Keeping Koi Carp.

[cornish wood burner]

I built a second pond and bought a couple of koi about your size. Never saw them. After transfering some of my larger koi to this pond I found out it was full of parasites. Possibly frogs etc brought them when first commsioned which wiped out the small fish introduced. A lot of parsites verses a few small fish and they have no chance. Same pond grew koi to up to 18lb so good layout. Plenty of vegetation and plants. Might pay you to treat the pond with an anti parasite as a precation. Koi do tend to sit on the bottom if stressed so don't give up.

Regarding over wintering the koi will need some body fat to live on so feed them well in the autumn if they need it. Most fry do not survive the first winter but ones your size should just about be OK.

[ArthurBottlesworth]

Out of interest

WOuld koi and ducks mix?

[cornish wood burner]

Out of interest

WOuld koi and ducks mix?

 

Most of the lakes I fish at have a few ducks but of course they are a lot bigger.I don't think its recommended for small ponds. I imagine the duck dropping are not good for water quality, and they would add to the mud being stirred up. Probably depends on pond size, stocking level, number of ducks and water flow in and out.

[padman]

Ducks create to much waste so the filters will really struggle.

 

I have a 10,000 gallon Koi pond and this year a mallard nested and had eight young. I was forever cleaning the sh** out of my vortex chamber.

[difflock]

Well at least 1 and perhaps 2 still surviving, absolutly zooming around, about 2 feet down, saw them tonight, NOT at ALL interested in those crappy bought food pellets btw!

Fingers crossed.

PS

Guessing the clay used to line the pond should be alkaline, is this correct?

Anyway the daughter has been tasked to source at PH meter.

Be curious to see the result.

cheers

m

[cornish wood burner]

Well at least 1 and perhaps 2 still surviving, absolutly zooming around, about 2 feet down, saw them tonight, NOT at ALL interested in those crappy bought food pellets btw!

Fingers crossed.

PS

Guessing the clay used to line the pond should be alkaline, is this correct?

Anyway the daughter has been tasked to source at PH meter.

Be curious to see the result.

cheers

m

 

You're right normal clay is alkaline. Decaying plants and fish waste drop the pH so hopefully the two will balance out.

[woodyguy]

Most of what you read about Koi is about keeping high quality fish that grow very fast and become enormous. I suspect you're interested in the equivalent of large goldfish. As said, your pond isn't suitable for large good quality fish but that's not what you're trying. They don't really mix well with plants when they get bigger but your pond is large so they should be able to grow there for a number of years without problems. I suspect that you don't have any filtration at all or water changes, so I wouldn't be feeding them pellets from the pet shop. I'd let them scavange what grows naturally in the pond, then they will grow slowly in equilibrium with the water and you won't have to get too worried. Once they get a bit bigger, you can feed them once per day but I'd avoid that until your pond is very well established for a couple of years.

I keep high quality koi that weigh 10 kg each so know what you need to provide that environment and it is very different from what you are attempting. Sadly many people think they're the same as goldfish.

[difflock]

Right!

Post above is informative and helpful and has "read my mind" in respect of my intentions(which I had not spelled out)

(i)I intuitively felt that the pond should support fish life.

(ii)I only sent the daughter to buy goldfish or sheebunkin type fish(but hey the Koi were prettier!)

(iiI)I am not looking for mega growth or to produce prize specimens.

(iv)I had not really thought about feeding, but the slick sales person flogged the daughter the bag.

Thread title perhaps a bit loosly worded.

thanks

Marcus

[Hodge]

Buy a testing kit. If it's like a fish tank that needs cycling before introducing fish then a test kit would show. Ammonia and nitrite levels need to be spot on before putting fish in. But as I said I don't know if a pond needs the same. Also do you run a filter and air pump?

 

 

Hodge

[NFG]

Hi

 

You need a decent amount of flow to keep the water fresh, I had an in-line magnet, then a UV filter before the water went through one of those large biological filters.

 

All of this keeps the water clean & clear with reduced bacteria and bugs

 

N