Home  

  Main Index MAIN
INDEX 		Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS 		Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE 		Log in LOG
IN

Home: KOI Talk: DIY Corner:
Starting from scratch

 





 


lynda
New User

Oct 27, 2006, 4:31 PM

Post #1 of 10 (2234 views)
Shortcut
Starting from scratch Can't Post
Hi all,

Need some advice on starting a mini koi pond or tank from scratch. Have zero knowledge on this. But really interested after visiting the farm.

Need advice on things like what koi to start with?
How much does it cost to start a portable pond?
Is a tank an option for koi?

Can anyone advise?

thanks,
Lynda


koiguyoz
Member


Oct 28, 2006, 5:47 PM

Post #2 of 10 (2214 views)
Shortcut
Re: [lynda] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
Due to the fact that kois have a tendency to get large (60-90cms) in most cases, starting with a mini koi pond or small aquarium is a temporary fix (and potential waste of your money) over the long term.

If you currently own land, lets start with positioning of the pond and the potential space you can allocate. Some soils have a tendency to hold in water and this can be a problem in creating a deep pond, especially with liner material (use to hold in the pond water) as the water in the groun can cause the liner to lift, in which case a concrete walled pond would be a consideration.

If you don't own the land you live on, you're best consideration is a large water tank (of at least 2000-5000 litres in capacity along with a solids handling submersible pump connected to an external biological filter.

So, what I am basically saying is that you should begin with the pond/living arrangements for the koi before even considering any koi (its a common problem for people to start off with koi, put them into a small underfiltered living arrangement and then come to griefs with high ammonia and nitrite levels as well as green water blooms (as a result of inefficient biological filters).


lynda
New User

Oct 31, 2006, 4:30 PM

Post #3 of 10 (2172 views)
Shortcut
Re: [koiguyoz] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
Ok, just bought six small ones with a fairly big pond, about 60 gallons. Material is not fiberglass, something like hard PVC. Is it ok?

This Solids handling submersible pump, is it a normal one? And why external filter?

The fish seems quite shy for 3 days now and will always hide under the pump, but are getting coming out more during feeding when I'm around. Is this normal?

My kois jump once a while. Am suspecting maybe looking for food. Is there other reasons that may cause the fish to jump? Not ideal water condition?

One of them actually jumped out of the water last sunday. It was lifeless when I picked it up, only breathing through one gill. After putting him in a seperate container and stroking it, it started breathing on the other side too and moving around. But ever since then, I noticed it doesn't really feed much. Should I do something?

Thanks for answering my questions. You may be wondering what I'm doing without even the very basics. But I'm really interested in making this koi thing last. Really appreciate your help.


tigerjh
Koi Lover

Nov 4, 2006, 7:32 AM

Post #4 of 10 (2124 views)
Shortcut
Re: [lynda] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
plez. tell me you DID not just but 6 koi for a 60 gallon pond, you need like a 250 gallon pond

Mr.Jonathan
i love Yamabuki
and one happy 13 year old koi lover


koiguyoz
Member


Nov 4, 2006, 1:45 PM

Post #5 of 10 (2120 views)
Shortcut
Re: [tigerjh] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
Tigerjh is just giving you future advice on the keeping of koi and its all good Smile.

You see, depending on the koi heritage, you're looking at a pet that can grow to 60-90cms or more in length.

There are other advantages too. With a larger pond you can enjoy the koi's swimming abilities and gaze at the beauty of the koi as it swims down one end and back again.

But please do consider creating a larger pond down the line :D


lynda
New User

Nov 6, 2006, 11:23 PM

Post #6 of 10 (2085 views)
Shortcut
Re: [koiguyoz] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
I understand.

Does fish size matters? My kois are only max. 5 inches long, baby kois.

Test kit shows ammonia level is very high. Besides reducing feed and introducing air, what is the ideal method in bringing down the reading?

I don't understand why my kois are still so shy. Always hiding away.


koiguyoz
Member


Nov 7, 2006, 12:23 PM

Post #7 of 10 (2069 views)
Shortcut
Re: [lynda] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
I understand.

Does fish size matters? My kois are only max. 5 inches long, baby kois.

Test kit shows ammonia level is very high. Besides reducing feed and introducing air, what is the ideal method in bringing down the reading?

I don't understand why my kois are still so shy. Always hiding away.

High Ammonia:
*Review how you clean your filtration media. The filtration media houses the colony of nitrospira and nitrosomonas bacteria as well as some other bacteria responsible for the conversion of both ammonia and nitrites in the water.

Preferable, clean the media in a container of tank water (enough to remove debris). If you overclean the media you might remove too much good bacteria.

Increase the amount of biomedia surface area either through:

*Increasing the amount of biomedia or

*Increasing the efficiency of the biomedia (as a user of lava rocks, I have found the lava rock to be less efficient than bioballs).

How old is your media and pond?

If it is reasonably young, the biomedia may not have matured enough with the positive bacteria required for nitrite and ammonia conversion. Normally it should take 4-8weeks.

Ideal methods to reduce ammonia:
Zeolite is a chemical media that can be used for short period reduction of ammonia. The chemical media absorbs the ammonia, but can be released when it comes in contact with salt (and therefore can also be recharged or cleaned with salt ALWAYS outside the pond environment).

Purchase or create a larger container to house larger amounts of biomedia. Consider creating a trickle tower biofilter (it houses aerobic bacteria and is faster in converting ammonia and nitrites when designed correctly).





Wayde
Koi Lover

Dec 16, 2006, 9:13 AM

Post #8 of 10 (1749 views)
Shortcut
Re: [lynda] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
New koi often jump when they are first introduced to a new environment. I believe I once read that jumping is their way of trying to get back where they came from, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Anyway, I'm not all that surprised that they are jumping, as 60 gallons is far too small to keep 6 koi. I once had to quarantine a fish in a 60 gallon container, and the ammonia levels were off the charts. I was making up to two FULL water changes a day (don't do this!) and there were still readings of ammonia; admittedly, the tank had no biological filter as it was completely temporary, but the ammonia was very high for one fish.

Please consider investing the time and money to make an appropriately sized pond for your fish; you won't regret it. I think there are even a few prefabricated ponds that are large enough to house such small koi. Good luck!


koifishgirl
Koi Kichi


Dec 16, 2006, 9:28 AM

Post #9 of 10 (1748 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Wayde] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
You are going to have trouble on your hands until you have a proper filter and it takes time for that filter to mature.

First thing you should do is a water change every day, sorry but if you put fish in a pond that is new and not mature your going to have these problems. I would suggest if you can find someone that already has a set up to get a small piece of there filter to put in yours and that will establish your filter.

Im with the others 6 koi need way more space than that and I am scared they will die on you unless you put forth a lot of effort to keep them alive. It going to be a lot of work for you and you may not get the enjoyment out of them that you would like because of this. Build them a pond you can enjoy and one that they can grow and be happy in. Believe me the cost is worth it.Wink
Judy


ayranjim
Koi Lover

Jan 4, 2007, 9:56 PM

Post #10 of 10 (1569 views)
Shortcut
Re: [koiguyoz] Starting from scratch [In reply to] Can't Post
Hello, one thinks that this is a simple hobby (0r love ) and it is after alot of research, but in the begining it may seem overwhelming! It is not a cheap hobby! As your love for this art grows, so does your knowledge. I say it is not cheap because you learn more and realize that ( if only I had a????) then you spend more improving their living enviroment, which means a bigger this or that, a better this or that and so on. So maybe you should spend some time investigating and reading to see if this is something for you!

 
 
 



Search for (options) Back to Koi.com.my Main Page

  Disclaimer  Privacy Statement     
Copyright 2001~ 2002 Hileytech Sdn Bhd , All Rights Reserved.  
No part of the forum postings can be copied without prior permission from Hileytech Sdn Bhd and the Author of the Posting.
For comments and Suggestion, Please contact the Webmaster at koi@hileytech.com