like aeration and circulation are also important. Lastly you need to factor in the amount of time you are willing to spend to maintain the water quality. So saying 1" per 10 gallons isn't accurate and can lead to trouble. In some ponds you can double that, it others its half.

  • ccoombs1
    17 years ago

    Like surfhead said....your stocking levels depend greatly on your filter system. Can you tell us more about your pond's filter? and do you have rocks in the bottom or not? Experienced koi keepers with good set-ups rarely exceed 1 fish per 300 gallons, some even go with 1 fish per 500 gallons or 1 per 1000 gallons. But their goal is to grow very large show quality fish. You could keep 8 to 10 koi in your 2000 gallon pond, IF the filteration is adequate for that amount of fish.

  • fong_11
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I have a 2000 gallon pond, with two pumps, one is 2000 gph and the other is 750 gph. The filter currently is being fixed and being made better but is should be back up and running this weekend. I have a UV light running right now and a mini pump/filter attached which is cleaned everyday to keep things clear.

  • surfhead
    17 years ago

    It all depends on the filter and its ability to do two things. convert all the ammonia in the pond into nitrates and second remove all solid waste (muck) from the pond. the more fish you have and the more you feed them the harder it will be for the filter to do this.

  • kevip711
    17 years ago

    I have 12 in my 3500 gallon pond and I think its near capacity.. I have seen others like Joanne that have more in a smaller pond but I think their water and filtration is better than mine.. I would think in my pond with my filter and pump and extra air bubblers I could not add many more.. maybe 1-3 tops..

    Here is a link that might be useful: My pond

  • kevip711
    17 years ago

    Sorry wrong link...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Koi pond pics

  • kevip711
    17 years ago

    Sorry

    Here is a link that might be useful: Koi pond pics

  • fong_11
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I really like your kin matsuba, and you platinum. Thanks for the pics too! I haven't seen a kin matsuba like that around here in canada. the closest thing to it is my ki matsuba, but his markings aren't that great...

    thanks for the info on how many I should have.

  • kevip711
    17 years ago

    My pond hates black.. all black spots on my fish fade or vanish.. he looked good at first but now he looks like a ghetto fish.. still love him but he is not pretty like when I first got him.. in fact the tancho that you see in my pics was actually a showa.. it lost all its black spots and now he looks like a tancho.. red does really well in my pond though.. I gave up on buying showas with black spots.. will stick with others

  • rennee
    17 years ago

    Fong,

    Where abouts in Canada are you?

    I'm in Calgary

  • fong_11
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I'm in Ontario.

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