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  1. #1
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    Your thoughts on stocking levels in a new Qt

    Hi all,
    I’ll post this as an intro as I’ve tried a few times to start my own thread with a distinct lack of success



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  3. #2
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    It’s worked yay!
    i have a new QT of @ 300 gall(inc filters)
    its got a small filter chamber attached which draws from a 2” bottom/side pipe.
    ive converted this to a pre filter and pump chamber with 20 brushes.
    the boyu 5000 pump is choked back with a ball valve,going through a 1kw heater ,then(once fitted) a UV onto a kockney koi kv4000 4 bay filter.
    the tank has been running for@2 weeks at a steady 12 deg.
    i added some filter start 3 days ago,and have 3 fish arriving tomorrow totalling @55 cm.
    my water parameters seem good(no fish).
    any advice moving forward would be welcomed.
    thanks in advance.
    mike

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  5. #3
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    Forgot to add,also running 70l/m air pump in last 2 bays and into tank.

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    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Hi Mike,
    I wouldn't choke back your pump as it would put a strain on it,5000 is fine so I would just let it go full whack.
    Your filters wont mature with no ammonia in it ie. no fish so you would be wasting your filter start,have you dechlorinated the water ok?
    I am sure you know to float the bag to equalise the temps before releasing,they should be fine but feed sparingly and keep an eye on ammonia etc.
    Good luck Mike,any photos?
    John

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  9. #5
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    Thanks john,
    water has been dechlorinated,
    with a 3pod filter,there seems be some debate about the effectiveness of these.
    strangely my “complete” test kit has no test for chlorine.hmmmm
    ill get a kit ASAP to be sure.
    ill be checking ammonia twice daily and will start a trickle feed in a day or so.
    ill take some pics once the fish arrive.

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  11. #6
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    Regarding the pump,
    when running at full flow the water level in the filter is nearing the top of the outlet/return to tank,
    i don’t want to risk flooding the 4bay,
    The filter is rated at3k litres/hr.
    ill install the uv at the weekend,maybe the extra pipe work etc will slow things down enough .
    i may well fit an overflow as well just to be sure.

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  13. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    We use sodium thiosulphate to dechlorinate and dpd4 tablets to check for chlorine both as per Manky Sankys site.
    The sod thio is cheap as chips on Ebay and 1 kg will last 12 mths easily.
    John

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  15. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Agree with John not to choke back the pump.

    I'm running 10,000 LPH pump on my 100 gallon QT!
    The Koi were swirling around all over the place, they only had one option in order to cope with it, GROW...... And Grow they did! The current doesn't faze them now.


    Also I'm not convinced Filter Start will be that effective. The best way of fishless cycling is to add a few drops of ammonia and keep the levels elevated until it starts going down by itself, then once a few drops of ammonia in the morning is testing zero by afternoon you're ready to add fish.

    I think you'll be fighting a battle to keep parameters good for the first 5 or 6 weeks, more if temps are sub 10C, less if temps are strong (20C +). If keeping them at 12C they won't be eating much, so less ammonia, but also slower cycle time. Also at 12C you'll struggle to put any growth on the Koi, if that is your aim. If solely for quarantine bear in mind parasites reproduce much less at colder temps, plus the Koi immune system doesn't protect them either much below 14C, so consider that.

    If you are trickling in/out you'd be better off with a dechlorinator, but if doing manual water changes ST crystals are fine. I think 1KG will last much more than 12 Months, probably 4 or 5 years!

    As for your main question about stocking levels......Its good to keep your main pond understocked for ease of maintenance and water changes, especially if on a meter.

    But for your QT, its all about the fish being 100% parasite free and whether the mechanical and bio filtration can handle the fish load and how often you're willing to change water.

    My little 100 gallon tank (containing only 80 gallons), has 4 baby Koi that grew faster than expected and now they're stuck in there till spring, currently totalling 80cm. I'm using a pressure filter "advertised" for a 15,000 litre pond, a 10,000 LPH pump, and carry out one to two 75% water changes per Week. They are healthy and growing well, but are 100% parasite free.... One little water quality or parasite problem in that volume and it'd be game over very quickly I'd imagine.

    The more you stock the more risks you take, but the greater reward if you succeed.

    Last edited by RS2OOO; 28-11-2019 at 03:05 PM.

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  17. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    if your growing them. you need 19c to 22c minimum. mine is set to 22c for growing the fish. and i do 2 x 15% water changes a week, and use st crystals.
    good luck with your project. I love it. gives you more to do with the fish keeping during the winter time.

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  19. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai Simon Fish's Avatar
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    Some pictures would help.
    From what you described there are 2 sets of filters with the first being gravity fed then pumped into the second. Have I understood that correctly?

    The concern that the second filter is close to overflowing.

    Can they not both be gravity fed then the pump just as the return to the tank?
    If that's not possible then yes, fit an overflow pipe. Maybe set the 2nd filter higher to get better return flow, increase the return pipe size? Split the pump flow so that some flow drops straight back to the tank?

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  21. #11
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon Fish View Post
    Some pictures would help.
    From what you described there are 2 sets of filters with the first being gravity fed then pumped into the second. Have I understood that correctly?

    The concern that the second filter is close to overflowing.

    Can they not both be gravity fed then the pump just as the return to the tank?
    If that's not possible then yes, fit an overflow pipe. Maybe set the 2nd filter higher to get better return flow, increase the return pipe size? Split the pump flow so that some flow drops straight back to the tank?
    I’ll take some pics over the weekend

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  23. #12
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    More info,
    even choked slightly the pump is probably cycling in well under a hour,
    im erring on the side of caution,as my last set up 10 + years ago occasionally flooded the bay filter causing much stress,lol.
    with this set up a flooded bay would only 1/2 empty the tank.
    the 3 fish arrived ok yesterday,and took a bit of food.
    and also a bit this morning,they are active and seem ok,
    they don’t seem to be much bothered with feeding tonight.
    i guess they would have been starved prior to courier transport.
    the fish seem to be of good quality,and I really like their colours and markings.
    i have a 23cm Kujaku
    a 17 cm Doitsu Hariwake
    and a 15cm Shusui (which seems to be the most skittish of the 3)
    im not overly concerned with big growth,more learning to care for the fish and understanding the water chemistry,etc etc prior to building my main pond next year.
    i got the fish from exclusively koi on eBay
    However his feedback and comms were brilliant,
    My local koi dealer is Queni Koi,and I’ve bought a fair bit of equipment etc from them.
    i honestly would and planned to buy my 1st fish from them but the Tosai they have left in stock have been picked over for the whole summer season and given I will only have the room even in my main pond(when built) for a small number of fish I decided to only get the varieties I really want so I don’t end up with a mutt I cannot part with.
    ive tested the parameters,no fish,ph is 8
    also tested for ammonia twice today no trace as yet.
    im going to wait for a while until I get a trace of ammonia then I will start a trickle.
    im not on a meter so in theory if I chose,I could change the water daily.
    the area the tank is in ,has fresh water and drainage all plumbed in.
    im happy to be advised on ideal temperatures,
    the tank has 2” of insulation underneath,and 4” on all four sides,
    its also got a16mm polycarbonate cover,
    my job this weekend is to make a start on a polycarbonate roof and side so it will be fully enclosed,south facing and will get a fair amount of morning sun so I may well see an increase in temperatures and can stabilise accordingly.
    mike

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  25. #13
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    Must add,
    live been following the Queni Koi,blog,
    and I have my eye on a Kikusui which is now in the uk,
    im planning to pop over on Sunday for a looksee ,it would suit my timing to load the filtration,and ,at the end of the day if I’m not ready for it,it can stay put till spring

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  27. #14
    Junior Member Rank = Fry Mikeyboy66's Avatar
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    I managed to refrain from a visit to QK this weekend and spent most of it turning my QT into a fish house,lol.
    sounds grander than reality but,
    Over the next few weekends I’ll be installing a 16mm polycarbonate roof over the qt ,
    it will also be fully enclosed and insulated on outside walls.
    the main wall is the kitchen wall.which although is insulated I guess a bit of warmth will radiate into the “fish house”
    it’s also south facing and will get sun from just after sunrise through to @2pm ish.
    my dilemma is how warm it might get,and whether the av temp might start to take the qt over the current 12.2 to 12.3 it’s currently at.
    and if it may put the fish in a bad place regarding temperatures.
    once installed,would it be better to stabilise at a higher temp to avoid fluctuations and to avoid parasites etc etc.?..hmmmm
    advice welcome

 

 

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