Koi Fish

Question
Hi Nathan, I live on a farm and have a 1 acre pond. I have some larger Koi in it. I bought some small koi to try and raise to a larger size so I can put them in my pond. I had them in a large tank out side with a airiater(SP) on them  but the temperature here has gotten around 100 and the water they were in was getting to warm. I had a small 10 gallon aquarium, so I put the water from the tank outside and filled the 10 gallon tank and brought them inside. I know I need alot larger aquarium to keep them inside but just need one to get by until the temperature goes back down. I have about 30 that are 2".The Tank outside is about 100 gallon. Should I be doing something different? I did'nt want to put them in the pond until they were larger. What do I need to do , and what kind of a filtering system do I need to get. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Answer
Hi Nancy,

Are all of the small Koi in the 10-gallon tank? If so, you will have major problems with overcrowding and toxin accumulation, even though you may only be keeping them in the tiny tank for less than a month. You MUST have a strong filter in this tank, if you want them to live. A powerful power filter would be best, and I recommend that you get a filter rated to one tank size above yours. I would recommend and AquaClear 30 (by Hagen), or a Penguin 150 (by Marineland), or a Tetra Whisper Ex30. The filter will provide a place for beneficial bacteria to grow. The beneficial bacteria remove toxins such as ammonia, which is produced by fish waste.

However, no suitable filter can handle all that load, so you will have to perform partial water changes every day, to dilute the concentration of the toxins. A 30% water change would be best, until you can get them back into the 100-gallon tank.

I understand that you cannot put the 100-gallon indoors, but do you have a spare shed or location that could possibly be cooler? (I understand that this can be difficult).

You are doing great with your fish, and moving them inside was a great choice, as Goldfish and Koi cannot stand temperatures of 75F +.


Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!