What To Put In a 8x7x3

divemaster99 · Aug 26, 2014

Well I just discovered that the holding wall next to our garage can support a pond so I finally found a spot to out a large pond (in volume it would be roughly 1,200 gallons I believe). The other spot I was going to out one would have only been about 800 gallons or so. Got the ok from my parents to build the pond there so if all things stay the same I'll be setting it up next spring. I don't want to get to far into details such as filtration, aeration, etc until I actually begin building it and know exactly where and where I don't have room for things but I'd like to get an idea as far as stock what I could possibly do.

Some fish I'm interested in are: Koi, Common Carp, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Channel Catfish, several species of native suckers, and Shad as far as Coolwater fish go.
As far as tropical fish: Arowanas, Peacock Bass, Larger Plecos, and just about any larger catfish from anywhere in the world (I know I'd have to take any of the tropicals in when the water gets cold)

While I like all those fish I know I can't have them all in a pond that size and they can't all go together so what would be some possible combinations I could do?

divemaster99 · Aug 27, 2014

Would this work?

5 Koi
1 Common Carp
2 Channel Catfish
1 Albino Channel Catfish

I know the dimensions are a bit small for koi but it's more a square Han a rectangular pond so I think that could work.

divemaster99 · Aug 27, 2014

Anybody?

divemaster99 · Aug 28, 2014

Here's a picture of where it'd go if that helps. It's actually fairly shaded by the stairs above so algae growth shouldn't be as rapid. Of course all the bushes and rocks would be removed.

divemaster99 · Aug 28, 2014

After some research I'm thinking that may still be overstocked so would this be any better? I've heard channels can be aggressive in pairs towards each other but they're as filthy as koi and I don't want to overstock.

4 Koi
1 Common Carp
1 Channel Catfish
1 Albino Channel Catfish

duanes · Aug 28, 2014

If you put the common carp in the pond, unless its splashing around, breeding with the koi, you will probably very seldom see it, same with a natural colored catfish (or for that matter most natural color fish).
I have an @ 1500 gallon cichlid pond, and basically never see them (but that's not the point of the pond).
I also have a small 500 gal pond with 2 koi, and a few goldfish, and can always see them.
If your point is to see the fish, the koi are the way to go.
If you plan to only see them when you bring them in for the winter, or at noon when the light is perfect, then natural color, camouflaged fish will work.
Here is a pic of my cichlid pond, it contains about a dozen cichlids.

if you look close you'll see a male Gymnogeophagus cichlid spawning in the shallows, the noon sunlight just hit perfect for the shot, most of the time, reflection makes them virtually invisible.

Here are a couple shots of the koi pond.

divemaster99 · Aug 29, 2014

duanes said:
If you put the common carp in the pond, unless its splashing around, breeding with the koi, you will probably very seldom see it, same with a natural colored catfish (or for that matter most natural color fish).
I have an @ 1500 gallon cichlid pond, and basically never see them (but that's not the point of the pond).
I also have a small 500 gal pond with 2 koi, and a few goldfish, and can always see them.
If your point is to see the fish, the koi are the way to go.
If you plan to only see them when you bring them in for the winter, or at noon when the light is perfect, then natural color, camouflaged fish will work.
Here is a pic of my cichlid pond, it contains about a dozen cichlids.

if you look close you'll see a male Gymnogeophagus cichlid spawning in the shallows, the noon sunlight just hit perfect for the shot, most of the time, reflection makes them virtually invisible.

Here are a couple shots of the koi pond.

Thanks for responding! Ok I'll just forget the carp and do koi. I'd like to do a channel cat or two regardless though since they're my all time favorite fish. So what would be a good koi and cat stocking number for my size pond?

duanes · Aug 29, 2014

The common rule of thumb, or calculation is 4 koi per 1000 gals, but......
This of course, has many variables, such as adequacy of the filtration used, water movement (pumpage), feeding frequency, whether or not plants are present to help with bioload, size, or even type of koi.
If the koi are expensive show types, or simply run of the mill culls, the higher end ones would warrant, more space and higher end filtration.
Even with my inexpensive, "none" show types (probably culls), I run a foam fractionator in order to maintain high quality, highly oxygenated water.
This is why I mentioned the no/see carp, natural color fish factor. Is any fish you can't see (if seeing is important to you) worth the extra bioload it adds to the system? (and both carp and catfish get large, and would be heavy bioload contributors).
The 2nd pic below is the amount of waste my fractionator almost constantly removes, from the 2 koi, 4 goldfish stocked pond.
As you would imagine, without proper bioload control, a pond can become a smelly cesspool in a very short time.
Not trying to be a spoilsport here, just trying illustrate some of the the realities of proper pond care.
I try to have a heavy plant, to fish ratio.

The fractionator runs on a 1000+gph pump.

divemaster99 · Aug 29, 2014

Ok thanks! And you're not being a downer at all, it's good that I'm learning this all now and not the day before I'm adding the fish

. So I'll just scrap the normal channel cat but I'd still like an albino since like I said they're my favorite fish and you can see the albinos. How about this?

5 Koi (nothing special just standard cool looking koi)
1 Albino Channel Cat

Ill be sure to have excellent filtration and a good but of plants as well as do water changes as needed.

bmpauley · Sep 5, 2014

Do koi I love them I have a indoor pond for mine they are so personable.
(Those are goldfish in the pic didn't have my koi in yet)

ImageUploadedByMonsterAquariaNetwork1409919519.096071.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app


zoomed.com	hikariusa.com		aqaimports.com	Store

Search

Search

What To Put In a 8x7x3

divemaster99

Dovii

divemaster99

Dovii

divemaster99

Dovii

divemaster99

Dovii

divemaster99

Dovii

duanes

MFK Moderators

divemaster99

Dovii

duanes

MFK Moderators

divemaster99

Dovii

bmpauley

Jack Dempsey