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  1. #1
    Junior Member Rank = Fry bis's Avatar
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    How many koi to start my new pond

    Hi, my new pond is almost ready to introduce fish. I may still wait for one more month to get koi in March. My pond is 13000 litres - 12ft x 8ft x 5ft deep. Have a nexus 220. I am thinking to have thirty 6-8 inch small fish and all of them in one lot. I know it's good to introduce fish in stages to allow nitrogen cycle to build up. So I want your advice on this.

    I have a trickle set up that changes 100% water each week. I want to avoid adding more fish later because I don't have any quarantine facilities at the moment. Thanks.



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  3. #2
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Hassai koinewbie's Avatar
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    Hi im sure you can't wait to get fish in your pond but I would wait until spring when temps start to rise. I would also only Introduce around 6 to 8 fish at most to establish your filters as you will have new pond syndrome to start with. As for you changing 100% of your water a week I think is a mistake. I change around 20% this time of year & 30% in the warmer months when feeding heavier. Don't rush things as you will only compound your new pond problems regarding water quality & fish health. If you introduce 30 fish in one go in a new pond with new filtration your heading for disaster from the start. Go slowly & introduce fish over a longer period of a few months is my advice.

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  5. #3
    Junior Member Rank = Fry bis's Avatar
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    thanks for your advise and I agree as I already said that a small number of fish is ideal to start a new pond so that filters get chance to establish with the beneficial bacteria. I will do. But as I said I do not have a quarantine facility I have to see how can I get quarantined fish when I add fish subsequently.

    However I am not convinced how I can compound my water quality with continuous trickle and 100% change during the week, I change the same way 100% water in my discus tank every day and the fish are doing best. no problem with the water quality there.

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  7. #4
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai AlanF's Avatar
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    Hi, have you considered fishless cycling to get things started. I found it much less stressful - both for me and the fish. 6-8weeks (at 20C mind you) and filter was up and running ready to fully stock pond at one go. I preferred to do it that way so less chance of bringing a problem in with a new fish. Good info, as usual, here:- Fishless cycling

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  9. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    i agree with koienwbie. introduce slowly. its not just the filters that matures. also the pond and pipes. i lost a few my first year. to many fish at once. on my newish build. so you are thinking the right way from the start.
    i also change about 20% water trickling in and out in winter plus i do a 10% water change in one hit. i understand your tank change 100% water changes. but you cannot compare other fish to koi.
    my orfs and tench plus rudd never get anything wrong with them. but in the early days my koi had lots of problems. i reckon there not as hardy to other fish and don t like change. plus they get stressed a lot easier.
    it took my pond and setup 2 years to mature. and that was with adding all the pond bombs and everything i could think of. to speed the process up. enjoy the new pond bis. and have agreat time in the spring and summer. as alan has quoted. another way to go. is fishless cycling. I have never done this.
    fred
    Last edited by freddyboy; 24-01-2019 at 08:20 AM.

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  11. #6
    as suggested fishless cycling, and then introduce small number of fish, you can limit your risk of having no quarantine a huge chunk, by buying all your fish from a single reputable dealer, like Gatwick koi.

    30 fish might be ok for your pond size this year, but it wont be big enough in coming years, so you would either have to thin them out a lot, or increase filtration a lot.

    Hth
    DB

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  13. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Hi Bis, Agree with all of above,even though I have never done fish less cycling that would be your best bet as you have the time now before March/April and could heat it with a small tank heater as per Alan's thread.
    I think 30 is way too much In one go and for a pond your size which is same as mine 20 would be better and 10 to start with.
    Where are you thinking of going for the 6ins koi?
    Your not too far from Cuttlebrook and I am sure Mark there would be very helpful.
    Or Queni koi,there are quite a few near you as you are central.
    Definitely consider the fish less cycle Bis.
    John

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  15. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    My pond was 7000 litres. In April I added 3 Koi measuring 8cm (3").

    After that I added 1 to 2 fish per Month until a grand total of 10 Koi was reached in December.

    Still had problems with water quality which dragged on all through the summer.

    Those 3" fish are now 6.5". The 7" fish I later added are now 12". 7000 litres isn't enough for 10 growing Koi and I'm extending to 12,000 litres.

    12,000 litres might give me enough room to add 1 more small Koi, taking the total to 11.

    I also have a Nexus 220.

    Quarantine not an issue.... I bought most Koi from Gatwick Koi who is well known for having extremely robust quarantine procedures.

    My first year experience 100% confirms koinewbie's advice posted above

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  17. #9
    Junior Member Rank = Fry bis's Avatar
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    Wow!! I am feeling so excited and being part of with so many responses. Many thanks for all your help and advice.

    One more info that I have not yet shared is that I also have plumbed a 8.5 kw heat pump in my system so my pond is heated and will have a nice fish house in the days to come. All is DIY so it takes time for a 61 year old.
    I definitely will go for the fishless cycling and will order the ammonia bottle today.
    I will also go for quarantined fish from may be Gatwick koi in steps, not adding all in one go.

    I will hoping to finish sealing the TPR jet and the surface skimmer this weekend and all other plumbing left over.
    Many thanks again!!
    Last edited by bis; 24-01-2019 at 10:46 AM.

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  19. #10
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai AlanF's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bis View Post
    Wow!! I am feeling so excited and being part of with so many responses. Many thanks for all your help and advice.

    One more info that I have not yet shared is that I also have plumbed a 8.5 kw heat pump in my system so my pond is heated and will have a nice fish house in the days to come. All is DIY so it takes time for a 61 year old.
    I definitely will go for the fishless cycling and will order the ammonia bottle today.
    I will also go for quarantined fish from may be Gatwick koi in steps, not adding all in one go.

    I will hoping to finish sealing the TPR jet and the surface skimmer this weekend and all other plumbing left over.
    Many thanks again!!
    Good luck with your pond, it sounds like the plan is coming together. I would just add that if you fishless cycle the filters the whole point is to add plenty of fish at the start. If your filter bugs are eating ammonia at full speed and you only put a couple of fish in, the bugs will just reduce down again to match the ammonia produced by the fish. Nothing to stop you doing that but it sort of misses the benefit. Full stocking of filter capacity probably not advisable either ofc as they will grow into the pond. Plus even after fishless cycling mine the Nitrite levels have remained at low levels for an annoyingly long time. It does seem however you do it establishing a new pond fully takes years not months.

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  21. #11
    Junior Member Rank = Fry bis's Avatar
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    yes, so I can stick to my plan of having all fish in one go and grow them together. Many thanks AlanF.

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  23. #12
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Mature Champion pip895's Avatar
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    I think you will miss out on a lot of fun adding all your koi at once - as well as potentially giving yourself a water quality headache. I would start with 3 or 4 then add in gradually 1 or 2 at a time. If you factor in all your costs - heat pump, food etc. the discount you can get on buying 30 at once becomes irrelevant. Also 30 is far too many for your pond imo. Far better to have fewer higher quality koi and grow them better!
    6000g in ground koi pond
    +3000g lily/Anoxic pond attached
    29 koi (40 to 65cm)
    Bottom drain, Mid water & Skimmer to Drum
    JBR boichamber->Blue eco 500 pump ->below surface return.
    Blue Eco 240 -> Large MB -> Waterfall -> Planted Anoxic pond (25 baskets)

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  25. #13
    i agree with Pip, i think fishless cycling is a great help, but not a complete solution, you will still go through water quality issues, and so for that reason I still don't think its a good idea to put all fish in at once, I think that load would be way more than your filter could handle, and like Alan said, for a pond to really mature takes a few years, you cant just fast forward all the way through that by fishless cycling.
    Trouble is with a new and fragile filter system, you will always get water quality issues, which will inevitably lead to parasite issues, so then you have to treat the parasites, but the same chemicals you put in your pond to kill parasites will often also kill off your new filter bugs, which leads to even worse water, and then more parasites, and it can very easily turn into a vicious circle, far better to start slowly with less load on the system and try to avoid all those headaches, ive been there and it can really, really get you down, to the point you wonder why you ever bothered, and I think thats a reason many koi keepers give up the hobby so quickly.

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  27. #14
    I agree with everything said above already. I started my pond up last year and had water it in last winter but all the advice I had was to wait until the water was 10 degrees minimum, most reputable dealers won't sell to you under this and add fish slowly. From memory this was the end of April / early May before my water got to this point.

    I started off with 3 (6-8") mutts. Everything went fine so after 6-7 weeks I added 6 more fish but far better quality / a similar size and that's when my new pond syndrome started to show, nitrite levels went through the roof. I ended up losing 2 of the better ones over the course of the next 8 weeks and reckon it took around 4 months before my water parameters were stable (September) just as the season is starting to wind down again!

    The obvious risk of adding fish slowly is ensuring your quarantine / or the dealers quarantine is up to scratch, especially if buying from multiple sources and at the moment with KHV.

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  29. #15
    Junior Member Rank = Fry bis's Avatar
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    yes I agree with all these advice, My pond will be heated to a minimum of 12 degree and will soon be covered. This winter temperature will make the fish less cycling slower than normal and may take me well into the 3rd week of March. So any way I may not be able to add my first koi before the end of March.

 

 

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