Overcrowding your pond can have a major factor in causing gill disease and other health problems for the fish.
This will happen even if you have enough filtration for the size of your pond.
If you don't take care of thinning out an over populated pond nature will take over for you.
The outcome of over populating ponds is the following: • Lots of fish produce an awful lot of waste.
Assuming that your pond filtration is sized properly, the pond nitrate and ammonia levels will become high.
The Koi release the ammonia after they eat through their gills.
Normally the water absorbs this ammonia and it is taken care of by the filter.
If the water has too much ammonia the fish's gills will swell and become irritated.
You will have some mighty sore fish.
• The fish in an over populated pond will have to fight for their food.
You know the old saying, only the strong survive.
It is true in this case.
Not only do they have to be strong enough to fight for food they also become quite stressed doing it.
Imagine how stressed the ones are that aren't getting to the food.
• The Koi need oxygen.
The more fish you have the more oxygen in the water is needed.
Also a dirty pond takes more oxygen.
If there isn't enough oxygen they will smother.
Just like us, they have to be able to breathe.
Let's calculate how much water you have and if it is enough for all your Koi.
You certainly don't want any of the above problems to occur.
Square or Rectangular - measure the length, the width, and depth of your pond in feet (not yards or inches).
Length x Width=Total, Total x depth=grand total Convert feet to gallons.
Grand Total x 7.
5=gallons.
Circular - measure the diameter at the widest part and measure the depth Use feet (not yards or inches).
Diameter x 2= Total, Total x Depth=Grand Total, Grand Total x 5.
9=gallons.
Oval - measure the length at its longest part and the width at its longest part.
Measure the depth.
Length x width=Total, Total x depth=Grand Total, Grand Total x 6.
7=gallons.
Irregular - break the pond into sections.
Measure each sections length, width and depth.
Always use feet.
For each section: length x width=Total, Total x depth=Grand Total.
Add the Grand total of each section.
Grand Total of all sections x 7.
5=gallons.
Now that you know how many gallons of water are in your waterfall pond you can determine the correct amount of fish it can hold.
The very minimum amount of water per fish is 100 gallons.
This is assuming you don't plan on your fish growing.
To be able to handle mature fish, 300 gallons per fish makes much more sense.
Example: A 5,000 gallon pond can hold up to 16 fish.
This will happen even if you have enough filtration for the size of your pond.
If you don't take care of thinning out an over populated pond nature will take over for you.
The outcome of over populating ponds is the following: • Lots of fish produce an awful lot of waste.
Assuming that your pond filtration is sized properly, the pond nitrate and ammonia levels will become high.
The Koi release the ammonia after they eat through their gills.
Normally the water absorbs this ammonia and it is taken care of by the filter.
If the water has too much ammonia the fish's gills will swell and become irritated.
You will have some mighty sore fish.
• The fish in an over populated pond will have to fight for their food.
You know the old saying, only the strong survive.
It is true in this case.
Not only do they have to be strong enough to fight for food they also become quite stressed doing it.
Imagine how stressed the ones are that aren't getting to the food.
• The Koi need oxygen.
The more fish you have the more oxygen in the water is needed.
Also a dirty pond takes more oxygen.
If there isn't enough oxygen they will smother.
Just like us, they have to be able to breathe.
Let's calculate how much water you have and if it is enough for all your Koi.
You certainly don't want any of the above problems to occur.
Square or Rectangular - measure the length, the width, and depth of your pond in feet (not yards or inches).
Length x Width=Total, Total x depth=grand total Convert feet to gallons.
Grand Total x 7.
5=gallons.
Circular - measure the diameter at the widest part and measure the depth Use feet (not yards or inches).
Diameter x 2= Total, Total x Depth=Grand Total, Grand Total x 5.
9=gallons.
Oval - measure the length at its longest part and the width at its longest part.
Measure the depth.
Length x width=Total, Total x depth=Grand Total, Grand Total x 6.
7=gallons.
Irregular - break the pond into sections.
Measure each sections length, width and depth.
Always use feet.
For each section: length x width=Total, Total x depth=Grand Total.
Add the Grand total of each section.
Grand Total of all sections x 7.
5=gallons.
Now that you know how many gallons of water are in your waterfall pond you can determine the correct amount of fish it can hold.
The very minimum amount of water per fish is 100 gallons.
This is assuming you don't plan on your fish growing.
To be able to handle mature fish, 300 gallons per fish makes much more sense.
Example: A 5,000 gallon pond can hold up to 16 fish.