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Koi ponds!! :)

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koi marble pond
9K views 62 replies 10 participants last post by  Bombalurina 
#1 ·
Has anybody ever started a thread devoted to koi lovers?
I think they deserve some appreciation, they're so beautiful and friendly :)
Like puppies :) without the saliva and dandruff allergies :p
 
#2 ·
:D lol. If you couldn't guess by my name, I'm a huge koi-lover. My oldest fish are my koi. You can see two of them in my sig: Byakko and Kurama. I can talk for hours about my pond and koi. My pond is on the small side right now (4000 gal), but one day I plan to build a 20,000+ gal pond. I've even got a rough sketch of it.

Koi are some of my favorite fish. I just love those little whiskers and the way they glide through the water.

Here is a picture of my pond and one of my koi from this past summer. I spend hours out there daily. I love being around them and the waterfall.
 

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#3 ·
Wow! Your pond is beautiful! It looks so natural, almost magical!
After my grandpa passed away my family inherited his koi collection.
We took care of them in his back yard for a while (the commutes were awful) and then once another family moved in, they took care of them until we were able to build an appropriate pond for them.

He had six, his pond was smaller than ours so were considering adding three more to the collection.
But my grandpa took a lot of pride in his koi so we don't want to add just any type.
How many and what types do you have?
I've only named two of my koi (the ones which are my favorites) a tancho sanke named "red cap" and a yellow hakarimuji named "corporal banana" :p

My sister casually calls one "Steve" (a white butterfly hakarimuji) but it hasn't really caught on :p
 
#4 ·
I'm sorry that's how you came into koi ownership, but I'm sure your grandfather would be very proud of the way you are taking care of them.

I've got 6 koi. I could add a few more, but I'm not inclined to mess with a good thing. I don't have any quarantine equipment for koi. They need a little larger tank that for normal fishkeeping. Plus, overstocking a pond is asking for trouble. Here's the best picture I have of all of them. I've got a few more pics here and a few older ones in my albums.



Byakko the shiro utsuri (in my sig; boyfriend calls her "Moo"). Genbu the shiro matsuba. Kohaku the suzaku. Kurama the tancho sanke (also in my sig). Umi the showa. And Halloween the aka bekko (it's my best guess; could also a sanke). I bought all of them from pet stores, so they weren't advertised as a specific breed. I even rescued one from WalMart years ago. I can't afford the koi being sold by proper breeders. They're so beautiful, but sooo expensive. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent looking at the beautiful fish online.

If I did add any more fish I would probably add an orenji ogon and yellow (yamabuki) ogon. I think my pond needs a splash of yellow.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, I'm tentative about adding new fish incase I upset the balance.
If I could afford it I would totally go to Japan to witness a harvest of koi from the mud ponds :) that would be sooooo cool! :) it feels very sacred when I watch videos of it on the Internet.
I actually have a store in my area which specializes in koi fish, and the pond construction industry. It's been a blessing to have them within a 30 min driving distance.
The owner Randall, is such agreat guy, and so knowledgeable. He helped us with our pond when it was being built (well more "we helped him").
He also rents those great big blue quarantine vats out so I would have quarantine options if I needed them.
He also does fish day care if you don't want to leave your fish in the pond over winter (we opt for the greenhouse method though)
 
#6 ·
Overwintering and quarentine equipment rentals? You are sooo lucky to have that guy! I had a pond guy, but when the pond industry took a big hit a few years ago he had to sell his business. I bought a few koi from him, and he helped us (lol same thing with me "I helped him") build my pond.

I guess you would have a few more problems overwintering your koi in New York than I would in Virginia (I'm in the southern region, ugh). I don't even think I've seen my pond freeze over. I've seen it covered in snow maybe once.

I've never seen videos of the mud pond harvest in Japan. Although I would love to go see some of the ancient koi ponds in Japan. Have you ever heard the story of Hanako? Supposedly there was a koi in a pond in Japan that lived to be over 200 years old. Hanako <-- This is the transcript of a radio conversation held with the owner of the pond. I love how dearly this man treats his koi.

Do you have any pictures of your pond, Mavi? I love looking at pictures of ponds.
 
#7 ·
Beautiful Koi you guys have :) I'd love a Koi Pond someday..but I'd be afraid of the upkeep :p Since I live in Ohio, they'd get cold pretty quick in the winter. How do you guys do water changes on those? Is it hard to keep the water clear and smelling like water rather than a swamp? My Grandma and Grandpa had a pond with a ton of Goldfish, it was green and smelled horribly :p
 
#9 ·
Some people do water changes on a pond, some don't. You will have to make water changes if it is overstocked. However, if it isn't, large enough and planted enough you won't have to. I never do. But I do have an overflow outlet for when it rains. So I guess every time it rains my pond gets a water change. My pond has never smelled bad or anything. My guess that the reason your grandparent's pond smelled bad was due to a lack of water movement. Stagnate water always smells.

The deal with having a pond and being up north is that you have to know the depth to which your ground freezes and then dig the pond 1-2 feet deeper. This will enable you to overwinter the fish in the pond. Still, when you do want to build your pond, find someone in the area who specializes in ponds. Trust me, it was the best decision I ever made with my pond.

Have any of you guys browsed koi auction sites? They have beautiful fish, but they're sooo expensive. I've seen koi selling for over $2,000!!!

Also, would you rather buy a small koi and watch it grow or buy a large koi? I'm in a conundrum. All of my koi are 12 inches and larger. Koi of those size are $100+. As much as I love them, I can't afford to drop that much on a koi. But I'm worried that my larger koi would bully a small guy. Or that the small guy would be too shy to come out and starve to death (that happened to me before). Another option I have is just to not introduce anything new since I have a good thing going.
 
#8 ·
I love koi! But you need a big pond/big tank and I can't afford that. But I'll be happy to contribute to the conversation!
 
#10 ·
Thekoimaiden- I had never heard the story of hanako before, but I read a fact somewhere that the oldest documented koi lived to be 246!
And if you were wondering, we do generally have to be careful because it does get quite cold and since we live right on lake Ontario the temperatures fluctuate even more!
Id also love to show you some pictures but I've never actually taken any, ill take some in the summer when my pond isn't covered :) ill show you my fishie friends :)
The reason I want more koi is because I want to watch them grow up :) so I would probably get some between 4 and 6 inches. Also that way I won't really know what they're colours will turn out to be it'll be a surprise :) it will also help with costs.
I've seen some koi auctions where fish have been sold for over 500 000!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!
As for larger bullying the small, I can't see that happening. Koi are such a peaceful fish (at least mine are) I can maybe seeing mine giving them the cold shoulder since they are all so buddy-buddy :p
Zappity- the key to cutting down on the maintenance you have to do is the long run is to not cut corners when building. My pond has four bottom filters and eight jets. Without them, nothing in my pond would live becauseit wouldn't be able to keep up with the maintenance. Filtration and aeration is everything.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Mavi, I was thinking about getting some between 6 and 8 inches. I love watching them grow; I also love the price when they are that small. Again, my only worry is quarantine. I'll work it out later, tho. I've still got a few months before I can add any koi.

:shock: $500000 ?!?!?! Holy smokes that's a brand new car!!!!! I know I've seen blue fin tuna go for something like that, but a single koi? It must have been a perfect tancho. I kinda want to see this half a million dollar koi.

I have one large koi who can be a bit pushy with food. Halloween. She's the largest and the piggiest. I've actually had better luck when I introdcue my koi in groups of 2. The two new guys just hang together for a bit before they find their place in the school. When I introduced one little guy on his own (Suzaku the kohaku, my newest edition) he hid for months. I would only see him around feeding time and only for a second. It took him a whole year to get comfortable with the group.

Oh. My. God. Mavi, your pond is amazing!! It's huge!!! I would love to see some pictures of your fish next summer. They must be huge!!!

Zappity- the key to cutting down on the maintenance you have to do is the long run is to not cut corners when building.
+1000000 This is the best advice! Never cut corners with a pond. It will kill you in the long run. Ponds are expensive endeavors. But if you have the time, the money, and the will, they are wonderful places to retreat.

Muffin, I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. *hugs* I would be devastated to lose my koi. But you are right to wait and research. Be sure to remind your parents that koi ponds are life-long commitments. Even if you decide to get rid of the koi, you will still have a huge hole in your backyard which is an insurance liability. I think your best bet is to find a local koi expert. There are certain quarks of the different locations we all live in which local pond expert will be best versed in. Mavi has her pond guy, and I have mine. They really make a difference. Ponds are different than aquariums. It really is best to bring in outside help when constructing it. You might also want to find a local koi pond club. They can help, too. Or a good koi forum. You'll find great advice there.

EDIT: Muffin, I did a quick search on Texas Koi Clubs and found a few. I found some based in Houston and some in Dallas. I don't know which would be closer to you. They might be something to look into, tho.
 
#11 ·
Oh I miss our koi. They were so pretty. My parents are so determined to get new koi, but I'm not letting them until we are ready and we do this right. I really want to do as much reading as possible to have a...well, as close to fool-proof koi pond as possible. It's going to be tough to convince them to let the little baby koi grow into their full size before deciding we need more koi to fill in the space. The good thing is they know not to mess with a good thing. If I can get a large enough pond that has plants and looks nice and can handle rain and such, they might not try and mess with it without my consent. We just had too small of a pond and not enough plants. And a...really pathetic filter. o_O

I personally don't want more koi until a long time from now(I'm still heartbroken to be honest...), but my parents are pushing for them hard, so I need to study quick. I might PM some of you who are super knowledgeable on koi so I can get a quick study guide and know where to look for the right info.
 
#12 ·
Oh no! What happened to your koi, purple muffin?!

Koi maiden- I just realized that although I've never taken a picture of my pond before, it's on Randall's website in his portfolio!
If you type in clarkekoi.com and then click on "portfolio" it's on the eighth page (there are side to side arrows)
It's the L shaped one.
 
#13 ·
They just didn't survive the move. I don't know what happened really, I tried to follow every bit of instruction on transporting them exactly. Part of me feels that they just went into shock. While I tried to keep their water clean as possible, with me being gone at school I don't think my parents really kept up with things like water changes, which they needed in their small 'pond'. So the move and the stress and then being in cleaner water. I tried to let them acclimate perfectly, but it just didn't work.. I don't know. They died very quickly, it was completely heartbreaking. I had tried so hard. My parents aren't good with fish, and they kept taking the wrong advice. By the time I got home I was just doing my best to get them back on track, and it seemed like it was going well. They grew so much! They were feeder size when we got them, and the biggest one was 14 inches when he/she died. :( Now they want a new pond, but they said they'd listen to me this time. I'm actually about to write a new thread about this in a moment.
 
#15 ·
It was not fun. I've heard that common goldfish and such are slightly hardier, and stay a little smaller than koi, so I was considering reading up on instead giving them a goldfish pond. But I've got a lot of reading to do.

Thanks for the search, I do live in the DFW area, actually near Arlington. I'll see if I can check them out and they can give me some answers. Would they deal in goldfish also, or just koi specifically? :)
 
#16 ·
I have cousins in that area. My grandparents used to live in Houston, but they traded the heat for the snow and moved to Ohio. It seems like most of the clubs deal in goldfish and koi ponds. I found one in the Dallas area and a one for all of Texas. Texas Koi & Fancy Gold Fish Society - Home and Dallas Koi Kichi Group - Home I'm hoping those guys can give you some help. Sometimes silly parents need to hear the same things that we say from other adults.

Goldfish would be another good alternative. They do stay smaller and are a little hardier. Your pond wouldn't need to be a huge to house a good number of them. With shubunkins and comets you still have a good choice of colors and fin types. Wakins are another interest goldfish that are best kept in ponds.
 
#17 ·
Goining a koi club would kill me :p I would come home with so much stuff I don't need :p
Thanks koi maiden! :) I'm very fond of my pond :) and as you can see its big enough that three more koi wouldn't overstock it in the least.
Most of the fish are around 15-20 inches but then corporal banana dwarfs them completely. He's almost 32 inches now!
How big is Halloween?
Introducing them in pairs is a really good idea.

Purple muffin, I'm so sorry for your loss that must have been devastating.
I have the same parent problem, with my betta when I'm away from home they used to over feed him because they think I'm starving him.
They are under the impression that they need absolutely zero maintenance. Luckily they don't take the same attitude with the koi.

If you really want some smaller hardier pond fish Shubunkins are like around goldfish size but they have beautiful long fins and they have patterning like sanke koi. They are quite beautiful.
 
#29 ·
Goining a koi club would kill me :p I would come home with so much stuff I don't need :p
Thanks koi maiden! :) I'm very fond of my pond :) and as you can see its big enough that three more koi wouldn't overstock it in the least.
Most of the fish are around 15-20 inches but then corporal banana dwarfs them completely. He's almost 32 inches now!
How big is Halloween?
Introducing them in pairs is a really good idea.

-snip-
Halloween is about 15 inches(?) maybe as large as 18 inches. I usually sit on a rock next to the waterfall and don't often get close to my koi. Plus I haven't seen them in a few months. The others are around 12 inches and the youngest, Suzaku, is about 10 inches. These are all guestimates. I should see if I can get an actual measurement this spring. Wish me luck trying to get them to stay still.

Corporal Banana must be an awesome fish to see! At 32 inches he's bigger than most small dogs and house cats! I can't wait until I have a pond that can house a koi that large. My pond is about 5 ft wide by 13 ft long. There is also a lot of water in the upper stream, waterfall, and lower stream.

Is it possible just to put 1-2 koi in a VERY large tank?
Koi are actually breed to be viewed from the top. I've had koi in a tank for just a short time, and they really don't look half as good as when they are in ponds. They also need huge tanks. 1000 gal is the smallest recommended koi pond size. However, I have seen bettas sold with koi-like colorings. Guppies are another good alternative. They can live in a 10 gal. I'd one day like to have a 40 gal full of them.

-snip-
I have an idea for the pond that would make it work. But in our new house it looks like the only space in the back yard would allow for a 5x5x3(MAYBE 4' deep) pond. With a decent filter, how many goldfish do you think would work in that size? I want to make it look very modern--a perfect square with thick concrete slabs, would look very much like modern japanese architecture. A nice equally modern waterfall in the back helping out with water circulation. The whole pond area would be very sleek and I think the modern 'look' might help prevent any random new fish purchases that could over stock the pond. It would already look nice with only a few goldfish in it.

In that size what filter/amount of goldfish would be suggested for low maintenance? :/
That sounds like a really neat design! I personally like the more natural looks, but it still sounds awesome if done right. I think the best way to make a pond low-maintence is to under stock it.

Oh. Well I definitely don't have room for 250 gallons. My 10 gallon takes up enough space. And that's just for a betta :) I still think koi are beautiful fish, but I can't afford to give them what they need. How much money do you really nead to invest anyway?
How much have I spend on my koi pond? Well building it cost about as much as a car. That was the largest expense. The koi weren't that expensive but that's because I bought them young. Food is another major expense. They eat a lot in the summer.
 
#18 ·
We had a shubunkins mixed in with our koi as well, he was actually a surprise dropped off in our pond from our neighbor. We just went outside after a storm and there were two new fish in the pond and our neighbor had packed up and moved out. It was very strange. But they were both beautiful. A ryukin and a shubunkins were the fish gifted to us, I loved them both.

I have an idea for the pond that would make it work. But in our new house it looks like the only space in the back yard would allow for a 5x5x3(MAYBE 4' deep) pond. With a decent filter, how many goldfish do you think would work in that size? I want to make it look very modern--a perfect square with thick concrete slabs, would look very much like modern japanese architecture. A nice equally modern waterfall in the back helping out with water circulation. The whole pond area would be very sleek and I think the modern 'look' might help prevent any random new fish purchases that could over stock the pond. It would already look nice with only a few goldfish in it.

In that size what filter/amount of goldfish would be suggested for low maintenance? :/
 
#19 ·
Is it possible just to put 1-2 koi in a VERY large tank?
 
#20 ·
Purple muffin. I'm not sure, you should find some way of calculating the gallonage. Then it would be easier to figure out how many should fit.

Bettamommy531rip, I would never ever keep koi in a tank! How big of a tank are you talking about
 
#21 ·
I don't know. As big as it needs to be.
 
#23 ·
Oh. Grrrrr. Maybe I'll try some fancy varieties of goldfish. Or guppies. Or maybe I'll stick with bettas.
 
#25 ·
Oh. Well I definitely don't have room for 250 gallons. My 10 gallon takes up enough space. And that's just for a betta :) I still think koi are beautiful fish, but I can't afford to give them what they need. How much money do you really nead to invest anyway?
 
#33 ·
No worries. I'll answer to the best of my abilities. One thing about stocking you'll want to keep in mind is water surface. If you're going to have a completely square tank then you will be limited in stocking. You could follow the koi stocking levels and go with about 500 gal for one fish, but I can understand not wanting to do that with just 600 gal pond. Maybe go with 100 gal per fish?

On the other hand you could try to get a breed of goldfish that stays smaller. Ryukins are known to be small, but I don't know hot they would handle the Dallas winter. I think shubunkins tend to stay smaller than commons and comets.

For the actual level of filtration, I don't think I can answer that. Filtration is something that I'm not even sure about with my filtration on my normal tanks. That might be a question for the pond club guys.

Aww, thanks, Sakura. ^-^ It really is my pride and joy.
 
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