Stocking A New Pond | How To Maintain A Healthy Koi Pond Or Goldfish Pond
Today I would like to discuss the addition of pond fish to a new fish pond. I decided to write this article after receiving an email from Steve, a newsletter subscriber who lives in the USA. Steve had several questions relating to stocking a new pond.
It is important if you want to maintain a healthy koi pond or goldfish pond to do things in stages and to make sure that you have given the pond time to settle. This is particularly relevant to the biological pond filter, which needs time to bed in i.e. given enough time for nitrifying bacteria colonies to build up on the pond filter media.
For free pond keeping advice sign up for my free weekly newsletter series ...
"Sean,
Our pond is functioning and has been up and running since last Thursday.
I have a PSP, 66oo GPM pump a 40 Watt UV sterilizer plus the water falls with the media pads.
I added some floating plants, Water lettuce and Hyacinth and 2 Iris at the waters edge, among the rocks.
I'll add a few water lilies when I get the fish.
I'm hoping to add some fish this weekend.
A few questions:
1) Can I add fish?
2) What do I need to check for before adding the fish?
3) How do I add the fish?
4) I was planning to buy Japanese Koi very small 4" fish and only one fish per family member ...so 4-5 for a 4600 gallon pond.
Is is worth spending a few extra dollars for Japanese Koi over domestic Koi? The colors appear more vibrant on the Japanese Koi.
Our plants are being added around the pond this week so I'll have a few pictures for you in a few days.
PS I have someone who would like to join up, my daughter's boyfriend...soon to be fiancé... can you send me the link so I can have him join?
Regards
Steve
My Response To Steve...
Hi Steve,
Sorry for the late delay. I run this site part time as well as working for full time so it keeps me busy and I don't always get the chance to reply as quickly as I always want to.
This said I've answered your questions in the order asked. Please see below...
1) Can I Add Fish To My Koi Pond or Goldfish Pond?
Yes you can add fish, just don't add too many fish at once as this places extra strain upon your biological pond filter. I take it by the waterfalls with media pads you mean a combined waterfall + filter?
All ponds need a biological filter otherwise you will end up poisoning your fish because they will effect be living in their own toilet.
It is safe to add pond fish any time between spring and late summer. The water temperature should be at least 10 Celsius (50 F).
Wait at least 3 to 4 weeks before adding any fish as this will give your pond filter time to age and bed in i.e. give your biological pond filter the opportunity to build up decent levels of nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria break down ammonia and nitrite from fish solid and liquid excrement in a process known as the Nitrogen Cycle or Nitrification process.
Waiting a few weeks will also give your plants the opportunity to settle as well (Koi nibble and uproot pond plants). Add only a couple of fish at a time (a month or two apart) and make sure all the water tests are fine before adding more (see point 2 below)
Stocking a new pond ... How Many Fish Should You Add To Your Pond?
As a general rule of thumb this is how many fish you should have in your pond...
Multiply the average length of your pond x the average width to give the surface area of the pond in metres, feet etc. Ideally you want 1 inch of fish per square foot or 25cm of fish per square meter.
Please bear in mind that Koi grow bigger than goldfish and other fish varieties, Rudd, Tench etc.
Less fish is better than too many fish if you want a healthy pond. Also be aware that in hot weather pond water holds less oxygen, meaning the ammonia levels are likely to be higher because there is less oxygen (needed as part of the nitrogen cycle to break down ammonia and nitrite).
2) What Should I Do Before Adding New Fish?
a) Add a dechlorinator to your pond water to remove any chlorine that is present. Chlorine is extremely poisonous to fish and other pond life. Add the correct dose for the volume of your ponds (4600 gallons in your case)
For future reference when you are doing partial water changes of 10% or more you will also need to add a dechlorinator; simply pour the correct dose into the pond. You don't need to remove the fish.
b) You will need to test the pond water for ammonia, nitrites and pH. There should be zero ammonia and nitrite present (or very low readings at least) and the pH reading should be between 7.3 and 7.8. A pH below 7 is considered to be acidic and a pH above 7 is considered to be alkaline.
When you get into the swing of thing do a pH test at least fortnightly, preferably weekly.
3) How Do I Add Fish To My Pond?
I'm presuming the fish will arrive in polythene bags. Place the bags in the water for about 30 minutes. This will give the water in the bag an opportunity to reach the same temperature as the pond water. This reduces the opportunity for your fish to become stressed.
Wait between 25 – 30 minutes then let some of the pond water mix with the water in the plastic bag. This makes the transition easier for your fish because the water temperature acclimatizes.
It may be a good idea to cover your pond with some pond netting because new fish sometimes try to escape and jump out of the pond. It's up to you on this one. The one's that don't try to jump out will more than likely hide for a couple of days, until they get used to their new home.
4) Should I Buy Japanese Koi?
Unless you are ordering the Koi from Japan there is no sure fire way of knowing if the Koi have been bred in Japan. Personally I would add a few Koi and a few goldfish. Koi eat more and produce more waste. They also grow bigger than goldfish and are less hardy. Koi do however look amazing and add beauty and color to any pond.
How To Maintain A Healthy Koi Pond Or Goldfish Pond...
When feeding always use a floating fish pellet food and remove any uneaten food after about 5 minutes, before it gets a chance to sink to the pond floor and form pond sludge.
The choice of koi fish food or goldfish food is also important as many of the cheaper brands contain filler, which passes straight through the fish's body as waste. You always get what you pay for.
For Koi, brands like Saki Hikari and Nishikoi are amongst the best choices. The extra cost is worth it because you get better coloration, better growth, healthier fish and less metabolic waste.
John can sign up for my Newsletter Series for Free here ...
Hope this helps!
Regards
Want to learn all about how to keep koi healthy? Want to know the secrets of keeping a healthy koi pond? Learn all you need to know for $8.40 ($21 less 60% discount). The Complete Pond Solver comes with a full money back guarantee.
Click Koi Pond Articles To See All Koi Related Articles On This Site