Hello all. I'm about to close on a house that has a spring fed pond on my property. I have always wanted a koi pond. Do I need any thing special for a large pond. The pond is a little bigger then a NHL arena. I don't know total depth but from the doc I reached 4 feet and that's only about 8 feet from the edge I'm sure it's close to 10 feet in the center if not deeper. About how many koi can be kept in a pond this size if at all?
Can a spring fed pond hold koi?
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I'm sure others with more knowledge will weigh in soon, but there is a large pond at our local dog park and I've seen koi or goldfish (not sure which) swimming in there...how they got there I'm not sure, I can't imagine just dumping koi. The pond is very murky and as far as I can tell largely untended...so if they can make it there I would think they would do OK in your new pond.
JBtheExplorer
Native Gardener
The first question I'd have is if the pond has a stream or anything like that exiting the pond. You wouldn't want koi or eggs to get into native waters, it would be illegal.
As for the size, I've seen koi living in very large ponds, though I'm sure others here may be able to chime in on what works and what doesn't.
I personally think your pond looks great just for native fish and wildlife. I'm not sure I would want to add koi to something so naturally beautiful.
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I'd probably check with your department of fisheries to get as much information as possible, as to what is legal and what fish are indigenous to your area. It is a beautiful pond, but I sue wouldn't start with 500, thinking that's too many.
There was another thread, I believe in the Denmark area, that had a large pond and for some reason many of his fish died
Maybe someone else remembers the thread?
At any rate, welcome and it's a beautiful pond.
There was another thread, I believe in the Denmark area, that had a large pond and for some reason many of his fish died
Maybe someone else remembers the thread?At any rate, welcome and it's a beautiful pond.
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Welcome !
fishin4cars
True friends just call me Larkin
First off, check your local regulations. If it's spring fed and the water leads to another natural body of water such as creek, river, lake etc. Probabilities you can't. If that is the case you CAN always add native carp, But keep in mind that all carp species dig so the pond will stay muddy. Second, do a full water check and see what the water tells you. If the PH is low and the water is acidic the oxygen level may also be low. If all this is the case the pond will have to be conditioned for proper koi keeping ability. Also as far as #, I personally would never add that many koi to any pond without being able to monitor closely. 1 or 2 per quarter acre is a pretty significant load to a natural setting pond. Keep in mind that a 10-15 year old fish could easily weigh 40-50 lbs.
There are two pipes going into and out of my pond they are both about two feet above the water. I was thinking of placing hardware cloth over both just in case there's a big rain so none of the fist go any where. I see lots of bull frogs and painted turtles in the pond. I went there yesterday to get some water brought a hook and line with a worm just to check if there were any fish in there nothing hit the line after 20 mins. I have seen really small baby fish near the dock. Only about 3/3 of a inch . I really would like to try koi in there. As for native fish so sorry but if I own the pond there going to be getting new neibors.;-). It's easer to ask forgiveness then permission . I'll be grabbing a water sample and going to the local fish store and have them test it. I'll let you know later today. The results.
Ok water test out fine for koi according to the fish store. As for oxygen in the water I haven't a clue. I'm looking into getting a tester for that. I also contacted the deep about koi in ct. Almost every pond I go to has a few and those are town ponds all over. When I close on the house I think I'm going to add about 10 to start with and see how they do. Ill screen off my ponds exit and entrance just incase the water gets up to the pipes. As for eggs getting out and making it to the next pond 2 miles down stream don't think that's very likely.
Oxygen levels in small bodies of water are never consistent, not only do they go up and down during the day, they decrease significantly in the winter when the ponds freeze over, and that is when most fish kills occur.
Winter Fish Kill
Winter Fish Kill
Also just heard from my agent and the pond is not considered part of the wetlands. From what I'm told 30 or so years ago the home owner created it because it was a spot that was always wet . They say the pond drains off to the back of my property which because of the trees I haven't looked at it.
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Sounds like you're doing your home work. I wish I could find the thread that spoke of the winter kill, it was a beautiful pond like yours, and most of his fish died. I'm thinking it is linked to winter kill, like Mucky_Waters said. If you have a local fish hatchery , they often sell large pond aerators , but then you have to be careful about not placing them in the deepest part of your pond over the winter.