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bitten by the koi bug...

sstehm
Koi Lover

Oct 2, 2002, 5:55 AM

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bitten by the koi bug...	Can't Post

I've been bitten by the koi bug, I can't go into the petstore without checking them out ( i dont know much about them so i've never been to a koi breeder, where the really good koi are Wink

How many koi can you fit in a space (say perhaps a 50gal tank --im not exactely sure what it will be, i havent gotten one yet) without overcrowding? they only grow super huge if you feed them to be that way right? so if you kept them on a strict diet would they stay smaller--or would that be cruel? (i have no clue about fishies lol)

OntarioD
Koi Lover

Oct 2, 2002, 11:11 PM

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Re: [sstehm] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Better go and get a good book. Unless you don't feed them, koi will grow big, even in a tank. In a 50gal tank you will be hard pressed to keep the water parametres at best with even one or two koi. Koi will struggle and die if the water conditions are not perfect. Be prepared for lots of testing, water changes, and an excellent filter system that includes both mechanical and bio filtration. Stay in touch with boards like this for your questions. There are some extremely knowledgable folks around here and they will help you.

Good luck,

Denise

sstehm
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 12:29 AM

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Re: [OntarioD] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

is it possible to keep them in a tank for at least the majority of their life? if so how large would it eventually have to be? I am going to go to a petstore that has some pond stuff too today (and pick myself up a book on koi Wink

) my problem is space limitation, i'm not allowed to build a pond outside (although since we are moving to a very large house soon iv been trying to convince them to let me use part of the back room... Smile

) i know im going to need something large for my turtles too (the koi will probobly go in the same tank as them)

ill let you know what i find at the aquarium store and hopefully you all can give me some input thanks a bunch Smile

( i like these smiley dudes lol)

OntarioD
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 1:49 AM

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Re: [sstehm] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Lots of people on this board have indoor ponds and if you browse through the koi appreciation section you will likely see quite a few pics of these set up. I don't think it is a problem of them living inside for life as long a they are in a sufficient tank. From the looks of most of the indoor ones I have seen on this board, I am guessing that 1200+ gal is a starting point. The koi really do grow quickly. I will attach a photo of one of my babies that I kept in doors last winter(in 100gal) and another photo of him last week.The photos are not that great but you can see the growth. Look at the black and white one in both pics it is the same koi, 1yr ago. In the tank photo you can see he is about the same size as yours is now. In the second photo he is with babies that were his size.He is now about 12+ inches.

As far as the turtles, just watch for contamination. Koi can be taken down quickly by a variety of parasites and bacterial infections. The treatments that you may have to apply to them may not be suitable for your turtles.

Denise

Attachments:

babies01.jpg (21.6 KB)

OntarioD
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 2:04 AM

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Second picture of same koi this summer. Still can't figure out how to upload 2 photos in one post yet. Denise

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babekoi02.jpg (34.0 KB)

TonyG
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 8:42 AM

Post #6 of 15 (1063 views)
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Re: [sstehm] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi

Where are you from by the way?? Smile

Tony

mattloui
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 9:18 AM

Post #7 of 15 (1059 views)
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Re: [OntarioD] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Ontario

I believe the bekko ( black and white koi)"s rapid growth was due to the fact you have place him/her in the pond, right? my indoor kois do not enjoy such rapid growth and i am kinda of dissapointed. anyway, 1200 gal is actually quite big for an indoor FG or tank and i am have not seen such a big tank, it is actually a 6 ton tank.

to Denise,

Everybody gets hit by the koi bug and this is the starting point of years of enjoyment. I would suggest you start slow and since space is a constraint, you could put two or three nice kohakus( red and white type) about 4-5 inches in a 4 feet acquarium and admire them from the side view. Though kois are best seen from the top, they are equally beautiful from the side. From the side you could see the two pairs of barbels which look like whiskers and the colours will stand out in an acquarium if the water is clear. Do this for a year and the kois though bigger by then will still be able to survive in the acquarium as they have conditioned themselves to the environment. They probably be stunted for a while but you are not looking forward to jumbo kois, at least not yet. After that, believe me, you will probably find a bigger tank one way or another. For the type of acquarium, try to get those with bottom drain which flows down to another smaller tank which is actually the filter. All these should be available in the fish shop.

one last thing, keep the toitoise/turtles away from the kois. Somehow, these turtles are a lot tougher and can also contribute negatively to the water quality at the expense of the kois.

Welcome to the koi world. you want to see nice kois, look at the attachments.
CHEERS

mattloui
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 9:24 AM

Post #8 of 15 (1058 views)
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CHEERS

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kohaku.gif (14.2 KB)

mattloui
Koi Lover

Oct 3, 2002, 9:27 AM

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CHEERS

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koi01.gif (9.57 KB)

cwnchong
Member

Oct 3, 2002, 11:35 AM

Post #10 of 15 (1048 views)
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Hi sstehm,

Ontario is right that koi grows very quickly. You can actually start with your 50 gal tank or 4ft aquarium as Matt mentioned, with 3 or 4 small kois provided you have the intention to upgrade your tank to at least 100gal within 6 months. My opinion 3 to 4_12" kois should be okay in a 100 gal tank provided a good filtering system is in place.

I have came across a situation early last year, I did not know my neighbour kept koi indoor in a 3 ft aquarium for almost 2 years until the aquarium had a leak. He asked me to temporary house his koi until his aquarium is fixed. He has a 12" with a few other 5"kois. The 12"koi is thin & long, shaped like cat fish when viewed from the top with a large head, but the 5" were quite normal to me. The fish is really sickly and bony. It gave me a sorrowful feeling keeping it even temporary. I may term this kind of control feeding cruel.

You will miss a lot of fun in koi keeping if you can't feed your fish. As a koi keeper for sometime now I can tell you my joy. I can tell whether my kois are happy or not. Their eyes can express their feelings. This expression are very adorable and longing to watch them swim around.

sstehm
Koi Lover

Oct 4, 2002, 11:21 AM

Post #11 of 15 (1016 views)
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Re: [cwnchong] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

thanks for all your input guys! keep it coming! Wink

i went to the petstore to look for tanks (btw didnt see a single book on koi or goldfish, all tropicals...)at least 100 gallons ( one of you said 100 gal. w/ really good filter should be ok for 3-4 12" koi?), but not finding anything that will fit my turtles as well, so i got the gerbil wheel spinning and got the idea that maybe i could build my own, this way i could customize it to be spacious enough for the koi and have enough surface area for the turtles to play--anyone have experiance with that type of stuff? do you think it would be practical?

also about the turtles possibly making the koi sick, (aside from seperation Wink

) would a good filter be the best bet ? i defianetly prefer to stay away from chemicals as much as possible ( the only stuff that goes with the fish and turtles is dechlorinator and turtle clean) any recomendations for an excelllent filter?

after hearing about that poor fishie that looked all bony, i don't ever want to deprive my babies of as much food as they want (although they might eat me out of house and home though lol) i love feeding my koi, i'v only gotten the one to come and eat out of my hand, the one i think is a female(shes rounder than the other) still is a little shy most of the time, right now they usually only take one or two then eat the goldfishes food lol

sorry if my writing seems a little mish moshy im really tired lol

anywho-you guys are very helpful thanks so much, im glad i joined this forum Smile

sstehm
Koi Lover

Oct 4, 2002, 11:34 AM

Post #12 of 15 (1015 views)
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Re: [sstehm] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

or maybe i could keep the turtles in something else ( i just reread the posts Wink

)

mattloui
Koi Lover

Oct 4, 2002, 12:45 PM

Post #13 of 15 (1013 views)
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i have reared many terrapins(some kind of turtles) before and believe me these animals are tough. thye could live in adverse condition and water quality do not affect them at all. I guess the reason is because they normally breathe through the surface and not thru gills.
there was one time when i mixed them with my chidlids in the 4 feet acquarium to encourage community living and my god! they messed up the water almost overnight. The whole acquarium gave a foul smell and the fishes get weaken and i witnessed these terrapins surrounding the fishes and went for the kill. All fishes were gone within a week.

So unless you planned to watch them all the time or you change the water all the time, mixing them up is not advisable.
CHEERS

TonyG
Koi Lover

Oct 4, 2002, 3:29 PM

Post #14 of 15 (1003 views)
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Re: [mattloui] bitten by the koi bug... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hay, Matt is right, do not mix the turtles and kois together, they will just corrupt your water. Had a similar experience and I can tell you, it stinks the whole tank. Give it to my sister after 3 days Sly

and never venture into it again.

By the way, are you from S'pore?

Tony

sstehm
Koi Lover

Oct 4, 2002, 9:13 PM

Post #15 of 15 (996 views)
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S'pore?

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