I converted my hot tub into a koi pond. Its about 6x5 i think and about 3 feet deep. Is this okay for koi.

Question

I have 5 so far and they just stay hiding. Never swimming. I also have yet to buy plants so that might be a reason also. And how do i know if i need more oxygen...Their fins stay low but i have a pump dumping water into the hot tub. Is it possible that the pump is not strong enough?

Answer 1

thats great

good idea

and no

Answer 2

It's a bit small, though dependent on their size at the moment, they should be OK.

Koi will grow according to not only what you feed them, but also on the amount of oxygen in the water.

Hopefully you are pumping either into or out of a filter system, though that may not be adequate, and you may find by adding either a venturi or an air pump that the fish improve.

My old koi pond was 6' deep x 12' long and 8' wide at its widest, and now I consider that small. The filtration system in addition was about a third of that surface area, was 3' deep, and the pump recycled the entire contents of the pond every two hours - just to give you an idea.

Answer 3

5 koi????...oh my god...koi need 1000s of gallons of ponds...this is the same equation like keeping 2-3 goldfish in a bowl...they will act that way...cos a lot of ammonia in there..return the koi...and get 2-3 regular goldfish or 2-3 fancy goldfish...koi nooooo...

Answer 4

Your pond is about 673 US gallons, which isn't enough for even 1 Koi. They grow to be about 3 feet in length, and 1 requires a 1,000+ gallon tank.

Although 673 gallons is good for about 60 Fancy Goldfish or 30-40 Common Goldfish ;)

E-mail me for any questions!

Answer 5

1 koi does not need 1,000 gallons.  Your pond/hot tub is fine for your 5 koi.  Did you cycle it first?  Even though it is now a pond, itstill needs to go thru the cycle process.  Have you tested the water lately?  If you are not running a filter and just have a pump dumping water into the pond, you will need to test the water weekly for nitrate build up, not to mention any ammonia spikes.

You will need to have a filter/pump that will rotate the pond water a minimum of 5 times per hour 10 is best so you need a rated 3300-6500 gph.  or just add another one to make up the difference.

If they are new they may just be getting used to their new home.  Test the water to be sure