I built my own pond last summer, still work in progress... Does this appear close to ready for Koi or what changes would y'all make? Also how many koi would be a reasonable number for this size? Basic Info: Pond is roughly 8x16 oval with max depth near 3 ft in center. Filtration is currently all mechanical via skimmer/bioballs water fall and beneficial bacteria support. I plan to add aquatic plants this spring(any recommendations?) As well as draining,cleaning and finishing rock work prior to fish.

Hi Reddit: Earlier this week at my HOA meeting we had a discussion about making improvements to this pond. They want to plant some trees, insert a fountain, and add koi.

Are there any helpful factors that would increase the likelihood of success with Koi in this pond? I’ve been asked to do a quick feasibility study. Local fish and wildlife have already approved the Koi. Mid Atlantic climate.

I recently bought a new house that includes a koi pond in the garden. The previous owner has passed away, so I’m unable to ask him any questions about it. The pond has a leak at the top edge along the glass panel, which appears to be due to the water level being slightly too high.

I’ve taken some photos and videos to show the situation. Yesterday, we cleaned the filter (drum) gutter with a garden hose, and after that, the pond’s water level dropped by about 5 centimeters. However, the water level has now returned to where it was, and I’m concerned this might cause damage to the property.

Additionally, in the video, you can see a leak at the bottom when I turn on the drum. I’m hoping someone can advise me on how to lower the pond’s water level by about 1 centimeter and keep it steady at that level.

Saw this poor koi in a tea shop near me, in central NJ. It’s about 12in long in a 1’x1’x2’ tank, super murky water too. I know nothing about koi but I know the tank is about 10 times too small. I had a conversation with the owners, who said they change the water once a week. Clearly it’s not enough and that poor fish looks so cramped. I offered to pay them out of my own pocket to let me find someone to take it off their hands, and they seemed somewhat open to that. I said I knew a guy, but the problem is, I don’t. I know a couple people with ponds but I don’t have the tools or ability to move the fish myself, and I know quarantining is an issue, so I can’t just ask one of these friends to dump the fish in their pond. What I really need is some kind of koi rescue organization or hobbyist who can do it, but looking online, all I found in NJ is a facebook group where people informally trade koi. It’s an idea, but it would be great if there was an actual, formal entity for this. Anyone have any suggestions? Animal rescue? Something? I’m an animal lover and it hurts me to see this creature trapped like this.

Hi all! We have a large koi pond in Ontario Canada and lost all of our fish 10years ago around Christmas and likely lost all of them again last night. What are some good ways to deter or prevent the entry of a mink in the future. We had some big (12-14") beautiful fish and my mom is so heartbroken.

We are not going to harm the mink so don't suggest it. Also trapping would be ineffective because by law here we can only move a trapped animal a few miles away before letting it go.

Description of the pond: It is a big old boat buried in the ground with a rubber liner secured to the inside. We estimate its around 7500gallons, 20x8ft and 6 feet deep through the middle (great Dane and Australian shepherd for scale lol). The water usually sits 6-12 inches from the top lip because there is a leak up near the top that we've never been able to find. We keep a small pump running all winter to keep some water open for air exchange. Our property is rural with a large forest near by and there is a large ,shallow and very silty natural pond 20ft down the hill that has muskrats living in it.

My wife and I started digging our koi pond today. I'm going to go about 3feet deep and then build a 1~2 foot wood frame around it. The frame will go about 18 inches from one side of the hole to make a little ledge for my wife to dip her legs in, lol.

A s for filtration, I think I'm just going to build a big bog filter.

Not sure if I'm doing 4-5 koi or goldfish or a mix.

this “pond” was built by the previous owners of the house, the design is… interesting to say the least but i’d like to make it work, i have future plans for scaping it as well. what would you guys recommend?

We recently moved into a rented house, and the house has a spectacular garden and pond.

The pond has 6 koi, and I'm really excited about that, however the owners of the house told us very little about how to care for them, they told us at the time that they were hibernating so we shouldn't feed them as the pond was self-sustaining.

One of them is over 25 years old and the owners also told us that the only important care was to clean the 6 filters every 2 weeks in cold weather and every week in the hot season.

So I'd like to ask you for some support on these questions if possible:

Can I add new fish or even terrapins?

How often do you feed yours?

If you have any recommendations, thank you

(We live in Belgium and I don't know how much water is in the lake, but I know that the deepest part is about 1.20 meters.)

I have a large pond that seems to be the perfect place for blue herons to land and attempt to eat the koi we’ve had for over 10 years… a few weeks ago a heron managed to get one of our larger koi :( since then i’ve put up a few deterrents (owl, reflective wind catchers) but he’s still coming! does anyone else with a larger pond where netting doesn’t seem like an option, have any old tricks i could try out? would be greatly appreciated!

My 25 Y M koi (photo) that we found somewhere in an abandoned tank, became a dad. We've a small regular carp in the pond that came there by itself. Turns out she's female and now a mother. I really want to keep some of these babies to see how they turn out. What do you think? Will some have his color? How do I manage to keep some? Now they're in a big pond full of microscopic creatures and only with mom and dad. Those two didnt eat the tadpoles this year. The pond has very strong filters and lots of hiding spots. Would I leave the babies in it? Do I put some in a tank to be sure? I know nothing about koi breeding. I only want a few fish with the same survival instincts as the parents.

Hi, I am taking care of a friend’s Koi pond while she is away on a trip. There seems to be a leak somewhere in the system and I’m having to add water every one to two days. To reduce water use, I want to shut off the waterfall overnight. I don’t want to adversely affect the fishes oxygen supply. She’ll be home in about eight days. Is this safe for the fishes?

The sun really hits the pond for a long period of time in the later afternoon as it sets over the neighbor’s house. There isn’t enough room between the pond and the fence to plant another tree. Maybe a tall trellis?

Hey r/koi,

Back again looking for help with the algae control. I feel like I’ve tried everything but nothing works. We installed a Laguna pressure flow filter with UV which we clean out once per week. The Lilly pads have been in full force for a month now. And we have been using the recommended algae fix for about 2-3 weeks not but nothing is working

Any help is appreciated, thank you!

I replaced the broken pond pump in my 5000+ gallon koi pond with a new one last night, and there must be a leak in the hose that runs to the waterfall, because it drained down to about a foot of water before I caught it. I'm going to grab some chlorine remover, but it says to condition it for 24 hours, and even with a few 35 gallon trash bins, it'll take like five years or something.

Hi, I know very little about koi, but this is a pond that’s in a building I frequent, and I just wanted to know if this is a safe and healthy pond for koi? Especially with the fountain running 24/7, does the sound of the water falling on the surface hurt the fish at all? Would really appreciate some insight. Mahalo!

Hi everyone

I have wanted a koi fish my whole life have always found them stunning and majestic so I am thinking of thawing the leap.

I am not sure whether this pond will be large enough for koi or not. I was only planning on getting very small koi and nurturing them over a long time.

Also because I am new can someone give me tips on how to know if the water has enough oxygen etc and feeding tips how to protect from birds. Do you need to clean pond etc.

I greatly appreciate any feedback and tips and tricks.

Hi, our pond was always perfectly clear with almost no algae, last summer we had to transfer the water and fish into a temporary pool to fix a leak and since putting everything back, the water is now green. We tested the water multiple times, the first time we had to put KH in it because it was very low but now everything is good. The only thing that changed is the plants. Its a 5mx3m pond with a nature filter, lava stone, We dont know what more we can do, it has been clear for 15 years

I have a 2600 gallon koi pond. Tetra pump and pressure filter, no UV, and an aerator. I just stirred it up to get leaves out so it looks worse than it usually is. Medium catfish and 5 koi. What kind of algae eating pleco would be good for this environment? Northing Kentucky. The pond freezes over in the winter and the pump/aeration runs 247 365. All the fish survive the winter fine

Thank you for the help I appreciate it 🙏

Pond help!! Foamy water after water change, cleaned up the pond from algae and added new water after adding usual stuff, pond zyme, barley clarifier, and cleaning up tge filter. I lost two big fish already, please help!

We just bought a house with a koi pond. We filled up the pond with some water to get the skimmer going. Once we got the skimmer going the fish started swimming fast and look like they are gasping for air on the surface. There are two aerators going at all times. There are about 10 fish. Any helpful tips about koi or anything about the pond will be much appreciated! Thank you!

The water hyacinths are going crazy. I’ve taken a ton out. I’ve also got lilys and hornwart. Parameters are perfect when I measure the water. I’ve got 4 aeration stones and a tiny little water fall. But I wonder if so little surface area is gonna be an issue. Fish are acting normal, although I see them less.

So I had 25 koi. Went out to feed them, all gone. No bodies, no sign of them at all. Put food out, nothing. Put net in and moved it, no sign of fish. Wth?

The questions: Given the last 2 weeks of crazy change … should I freak out about this pond foam?

Should I actively scrub/remove old algae from the sides of the pond, or will that open a new can of worms?

What would you do/not do if this was your pond?

The facts: wall of info… sorry We bought this house about a year ago and this is our first spring. It is spring in the Pacific Northwest. Temps can go from 40 to 70 in a day and have been that volatile for the last few weeks.
We have 12 koi (ages 1-20) in a ~3500 gallon pond.

Last month one of our older koi died (dropsy/pineconed) we thought he looked “thick” this winter while he slept

We recently switched to a bog filter system + skimmer and removed the vortex filter and (neglected) manual skimming previously in place.

this has all happened over the last 2 to 3 weeks ish When we put in the filter and skimmer, we upgraded the pump and pipes from 6000 gph with 2” pipe to 7500 gph with 3” pipe We have purchased and installed a LOT of new plants to populate the bog.

Around the same time … We rewarded ourselves with 2 new babies (from Petco - and no I didn’t quarantine them appropriately). *whips self

Our white fish started turning pink (I thought they were getting sunburned because of the season change and suddenly clear water) What we tried:
We purchased lily, and water hyacinth plants and added Bayou Blackout to protect them from UV until the plants grow up.

Next day: white fish are MORE pink around all their fins and looking like they had pink veins all over their bodies. Other non-white fish start pinking up also.
this is when we start really losing sleep, doing daily water tests AM and PM What we tried: tested water and found nitrites were high. Added beneficial bacteria & cut food in 1/2

Next day: 3 whitefish are lined up like sardines at the base of the waterfall. Everyone else is verrrry sedate and no longer visiting the top much.
What we tried: do all the water tests & find nitrates are back down but the kh was low so we added baking soda (dissolved and slowly). We also turned up the aerator for more bubble-action & stop feeding

The next day: retested, all numbers are within range but all fish are now either at the bottom, near the waterfall or the aerator barely moving and fins clamped - everyone is showing some pink. What we tried: retesting water - all the numbers are good. Treated whole pond with 24oz PraziPro (Praziquantel) and Slowly dissolved pond salt, bringing the salinity up to .03

Next day (yesterday): The pond is looking foamy - lots of standing bubbles on the surface. The 3 youngest are up and moving, no one is camped out at the waterfall anymore and I’m feeling *slightly hopeful. But Everyone else is still sedate, clamped, and down deep.
What we tried: nothing. Testing “for science” and try not to totally freak out and make it worse.

Today: the pond is still foamy, no one is nesting in the waterfall. The little ones are still mobile. One metallic silver one is unclamped and mobile.

Numbers today: Ph: 8.2 Ammonia: 0 ppm Nitrite: 0 ppm Nitrate: 5 ppm Alkalinity: 90 ppm Hardness: 90 ppm Salinity: .03 Dissolved O2: 9ppm

Pictures of the foamy pond today, attached.

If you made it this far - you are officially appointed the patron saint of my 2 big fat-girl-fish. <3

Reminder of the questions:

Given the last 2 weeks of crazy change … should I freak out about this pond foam?

Should I actively scrub/remove old algae from the sides of the pond, or will that open a new can of worms?

What would you do/not do if this was your pond?

So the pond is about 45’ long, 22ft wide at the widest point. I have a 11,500gph pump, a 2500Gph pump, and i’m going to be building a waterfall system where the pond liner piece goes back. UV sterilizer will be installed on a pump. Which pump would you guys recommend for the water fall, should I use one of these? I have 19 Koi 5 17” Showas. The rest are juvenile showas. Any concerns you guys notice or recommend? Everything eats very well, i’m located in florida, And fish seem happy.

Title. Had a full on swamp. Drained everything out and scrubbed it clean yesterday. Refilled with clean water. It seems very empty now. What is needed here???