Maximum Number of fish per size of pond

[bobsox]

Could someone tell me what would be the maximum number of fish that could be maintained in a 2300 gal pond and would the size of the fish effect the figure? My pond is starting to get congested. Thanks a lot..

 

[fishin4cars]

I recommend no more than 1 inch of fish per 20 gallons of water, But, keep in mind, Fish grow, So if you buy 2" goldfish and stocked at half that rate you would be HEAVILY overstocked at the end of a single season. If your stocking Koi 1 fish (4-6")per 100 gallons is about the max I would go. and again, If they all grow at regular rate you would be overstocked in about two years. For better health, ease of maintenance, more enjoyment, and more balanced pond stay way below these #'s. Overstocking may look good until a problem starts, then all of a sudden, Overstocking doesn't look so well when fish are getting sick, dying and your out there cleaning the pond twice a day everyday.

 

[stroppy]

how many have you got bobsox ? and what type of fish

 

[DrDave]

I have about 200" in 1800 gallons and they are all in perfect health. I just took out 29" a week ago.
The key to having this many is a good bio filter, circulation and plants. Keep the bottom clean.

 

[fishin4cars]

Dr. Dave brings out a point I would like to make and I think he will back this as well. His pond and my pond are well established ponds with filtration we KNOW works and have determined can handle the loads we put on them. With experienced fish keepers that know how to tell where the pond boundaries are. I have seen a pond that was 1750 gallons and grossly overstocked with three fish!, due to poor filtration, You will see dealers stock two or three times the rates we stock for selling purposes and must monitor their water quality very closely. There is NO true stocking rate of fish per gallon, I use that base line as a rule of thumb with my experience. For newer ponds, and newer fish keepers it's always safer to have more room for the fish than not enough.

 

[bobsox]

Hi: Thank everyone for your replies. I was going to post a couple photos of pond but can't figure out how to post them on my reply. Anyway I think I have about 50 to 70 fish in all. I started out 3 yrs ago with 13 small goldfish and added a coulple Shubunkins the next year. Now I think there are about 50 to 70 fish in all. They have also grown with many of them at least 6" to 8" long. I'm sure they will grow by many more this summer. I have been comtemplating how and what I will have to do to thin them out (like give to pet store etc) or find somebody near me that has pond and would like some stock. I am also fighting Green & Murky water for the past month. I purchased a new filter to start this season - Aquadyne Bead Filter with Blower. It was suppose to be top of the line and could support ponds my size or even a little larger. I also have Strapping filling the bio filter at the waterfall with a couple media pads at top of waterfall as well. At first the water was so crystal clear it ws unbelieveable . After about 2 weeks the water started getting murky and I couldn't see much below about a foot or two below surface. I have to backwash every couple days as the flow of water slows to a trickle (even though the filter pressure) doesn't rise more then 2 lbs. I have to change the media pads weekly as they are covered with black & green slime and hundreds of brown leeches. I did add a couple of pints of Barley Extract a couple days ago and it seemed to clear up the top couple feet but still can;'t see and further down. It sure is a struggle. I have to also plead guilty in not checking the water this season so I don't know just how bad it might be out of wack. That's about it in a nutshell & if someone can tell me how to post a photo I'll put one one. Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[addy1]

here is how to post

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/introductions-announcements.html

use the paper clip thing under go advanced.

Testing your water would also help you know which way to go in fixing your problem.

The green and black slime sounds like algae overload.

 

[bobsox]

Hi Addy: Thanks for your reply: I did go out and check the water and the PH is ideal and the Amonia also appears to be in the Ideal range (barely a tint of anything). I'm trying to post a phot of pond as well but not sure if I can get it to work. I'll try again. Thanks..

 

[bobsox]

I got to the browse for files section - selected the two photos - and it said uploading but when it finished and I send msg there were no photos attached??

 

[DrDave]

Fishin made 2 great points, a baseline for beginners and folks who really don't have a handle on their ponds (years in the hobby does not make an expert).

Then there are the folks who have devoted a lot of time to get their ponds tuned in and understand how the entire eco system really works. These folks can also react positivley to any changes that may effect the health of the pond and it's occupants.

I rescue Koi from a lot of ponders that thought it would be neat to fill a hole with water and toss in a bunch of fish to make it look cool. Then never did anything to learn how to maintain them. Sooner or later, they either lose the fish or give up. The smart ones call me and I find homes for the Koi after bringing them back to perfect health.

The 29" (2 Koi) I just removed from my pond, went to a new member of our forum.

 

[taherrmann4]

I got to the browse for files section - selected the two photos - and it said uploading but when it finished and I send msg there were no photos attached??

They may have been too big of files try reducing them.

 

[bobsox]

Thanks Taherrmman4 for the tip but I still cant seem to be able to reduce the size in order to upload any photos..

 

[fishin4cars]

I just got through resizing EVERY single picture in my harddrive and computer. All 13,500+ of them, took me almost two hours to do this but I got tired of failed attempts. been trying to update my album and every other photo wouldn't load. 800 mega pixels by 800 mega pixels will work.

 

[addy1]

Thanks Taherrmman4 for the tip but I still cant seem to be able to reduce the size in order to upload any photos..

You can also put them on photobucket and post the ...img code... in your post.

 

[bobsox]

I just got through resizing EVERY single picture in my harddrive and computer. All 13,500+ of them, took me almost two hours to do this but I got tired of failed attempts. been trying to update my album and every other photo wouldn't load. 800 mega pixels by 800 mega pixels will work.

How do you resize any of the JPEG photos in you photo file so you can upload one here? Thanks