Butterfly vs standard fin regarding hardiness

[sissy]

Aggie and bert are now 12 years old or close to that They were a couple of inch's long when I got them and not sure how old they were then .I don't feed them growth food and they only get fed 3 or 4 times a week .House was built in 2004 and preformed was 2005

 

[Gemma]

I have 4 koi in 1700 gallons. I rehome all their babies and no longer keep gold fish of any kind. I've improved my pond filtration and equipment, quite a bit over the years.

I've had 3 of my 4, over 12 years and they've really grown. I hope they have enough room to be happy, but sometimes I worry. If I ever feel they've grown too big, I'd rehome the newest koi Hopefully they remain happy and healthy, and I'll keep up with filtration.

Do you have details of your filtration improvement posted somewhere on here?

Aggie and bert are now 12 years old or close to that They were a couple of inch's long when I got them and not sure how old they were then .I don't feed them growth food and they only get fed 3 or 4 times a week .House was built in 2004 and preformed was 2005

Up until last year I either lost or rehomed my largest koi so I think my oldest (in my avatar) now is 4 or 5 yrs old...not sure what he measure

 

[sissy]

Believe me they get heavy and found the water distorts the size of the fish .It may be bigger than you think and a lot heavier than you realize .I found that out again when i had to remove my fish after a dog again ripped my liner

 

[Tula]

Do you have details of your filtration improvement posted somewhere on here?

The original pond had no skimmer and an all in one submerged filter.

When we enlarged the pond, I started with a small skimmer and a pressurized canister filter. Since then, I upgraded to a large skimmer with pads and a UV. I have a Matala pump defender on my waterfall pump and my husband built a sand a gravel filter this year.

I had a very nice shower filter, that was crushed when a tree fell on it....I'd like to add another for the 2018 season.

 

[Gemma]

Thanks @Tula I'm just trying to learn all I can, in case I some day need to improve too

 

[Tula]

Thanks @Tula I'm just trying to learn all I can, in case I some day need to improve too

I have to say the sand and gravel filter is a lot of bang for the buck ! Thankfully my husband built a nice structure to hide it, as it's ugly. It's so much easier for me to back wash and is doing an excellent job. I clean it about every 5 days, so it's cut down on my maintenance a lot. I'd like to add a shower filter next season...we could build one ourselves, but would have to hide it, or pay for a pricey one.