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    Thread: A Koi question

    1. #1
      mjfromga's Avatar
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      A Koi question

      I accidentally bought a Koi last year thinking she was a cute white goldfish. Decided to keep her once I realized. Her name is Kai. She lives in the pool with my goldfish. I have had her a year. She is such a sweet and gentle Koi. She does not bother the goldfish and they all eat the same foods. Problem is - she is now like a foot long and growing quickly!

      I would love to keep her... but can she comfortably live in a 500 gallon pool with a group of goldies? If she gets any bigger than this - IDK!

      Here's her Pic when I got her with the two goldfish at Petco in a 10 gallon tank... and then now!
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    2. #2
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      I started out with 3 small adopted koi, from an aquaintance who was moving to a condo, in with my goldfish in their 500g pond … lol! Two years later, they were certainly running out of swimming room.
      I certainly could have increased my filtration and kept the parameters in line, but it just did not feel right to have such large fish in that small of a space.
      It was the excuse I needed to build an actual koi pond.
      Maybe you should start your planning now …. : )
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    3. #3
      Matt24's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by mjfromga View Post
      I accidentally bought a Koi last year ... she is now like a foot long and growing quickly! ...
      It kind of depends on how large the koi grows. Not the norm, but sometimes a koi may not grow much beyond the 15-18" range. Usually the speed of growth when a koi is young is an indicator of how large it may get. With this one growing quickly, it will probably grow a lot unless the size of the container slows it down a bunch. I once had a koi that never could seem to get past 14", even in a big pond. I might not mind having that one in 500 gallons, but he was an unusual exception.

      Years ago, I had four 18-20" koi in 900 gallons, and they did not seem crowded to me. You probably would not be overloading your pond with the one koi. It may be hard to imagine whether a koi is happy. If you think the koi may be too big for the pond, then maybe it is, as you don't want to look at your pond daily and see a situation you don't feel good about.

    4. #4
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      She seems to have enough room for now I think... here is a clip of the current system. I guess time will tell. I just don't have the space for a proper Koi pond so I would just have to re-home her if she does not suit this system. I am quite attached to her but will do what is best for her.

    5. #5
      fly4koi is offline Senior Member
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      It's really hard to say how big it'll grow, but 500 gal is more than enough for a koi and a bunch of gold fish and your setup is enough.
      People typically go for 250 gal of water per koi, and they can grow quite big. I think chances are it'll still grow a bit but perhaps stays at the 15"-16" level, I think for now you don't have to worry.

    6. #6
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      As long as the filtration maintains ammonia and nitrite at zero, the system is big enough for the koi. If it does not stay at zero, then it is time for a new filter, or a new pond, or both.
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    7. #7
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      https://youtu.be/GRdlf2XPPgU?si=c5kOiLdUD1Xo1M9C

      Kai is still growing very quickly and is probably about 20" or so I would say now. He is *huge* next to my goldfish and some of my goldfish are decent sized. He still seems fine but being that he is totally white - he looks so silly in there now lol

    8. #8
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      The video from the side appears to show the thicker part of this koi's body extending toward the back and then suddenly getting much more narrow 3 or 4 inches before the tail. This shape is a strong indicator that this koi is female (and carrying some eggs). Males tend to have a straight line angling back from the chest to the tail.

      One advantage is that a male koi might try to spawn with your little female goldfish and may injure them, but this big girl will more likely leave them alone.

      On the flip-side, it is possible that some of your male goldfish may try to spawn with her. I am not sure if she would respond being they are so small. In the unlikely event that happens, you may want to clean out the eggs to protect your water conditions.

    9. #9
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      Hi! Kai sounds lovely. In 500 gallons, one koi might be okay for now, but koi grow big and need lots of space, more than goldfish. Long term, she may need a bigger pond to stay healthy and happy. For now, just keep water clean and watch her size closely.

    10. #10
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      Yes I figured Kai was female but wasn't sure. I will definitely watch out. Kai is the most peaceful Koi. She never bullies or bothers the goldfish at all. She just eats eeeeeeeverything. Thanks for the feedback!

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