Need major advice! Kois thrown in my face!

[myswtsins]

Long story short a friend of my mother's is giving me 7 koi & 1 channel catfish and all the pond equipment except the pond itself (liner, underlay etc). The problem...I know nothing about koi! I have not said yes to taking them yet though because money is an issue right now but everyone in my house wants it and it is a good deal! I need your help guys!

I have nearly unlimited space, time (personally but the pond needs to come down asap), patience & handiness. I just need some more knowledge & to find a really good deal on liners!

What size pond would you recommend? (gallonage & ft) What size liner would that require? Where would you suggest buying said liner?

If anyone has a good site/book on constructing ponds, or anything related, please let me know! I want to learn as much as I can. I was researching a little for a future preformed 150g pond but that is not quite the same. I tried to keep the post simple without too many questions but feel free to give as much advice as you'd like, I am all ears!

:read:

 

[kyryah]

For one, a 150 gal pond is waaaaa-aaaa-aaaayyyy to small for 7 koi! You need at least a 1000 gallon pond. These fish reach up to 36" in length, and the channel cat tops out at 50". That is a LOT of fish.

Not sure where to get the equipment, so I will let others step in.

Kristina

 

[Muske]

Unlimited space, go big.

7 Koi and a channel are going to need a lot of volume and filteration. Try to find a local pond/Koi club. There you will be able to buy used equipment and get info. for local sources for other pond needs.

 

[myswtsins]

I may not have been clear about the 150g. I was looking into that before all this happened but obviously NO koi would ever be going into that, this is a totally different ballgame. I was thinking more like 1500-2000g minimum. I would like to go even bigger but I am having a hard time finding liners that big within my price range. I'd like to stay under $400 for the liner, underlayment & sand.

 

[kyryah]

Underlayment is easy to find free Go to a local carpet place that does their own installing, and ask them for some used carpet padding. Works like a charm.

Are you wanting sand for under the liner also? I have never used sand under a liner, and I am not sure it is really necessary.

I'll do a bit of searching and see if I can help find some cheaper liner for you. I do have a link somewhere of a homemade 5 gallon bucket canister filter, I think it cost the builder $30 to make.

Kristina

 

[myswtsins]

Free is certainly more my style! Thanks!

Since I want to go kinda free form I am thinking 20x25 liner. Hopefully that would give me enough extra to do the waterfall too.

 

[kyryah]

You can also build a waterfall out of rocks, and seal it together with Great Stuff Pond and Stone. It is black in color so it blends better than the regular GS, granted it is about $10 a can versus $4-5 a can.

http://greatstuff.dow.com/greatstuff/diy/products/pond.htm

I am going to PM you the link to the filter.

Kristina

 

[myswtsins]

Great, thank you Kristina!

DFS is having there summer sale right now and a 20x25 40mil EPDM liner is like $280 shipped to my door. Anyone think I can find a better deal than that? At that size shipping charges alone are around $100.

I think I will head out to local gardening centers today and see what they can offer me, in terms of advice more than anything.

 

[myswtsins]

Well, that didn't work out. Just got back from seeing the pond, VERY long story short, it is not a free as she said & the filter is only rated for 700gals anyway so the only free thing would be the koi. I am not building a pond for some free koi. It is better this way, I am not rushed into building a koi pond, I can take my time & money and do it right when the time is right.

Back to the 150g now!

Thanks everyone! Kristina all the info you gave me is bookmarked and WILL be used in the future!

 

[Muske]

That price is good for that liner. Most garden centers will be around 1.00 a sq.ft. They are now wanting to move water garden items at nurseries, so if your still looking for a liner, now maybe the time to get a deal. Also, ditch the sand for a base. It will settle over time, and can cause stress on the liner. Get underlayment made for ponds. It is super strong, and easy to work with. It maybe called geo-textile at some gardens centers.