pond?
- Thread starter YMCMB
- Start date
how many gallons? if you wanted to do like just 2 koi fish (in a small pond) you could use live plants for filtration. if its a large pond then your going to need a filter. (that means a pump AND a pond filter) they wont die in winter , but you should buy a de-icer for the winter times if your pond freezes over or have a small waterfall running. and 30% wc a week or every two weeks depending how much light your pond gets. Ponds seem simple but they are not but nor are they hard.
YMCMB;4962934; said:
It really depends on where you are located. If you were in the south then 18 inches would be at the least dept you would want, but if you are in the northern colder states then you are going to want to be deeper. keep in mind that koi get large and will need a big space in a few years. Pond liners are relatively cheap here so best thing to do is dig the largest pond you can afford or have room for. You will need some sort of filtration weather it be natural with tons of plants or with an pump. I have seen lots of diy pond filtration systems on here that work quite well.
De-icier is not really necessary. My pond freezes over every winter I cut the water fall pumps off and the fish are just fine. When the water gets cold enough to freeze the fish almost go into a hibernation state. The are less active, do not eat, their breathing slows down and so does their metabolism. You should not not try to feed the fish in the winter. As far a WC in the winter time there is no need. After winter I do a pond clean out. Getting all the sticks and leaves out of the pond and doing a major water change then.
yes but a de icer helps allow the toxic gases from being trapped into your pond, but i cant really comment on that cause we dont get snow were spolied down here in cali
I have never had an issue with "toxic gases", but would guess the smaller the pond is the more of an issue this would be.
From experience of having a pond here in PA- we need at least 3 ft of depth, and we have to leave a hole in the ice because when it gets cold here, it gets really cold.
I am going to state now that even with only 2-3 koi, plants is not going to be enough to filter their waste out of the pond.
They are dirty- This is like keeping a red eared slider in a 5 gallon tank with no filtration.. YUCK!
It's just like a LARGE fishtank...
I am going to state now that even with only 2-3 koi, plants is not going to be enough to filter their waste out of the pond.
They are dirty- This is like keeping a red eared slider in a 5 gallon tank with no filtration.. YUCK!
It's just like a LARGE fishtank...
ive had run a 300gal pond (grow out) for koi that eveuntually got to 2 feet souly on pond plants. But thats 2 feet koi no where as messy as the full grown kind i guess...
Zfishies;4963253; said:
What size were they when you got them, and how long did it take?
Pics?
Reason I am questioning this is because it would take quite some time to grow to 2 ft..
Punctuation is our friend....
Filtration - Yes. Koi are big waste producers.
Plants - Yes. They regulate temps. and improve water quality.
De-Icer - Yes. If you live in a climate that gets cold enough.
Maintenance - Yes. Minimal if the above are taken care of properly.
Please don't just dig a hole and throw in liner. Ask more questions, research here, and get a budget. Ponds are expensive and can have more headaches than relaxation if not planned out properly. One way to have your parents hate ponds is to build one wrong.
Filtration - Yes. Koi are big waste producers.
Plants - Yes. They regulate temps. and improve water quality.
De-Icer - Yes. If you live in a climate that gets cold enough.
Maintenance - Yes. Minimal if the above are taken care of properly.
Please don't just dig a hole and throw in liner. Ask more questions, research here, and get a budget. Ponds are expensive and can have more headaches than relaxation if not planned out properly. One way to have your parents hate ponds is to build one wrong.