ouch
Koi Lover
May 29, 2008, 11:19 AM
Post #5 of 5
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I went and measured the pond and the size is about 5.5' x 4' x about 2'. The formula I found online to determine gallons in a pond said to multiply L x W x D x 7.0 (is this correct?), so that gives me roughly 300 gallons, give or take.
It's actually LxWxDx7.5 for a rectangular pond, so we can say 300-350 gallons.
Fish load--4 small (4-6") koi, and about 8-10 small comet goldfish.
This is too many fish for your pond, and it will only get worse as they grow (especially the koi). With a good filter, you could have 1-2 koi and a few goldfish. Or, you could get rid of all the koi and keep the goldfish. Goldfish are much more hardy and don't require as much space. They also are less messy than koi. With goldfish a general rule is 1" of fish per 10 gallons. So 10 goldfish, each 5", require 500 gallons. However, the better the filter, the more fish you can add and maintain perfect water quality.
Another issue I didn't mention is feeding. How often, how much, and what do you feed? Buying a slow-degrading food (Tetra just came out with a nice flake food), and reducing feeding will help the algae problem as well.
I do have some plants in the pond. Originally I put them in to give the fish some cover from the sun and from predators. Now that the water isn't as easily seen through I can remove them (?).
Leave the plants in the pond. They compete with the algae for nitrates, which is basically plant food. Also, any plant leaves, blossoms, etc, that fall into the pond will decay and produce more ammonia, nitrites, and ultimitately nitrates. Netting out debris in the pond regularly before it starts to decay will help keep the water clear.
I would gladly build a filter, however given we do not own the house that's out of the question. :o( Plus, there isn't anywhere to put it as the pond is in the front "yard" installed in a built up area. I'll have to take a picture but it basically takes up the entire area w/a couple of very, very small trees in front.
A picture would be helpful. The filter doesn't need to be anything huge or amazing for your size pond, and anything at this point will help. Even a 5 gallon bucket turned into a filter would help, though the bigger the better. You could use something like a 32 or 44 gallon rubbermaid trashcan, which could greatly improve the situation if implemented correctly.
I can say that having underestimated the size of the pond, I have not been putting in nearly enough algaecide, barely, and/or water clearer type products. Should I increase this or is there anything I shouldn't be putting in there?
Do not use algaecide! I cannot tell you how many death stories I have heard after using algaecide. Algaecide uses up a ton of oxygen, so if you don't have the pond extremely well aerated you will end up killing the fish, or harming them at best. This is a waste of money anyways, as this only temporarily solves the issue. A filter is the only long term fix for water quality.
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