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what is the amount of living space that a Koi will need? how many gallons of water per koi.

the amount of gallons... is roughly one gallon per inch of fish. so a koi being large bellied and length so you have a 5 inch koi but his/her body is say female looking that one koi could be 8 square inches = atleast 8 gallons but they grow quick my one year old is now 12 1/2 inches . many water changes in between.

I think everyone will have a different take on this question.

Personally I don't think the question can be answered easily. Too many variables to be considered. It’s all about the system as a whole. And you cannot take water quality and filtration out of the equation. The number of fish the pond can have is closely related to how well the bio filter can convert the ammonia and how well the mechanical filter can remove the solid waste. If you start to see ammonia readings that won't go away, you are overstocked and/or under fltered.

Also, you need to consider circulation, aeration, amount and quality of food, temps, external debris, frequency of water changes, amount of time you want to spend cleaning the filters, etc, etc, etc. You also have to consider what you want from your fish, are you developing for show? Just want some nice pond fish? How big do you want to get them? To get big beautiful fish you need lots of food and a filter that can handle the waste and a system that can produce high quality water.

It’s just not as simple as number of fish per gallon. For example you can get 50 gallons per fish if you have an excellent filter design, feed lightly with a high quality food and do water changes every other day, and be just fine. Or you can have 1 fish per 500 gallons, but have a tiny pump and filter, no bottom drain, never do water changes and feed heavily with a cheap food, and have all your fish die.

Not sure if your asking about Koi or gold fish, but Koi can become big species, 20" is common in most larger ponds and 36" under ideal conditions. They need depth, width, and length to their environment in order to be health and happy. As the Koi gets larger you need to consider their length and being able to turn around and move. A fish can do a pretty tight turn when they want to but if you watch fish for any length of time they kind of glide around and avoid taking sharp turns.

For a large Koi a pond should be at least 3 feet deep to keep it comfortably. Fish also get exercise by swimming vertically in the water. In addition a deeper pond helps fish escape from predators, frost depth, and heat fluctuations.

I’ve read in some books referencing 1 Koi per 250 gallons while others reference 1 per 1000 gallons, and others somewhere in between. Just remember, the growth of a Koi is fast. Believe it or not I read an article where they referenced 1 Koi in 10,000 gallons (not very practical for the hobbyist)!

Everyone has their opinions on this. Again, I’m a believer its all about the system as a whole. You need to remember; those little Koi you start out with will quickly grow fast and can easily outgrow their environment if not careful. Remember unlike a cat or a dog which can be kept in a cage while your not at home, but let out to roam upon your return, your pond is your home to your fish, 24 hours a day.

Thanks,
Steve

thanks alot guys.
i will try to post some pics of the start of my pond when i can get them downloaded. right now the depth is about 32" and it is about 15' by 11' with a 1' shelf along the sides. but i have been waiting on finishing it until i can figure out what type of liner is the best. but that is also an open ended question.

question??? for a pond that size and a 15-18' stream. what type of system should i use. i dont want to have to back in a couple of years and change it out. i want it done right the first time....

45 mil epdm works well and is probably the most cost effective. Many other systems are available and koigardener is using a material that seems very interesting. I am zone 7a as well and like a deeper pond IMHO 3 – 4 feet to allow the fish to stay outside year round. Again IMHO Careful with the shelf since it gives birds a place to stand while they fish . My current design has a shelf. When I make my next pond modification I will remove the shelf and put all plants on stands. I have an area set up now with the stands and it works very well. This is a personal choice and nothing against those with shelves.

Steve is right on! There is no simple formula because there are too many variables in systems. In my personal pond, I figure 1 koi for every 500 gallons. IN the tanks of fish I sell it is way lower than that - we have lots of filtration, aeration and run more than 1 pump in those tanks.

You can judge for yourself in an existing system if you are over stocked because you will be spending more time cleaning the pond than enjoying it!

You can expect the koi to be 6 inches at the end of their first year, 12 inches at the end of the second year and 18 inches at the end of the 3rd year. If your fish is not at least 18 inches in 3 to 4 years, you are over stocked. After the 3rd year they only grow about an inch and maybe 2 inches. Then they start to get their girth in the 3rd or 4th year. It takes about 10 years to be full grown. While some koi do reach 36 inches, females, males tend to only get to about 28 inches many koi never grow past 24 to 26 inches. About 18 inches is more the norm.

I recently talked to a lady who said she had bred miniature koi. I had to try to keep LOL when she told me how many fish she had and the gallons. The pond was so grossly overstocked the fish just never grew and became stunted. The reason she contacted me is the fish are sick and dying. Not once in 15 years had she increased the filtration or aeration to accommodate the larger fish load.

I was shocked when she said she has been in business for 15 years and NEVER tested her water! She is lucky she went 15 years as most will have problems in a year or so of being overstocked.

On the inside I was disgusted that she was in business and I wondered how many other ponds her fish contaminated. It really ticks me off those who are in the business for the bucks and have no care or respect for their fish and their customers. All they see are dollar signs.

OR maybe it is just plain stupidity and not wanting to learn.

Bonnie

absolutly you guys said a mouthful. without filtration you have nothing. Thats to bad about all those minature koi. since I have kepted fish since I was young I always followed the rule of one inch of fish per gallon and an oversized filter. that way there aren't any problems. I see in my other post that I didn't put in about the filter.

Laura, I believe the stocking rate is much different for aquariums and ponds....


Bonnie