wintering some extra fish

[kturner]

Hi new to the pond thing i have a 700 gal pond with a uv pond boss and a bottom filter and a pump that pulls water
into a large pot that has filter media inside of it.my water is very clear and has been set up since may.i have about 12 small
fish about 6 to 8 inches and two koi about 22 to 24 iches.i have a chance to get some koi give to me and hate to pass them up
and was wondering if i could get them and increase my pond size in early spring.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and you may be able to as that is already a good amount of fish for that size pond .You will not only need to increase the pond by alot but also the pump and filter .For that many fish you may need to go really large ,do you have the room and time to go that much bigger .Others may be able to tell you more but I have2 koi that large and 2 filters a large aerator as koi produce more waste than other fish .I have 2 waterfalls to provide enough oxygen besides the aerator .

 

[kturner]

i can increase the pond to about 1700 gal i do have the one waterfall that is 750 gal per hour my bottom filter
has a large filter on the bottom of it and pumps water up like a fountain.

 

[sissy]

you may need a larger filter and clean the bottom with a net from time to time and you may still have problems and remember no rocks on the bottom of your pond as they hold bad stuff .How deep are you planning on going and how big are the fish you want to get .Remember koi get really large and with the amount of fish you have and with the size they are it will not get any easier .My pond is 4 feet deep and really I need a bigger pond .

 

[kturner]

i have nothing on the bottom of the pond at all i was planning to make it 9x9 and about 4ft its now 3.5 at the deep end i will
probably sell some in the spring or summer i just cant stand the thought of passing them up they cost so much to buy.

 

[sissy]

my pond is 8x12 and I have 13 fish and 2 koi that are 2 feet long and the 2 filters one on each end of the pond and 2 pumps and the aerator going and after last winter 1 pond deicer

 

[fishin4cars]

IMO, your already pushing the limits of that pond if the 12 goldfish are actually 6"-8" long, Two large koi like that should be the only two fish in that size pond and the load you have now is about what SHOULD be in a 1500-2000 gallon pond. Keep in mind thay are not done growing, adding more this late in the season to me is asking for trouble. If your well experienced I would say it MIGHT be possible with super filtration and pristine water conditions, Considering your asking about adding more to that small of a pond is telling me that this is probably your first winter over. For Arkansas, it's going to get pretty darn cold in that small of a pond.

 

[fishin4cars]

my pond is 8x12 and I have 13 fish and 2 koi that are 2 feet long and the 2 filters one on each end of the pond and 2 pumps and the aerator going and after last winter 1 pond deicer

Sissy, How many gallons is your pond? Do you feel it's a comfortable fish load? That's about the same amount of fish they have in a 700 gallon pond!! Kind of seems like they may already be maxed out for this year.

 

[kturner]

some of the goldfish little smaller but the two koi are huge well i just was wishing i guess.

 

[fishin4cars]

I know the feeling, hard to pass up on nice free fish, and your right, they are expensive when they get large, Any one else in the area able to get them and house them through the winter for you? i had to pass on a 22" Shiro Utsuri that has a soft orange on the lips, It's name was cheetos and the wife and I both fell in love with him, we could have picked him up for $10 at the koi show and had to pass for the same reason, It's not easy but for the health of the pond, Consider the fish and their safety. Would it be really worth it if they overloaded your pond and you lost them all?

 

[sissy]

I feel my pond is overloaded but thinking of moving some of the fish to the other pond at the other house and that pond is 20x30 .I have said that and plan on keeping aggie and bert but taking the rest over there so I have that option

 

[CometKeith]

Bio-load is one of ponders biggest problems. It's hard to A) stop buying fish and B) stop your fish from growing. Kturner I would recommend to resist the temptation until you actually have a larger pond that can handle them. Also if you are thinking of enlarging in the spring and putting in a new liner then it will take longer to cycle the pond and your heavy bio-load of fish may not make it in the mean time.

 

[addy1]

Yep and they have babies and more babies and more babies.......................... I think my herd is around 100 or so. But smallish and will never grow like koi do. And still have a bunch of room in the pond.

Kturner I agree with cometkeith, take it slow, you can always pick up some nice small koi and watch them grow, they do grow pretty fast.
Let your new bigger pond cycle then add more fish. I killed off some feeders, mainly due to acidic well water. After they died I did let my pond cycle for almost 9 months before I really started adding fish. Winter hit was one of the reasons for the slow fish add, didn't want to put new ones in when it was getting cold.

 

[HARO]

Addy said: "I killed off some feeders, mainly due to acidic well water". I read one paper on the nitrogen cycle which stated that "all nitrification ceases at a pH below 6.0" Something to keep in mind! John

 

[adavisus]

Surplus fish do turn up on offer late Summer, bear in mind, if you introduce some serious problem by taking on such an unknown risk and put them in stressful conditions, you may have the additional cost of medications, or losing fish to look forward to well before next Spring.


Regards, andy
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