Shiro Utsuri

general questions on koi carp?

I have got a wooden koi pond of 3.5 meters by 1.5meters by 2 foot high. I have never kept koi it it but it will be my 6-7 year old snake koi`s new home. It has a sand bottom, a small water fountain and a few water Lillie’s and other things. my koi i 75 cm long and very pretty. But do you think the pond will freeze over in the winter even though it has a fountain in it and has a heater in it? Also could i add a few more fish…all i have got is a snake koi and 2 shiro utsuri koi`s( may get rid of)

Do you mean a sanke (i.e., red and black pattern on white) koi?

Good filtration/water quality is the most important thing to ensure the overall health of your koi – it’s not so much keeping fish as it is keeping water! Accordingly, the more gallons of water for each fish, the better off you are as fewer fish = less waste = cleaner water, etc. You are not specific on how many and what types of plants you have other than lillies, but plants make the best “filters,” in my opinion. If you do not know what “cycling” (i.e., ammonia to nitrites to nitrates) is, then Google it a.s.a.p.!!

You don’t say where you are located, so I’m not sure whether your pond will freeze over in the winter or not. A heater and a fountain are certainly good insurance against such a thing happening, however – but since it is above ground, you can’t count on the insulating factor of the earth (you have both the sides and the surface exposed to cold air, instead of just the surface as with an in-ground pond).

You will also have to be careful that you don’t accidentally “super cool” your water by keeping the fountain going too high during the coldest periods. Often times, the air temperature will be lower than the pond temperature, because the mass of the water tends to be self-insulating, but exposing the thin stream of water in a fountain to that cold air can make the overall temperature of the water drop rapidly. Once the weather drops to around 40 degrees F or so, it is best to turn your fountain’s pressure down to the point that it is just barely bubbling/breaking the water’s surface.

Not sure how big the two shiro utsuris are, but I would be very conservative adding new fish. Most likely your pond would be able to handle 3-6 more koi (number depends on size), but it all depends on your filtration and water quality and whether or not you are able to adequately maintain both. And be sure to get any new ones from a reputable source, and quarantine them before adding them in with your sanke.

Hope this helps – good luck!

66cm Ogata Shiro Utsuri

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