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Koi

Cubslover
Yes I raise the question on the fish again. A friend of mine and I were talking about Koi ponds. I am getting the desire to put one in by our back patio. "L" shaped, 1.5' deep on one end 4' deep on the other. Each side of the "L" being about 4-6' long and about 3' wide. About 900 to 1000 gallons all together.

Two questions.

1. How much are young Koi to buy? (say 6-8")

2. Do they take the COLD very well? Winters around here will touch 10 below zero for a few days.

I want to keep it as simple as possible, some aquatic plants in each end, pump, fountain, etc.
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4 comments

Date Votes
  • Cubslover
    I have a koi pond, just introduced 3 to it. Its a mature pond that came with my house. Ive had them for three days and they havent eaten. They are hiding most of the time. Any advice???


    Thanks,
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  • He Dog
    price depends upon quality, but you can by pretty enough koi for under $30. They are carp, they take cold well, but you cannot run the pump in winter (you will supercool the water) and you cannot freeze them. Four foot should be enough depth unless the water stays frozen for a prolonged period and the ice becomes too thick. Keep the numbers very modest, to prevent oxygen deprivation, when frozen or during very warm parts of summer.

    Start with a good book on koi.
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  • Don McManus
    The Log Cabin Republicans have a wonderful link to Koi Pond construction and decorating on their website.
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  • mr_floppy
    For winter you have 2 issues to worry about.

    1. Keeping a hole in the ice to let gas's escape from the water/ fish/ decaying plant matter. It's those gas's that kill the fish.
    2. The water freezing all the way down to the bottom and crushing the fish.

    CL I run a 500 gallon Fiberglass constructed pond with Goldfish in the same climate area your in. Its only 28 inches deep so I'm bound by having to keep a close eye on the pond and freezing issues in the winter.

    I normally run a small air compressor with a large air-stone to keep the water agitated and keep the surface from freezing completely. When it gets to the zero's I then need to supplement this with a surface heater to keep a hole established in the surface.

    Try to get yourself down deep enough to prevent this. But you still need to keep an hole open for gas's to escape.


    Be prepared for Raccoons, Herons, Egrets.

    You could always run a net over the pond area.
    Or Teach Mrs. CL to be a crack shot.



    Take a look at Doctors Foster Smith.com you can sign up for a pond news letter. They sent out one a few weeks ago with a Koi sale in it.
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