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New Member
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Last Login: 5/15/2008 6:43:43 PM
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Hi, I have just built a 430 gallon pond, its measurements are approximetly 5x7 and it is no more than 2 feet deep.
I set up the pump and filter, added chlor out and am now wondering when it will be safe to add my fish, I have 5 goldfish and 12 koi, none of which are bigger than 5 inches. I added the feeder goldfish yesterday, they seem fine for the moment, but im scared to put in my koi just yet.
I was also wondering, with the limited depth that I have and with the surface area, will I need to have my pump and filter on all day? Id like to be able to shut it off at night if possible, to save on electric bills.
Hope someone can help me, thanks so much!
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Fishkeeping GURU
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Last Login: Yesterday @ 6:38:16 PM
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Yes, your filter should be on 24/7...it would kill off the beneficial bacteria in the filter if it was off at night, and the water in it would become stagnant and possibly anaerobic, which can create a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria.
Also, that is an awfully small pond for that many fish, especially koi which get huge (2-3 feet long). Are you planning for a larger pond (in the several thousands of gallons) within the next couple years? And just so you know, if you are located in a place that gets below freezing you are going to need to overwinter the fish inside because the pond isn't deep enough to not freeze.
Have you been keeping track of the ammonia and nitrite in this pond since the goldfish went in? Because you are cycling it with fish, and both could get dangerously high quickly. If you have the test kits, please post your readings (in numbers) for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate so we can give an estimate of how long it will be before you can safely add other fish.
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New Member
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Last Login: 5/15/2008 6:43:43 PM
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I live in Puerto Rico which is a tropical island, so I have no worries of freezing water. I built the pond in hopes of getting the koi to grow, but I will probably sell them before they get too big, since I plan on moving in a couple of years.
I have kept aquariums for about 2 years now and never done any tests on the water, just kept it clean with frequent water changes and no over feeding, i've had no fatalities so far.
If it's completly necesary to test the water, what kind of test kit would I need?
I built the pond to give my fish a bigger home, so far they have been living in a 30 long tank, which I realized quickly was too small, im VERY tight on money and i'd like to keep the expenses down, is there any way to acomplish this?
Thanks so much for the help!
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Average Member
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Last Login: Today @ 5:16:58 PM
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Yah, they can stay in the pond for a little bit, but probably your best bet would be to sell all those koi, and just keep a few of the goldfish.
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10g Heavily Planted - Betta, Cory's, Oto's
20L - Kuhli Loaches, Banjo Cat, Singapore Flower Shrimp, Thick-Lipped Gourami
125g Planted - South American Biotope
20H - Breeding Angelfish
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Fishkeeping GURU
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The thing about testing is that during the cycling period, fish are definitely in danger if you are not testing. After it completely cycles, testing becomes a lot less necessary, except if something goes wrong (sick or dead fish, algae bloom, etc), in which case the tests are the first place you should turn.
Master test kits are not terribly expensive (generally $12-$20 depending on brand and size, though the high-end brands like Salifert can be a lot more expensive, but more accurate too). I definitely recommend getting some sort of liquid or powdered regent master test kit (not dip sticks which are inaccurate and expire fast) or separate test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH (that can be a more expensive way to go initially, but you can replace them one at a time if you run out of one faster than the others, so it can actually end up being cheaper in the long run). Just make sure the master kit has those four main tests...they are the important ones.
If you can't buy the kits, do you have any pet stores near you that offer free water testing? I know in the US there are lots of them that do, but I'm not sure about Puerto Rico. At the very least you really need to test the water before adding the koi. If there is even trace amounts of ammonia or nitrite it may kill the koi when you add them.
Also, just in case you are not familiar with what cycling is, read this. http://fish.orbust.net/cycling.html
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New Member
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Last Login: 5/15/2008 6:43:43 PM
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thanks so much for the help, I really appreciate it.
Oh another quick question, the blue stuff for filtering sunlight, is it safe for my fish? The pond is situated in an area with alot of sunlight, since its not very deep im guessing algae would start growing very quickly. I plan on adding floating plants to give them some shade, but im not so sure it will be enough.
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 11/24/2008 6:42:14 PM
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| The plants would be your best bet. They would help filter the water and provide more shade. The depth of you pond concerns me, you might want to shade the pond with some type of structure until you get some type of plants for shade. Also we were figuring the cost of our pond, and to run a 100 watt heater would cost us about 18 cents a day at our current rate. I would recommend just sitting down and figuring you costs. The pump needs to run constantly as hailey said with that much fish load.
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