270 gallon stocking ideas. Koi or goldfish, and how many

[HomerJay]

One inch per gallon, and I'm getting a 200 gph filter on the ground. I also read somewhere I could have 12 goldfish, or 20 gallons per fish

Outdoor pond stocking rules are different than indoor. Indoor stocking "rules" (i use that term loosely) usually include at least one 30% water change per week. I have many indoor goldfish tanks and I need to do a 100% water change twice a week on my tanks and they are stocked at a medium level. Unless you plan on doing that same type of water changes on an outdoor pond, I would stock it on the light side. My pond is 1200 gallons, with a 2500GPH pump and pressure filter, with 1 koi and 12 goldfish and I fight with water issues from time to time because I'm not doing huge water changes outside.

 

[MitchM]

Im getting a 13 by 10 pond liner, and then a 400gph pond pump with a prefilter https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005...filter+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=512HRrY4V6L&ref=plSrch

That prefilter is designed to protect the pump, not clean the water.
Make sure you stock on the light side.
Those links I provided explain why.

 

[Pondguy3579]

Ok, so what cleans the water?

 

[Pondguy3579]

8x10 liner or 13x10? Are you planning 3' depth for the entire pond?

I will do8 by ten with the main depth of 1.5-2 feet

 

[HomerJay]

Ok, so what cleans the water?

You will need a filter that the pump runs to, to clean the water. I use a pressure filter with UV that runs to a homemade skippy filter. There are many great tutorials on the internet for DIY pond filters and many different kinds to choose from.

 

[Pondguy3579]

Ok. Do any of you know how many gallons an 8 by ten liner would be?

 

[Lisak1]

Well an 8x10 pond with an average depth of about 2 feet would be around 1200 gallons. But an 8x10 liner doesn't translate to an 8x10 pond, since you have to account for depth as well as width and length.

And in a pond stocked with fish, you have two types of filtration - mechanical and biological. Many people use some type of skimmer to catch large debris off the surface of the pond. A pre-filter on a pump is another for of debris catcher.

A biological filter relies on, well, biology - bacteria and plants - to remove the excess nutrients from the water. A biofalls or a bog filter are two types of biological filtration. There are other more complex systems that I know nothing about - maybe someone else will chime in with those.

 

[Jhn]

As Lisa said If you go with a 2’ deep pond that would reduce your liner to a 6’x4’ pond but you need at least another 12” to allow for rocks to hide liner and berm up the sides.... I would go with a bigger liner because you will not be able to keep much in a pond built out of an 8’x10’ liner.

 

[Pondguy3579]

Ok, I'll go with 13 by 10.

 

[Pondguy3579]

How many gallons and what size pond would that be?

 

[Lisak1]

Here, let me google that for you:

http://www.azponds.com/new_webpages/liner_calculator.html

 

[Pondguy3579]

I can have a 7 by 5 pond! Nice.

 

[Pondguy3579]

How many fish can I have with 472 gallons of water, and what kind (koi or goldfish)

 

[Magzire]

You definitely need something like this for the bio and foam media.

https://www.amazon.com/XtremepowerU...&ie=UTF8&qid=1520473165&sr=1-1-spons&keywords

Or

https://www.amazon.com/Hozelock-Pon...&sr=1-22-spons&keywords=pond+box+filter&psc=1

Do you know anything about cycling a pond?
If I was you I'd start with 4 Shubunkin. They grow to a nice size and come in nice colors.

 

[Lisak1]

NO KOI! haha! You wouldn't want koi in a pond that was under 1000 gallons, and even then that would be great for like one!

You could have common goldfish, sarassa comets, shubunkins, fantails, or a combination of several kinds. They are all goldfish, just different varieties. Just remember that they breed like crazy - start with a three or four and you'll soon have a pond full.