Welcome! Do you have a plan? Are you keeping them in stock tanks until you get the new pond done, or are you going to put them in the existing pond at the new location and then catch them and move them once your koi pond is ready?
I really don’t know how to proceed. I’m afraid that if I put them in the existing “farm” pond that I will lose them. Critters and birds and possible other big fish. There is an above ground pool that we were thinking of putting them in. It has not been maintained for over a year but I think we could drain it and use that to hold them until we build their new home. It’s all very complicated.
The pool is probably safer. Don't use the pool filter (remove it completely, since chlorine can get trapped in the lines). Declorinate everything thoroughly. Add a pond filter and aeration. You can easily put a net over a raised pool. Toss some pool noodles, balls, or other floaties in under it to keep it from going under the surface (you may need to zip tie them to the net to keep them in the center). Full body length foam pool floats would also provide shade and protection from predators. Keep in mind that the new water will have to cycle, so that's stressful on the fish and you may lose some during cycling. I recommend adding a dose of Seachem Prime daily, or as needed based on water parameter tests using the API master kit. I'm assuming since you're experienced, you know about nitrogen cycling in ponds. If not, I can post a few links. Adding beneficial bacteria can speed up the cycling process. Perhaps it may be possible to pump water from the pond at the location into the pool once it's been drained, cleaned, and declorinated? The pond water wouldn't need to cycle once in the pool, but you could introduce diseases into the pool by using water from the existing pond. It's a coin toss on which is the better solution. Something to think about.
Thank you so much! While I’ve had a pond for several years…I am still a novice. My pond has been an experiment (a happy one) since my son and I built it. I’ve had leaks, predators, and plant mistakes that have kept me busy. The fish are used to fresh well water added weekly. The pool has not been maintained for at least a year. When I looked under the cover the water looked black. I doubt there is any residual chlorine but I will test once it’s drained and refilled. Another question: how would you transport several fish. Some Koi are over 12 inches (about 4 of them) some are around 8 to 10 inches (maybe 6 to 8 of them and I have too many to count 2- 6 inch. I plan to leave some smaller ones in this pond but …they are my pets so it will be hard.
Yup! Oxygen in the bag enabled me to do a 2 day drive from Chicago to Tampa, with a stay overnight, and all fish arrived safe and sound. My koi did not like me (the car) backing up (i.e. out of a parking space), so I did "pull through" parking spots only after that.
