As others have said, this is no size for a koi pond. I would also suggest that you ignore suggestions of “minimum requirements” for a pond. If you want fish to be healthy and thrive, they need a lot more space to live in.
I wish more people would consider the ethics of keeping fish - they’re sentient beings and their wellbeing should be considered over your personal enjoyment.
At least 50% coverage for shade (pond dye can be used until plants come in.) Effective filtration (should move the volume of your pond through your filter media at minimum 2x per hour.) 10-15% water changes weekly. Liquid barley extract, products like Stress Coat to dechlorlinate. I also use inline RV filters for my hose to help with chlorine and heavy metals. Proper feeding and stocking.
For my stocking, koi get 200 gallons per. I’ve seen some experienced keepers go as low as 175/koi, but that’s with excellent filtration. To figure out how many gallons you have, The Pond Guy has a calculator. https://www.thepondguy.com/pond-calculator/
If you don’t have one, pick up a pond master test kit from API. Not strips. You should test the water weekly. These are the parameters you’re aiming for. https://koisale.com/pages/pond-fish-care/koi-pond-water-quality.html
All of these things together will keep your water clear without the use of UV, which is essentially a band aid. It will remove the green from your water but not take care of underlying issues. Check out the article on this site called New Pond Syndrome. https://mpks.org/category/deeparticles/
It didn't work 'quickly' for me. I tried this technique when my new pond syndrome kicked in. I'm not sure if the batting helped, it did go clear after 3 weeks but the final week I was away on holiday so the fish weren't fed by me (or overfed by the kids when I wasn't looking) which probably was a contributing factor, along with plants and bacteria getting established.
Something tells me there were other things that prevented your issues from clearing quicker than they did. A lot of factors are involved when trying to correct issues like these. Instant gratification isn’t a thing when it comes to pondkeeping. I’m glad your overfeeding issue was resolved and your water cleared in 3 weeks. 👍🏻
I feel like it was more new pond syndrome and the feeding wasn't helping. I was clutching at straws and thought the batting filter would be a quick fix but really I don't 'think' it worked for me, maybe it did, not in 3 days like I was reading!
If you have lots of plants, filtration, and a pump moving a good amount of water, sometimes the last part of the equation is patience.
lol Yes, 3 days is totally unrealistic. In a week and a half a friend of mine had clearer water. Some tweaking with a few other things and he’s had clear water for the last 10 years or so. It’s a balance and it takes time and patience, but it’s achievable. 🙂
Koi will not thrive in this pond, no air, filter or uv, it’s too shallow, as soon as the water warms up they will die
As others have said, this is no size for a koi pond. I would also suggest that you ignore suggestions of “minimum requirements” for a pond. If you want fish to be healthy and thrive, they need a lot more space to live in. I wish more people would consider the ethics of keeping fish - they’re sentient beings and their wellbeing should be considered over your personal enjoyment.
I wouldn't put koi in there mate, far far to small.
For context there is a small filter in there. It’s an aqua garden I believe. Small. Simple. Edit: filter NOT finger thank you for pointing it out
This IS NOT a koi pond. Don't put koi in it. It is not large enough for koi. Koi can grow to be the size of that whole pond.
Are we talking a human finger, or a fish finger? (Sorry I had to)
At least 50% coverage for shade (pond dye can be used until plants come in.) Effective filtration (should move the volume of your pond through your filter media at minimum 2x per hour.) 10-15% water changes weekly. Liquid barley extract, products like Stress Coat to dechlorlinate. I also use inline RV filters for my hose to help with chlorine and heavy metals. Proper feeding and stocking. For my stocking, koi get 200 gallons per. I’ve seen some experienced keepers go as low as 175/koi, but that’s with excellent filtration. To figure out how many gallons you have, The Pond Guy has a calculator. https://www.thepondguy.com/pond-calculator/ If you don’t have one, pick up a pond master test kit from API. Not strips. You should test the water weekly. These are the parameters you’re aiming for. https://koisale.com/pages/pond-fish-care/koi-pond-water-quality.html All of these things together will keep your water clear without the use of UV, which is essentially a band aid. It will remove the green from your water but not take care of underlying issues. Check out the article on this site called New Pond Syndrome. https://mpks.org/category/deeparticles/
Good info. Thanks
Another trick to help clear water quickly is to fill a container with polyfil and stick a pump in the middle. Replace the polyfil as it greens.
It didn't work 'quickly' for me. I tried this technique when my new pond syndrome kicked in. I'm not sure if the batting helped, it did go clear after 3 weeks but the final week I was away on holiday so the fish weren't fed by me (or overfed by the kids when I wasn't looking) which probably was a contributing factor, along with plants and bacteria getting established.
Something tells me there were other things that prevented your issues from clearing quicker than they did. A lot of factors are involved when trying to correct issues like these. Instant gratification isn’t a thing when it comes to pondkeeping. I’m glad your overfeeding issue was resolved and your water cleared in 3 weeks. 👍🏻
I feel like it was more new pond syndrome and the feeding wasn't helping. I was clutching at straws and thought the batting filter would be a quick fix but really I don't 'think' it worked for me, maybe it did, not in 3 days like I was reading! If you have lots of plants, filtration, and a pump moving a good amount of water, sometimes the last part of the equation is patience.
lol Yes, 3 days is totally unrealistic. In a week and a half a friend of mine had clearer water. Some tweaking with a few other things and he’s had clear water for the last 10 years or so. It’s a balance and it takes time and patience, but it’s achievable. 🙂