| So just how big should I build a koi pond? The | | | | determine how many koi you can keep. Your |
| short simple answer is build IT as big as you can. I | | | | filtration system and surface area will be a big |
| realize some will have more space to build a koi | | | | factor in determining this. But a basic safe rule of |
| pond than others. The reason I say this is | | | | thumb is one koi fish per 1000 gallons. If you have |
| because koi keeping can become an infectious | | | | great filtration and a large surface area you may |
| hobby. You will want to add more koi as you go | | | | be able to get away with 2 koi per thousand |
| along. I have never met anyone who complained | | | | gallons. So now hopefully you can see why I say |
| of too large a koi pond, but I have a lot of people | | | | build it large. |
| wished they had built a bigger one. I think the | | | | The simplest way to calculate gallons is Length X |
| minimum size to consider is 4,000 gallons. Depth | | | | Width X Depth = Total Cubic Feet X 7.48 = Total |
| should be 4 to 8 feet. This will also help protect | | | | Gallons. So a 10' x 10' x 4' pond would have 400 |
| your koi from predators as raccoons and herons | | | | cubic feet or 2992 gallons and if we took the |
| dont like deep water. | | | | same pond and made it 6 foot deep we would |
| Koi are large fish and can grow 3 to 4 feet long. | | | | have 4488 gallons. So you can see if our area is |
| They also are long lived. Koi can easily live 25 to | | | | small we need to go deep. Actually even 8 feet |
| 35 years if well cared for. They also are messy. | | | | deep would be fine. However it is better to build a |
| Without proper filtration they will die or be | | | | koi pond rectangular because you will get more |
| unhealthy. Because of their size they need water | | | | surface area. |
| at least 4 feet deep because they are active | | | | Go ahead and measure your proposed site and |
| swimmers.To develop properly they need to be | | | | play with the numbers a bit. Also keep in mind |
| able to swim both horizontally and vertically. When | | | | you will need space for your filtration system as |
| you build a koi pond these things must be | | | | well. Think about how many fish you want. You |
| considered at the start. If you have been reading | | | | don't want to overstock your koi pond because |
| garden pond information please be aware most of | | | | its unhealthy for the fish. Also esthetically instead |
| it it does not apply to koi keeping. | | | | of building a koi pond it will look look more like a |
| There are a lot of complicated formulas to | | | | bunch of fish in a barrel. |