So here’s a question many fish lovers ask us. How big does my pond need to be in order to have koi? Well, we task our design experts with this everyday when designing koi ponds for our clients. So this answer is a little bit more technical then some. We are going to try and break it down so that you can do the math yourself.
“Ok, so why is this even important?” you may ask. “Can’t I just put as many as I want?” The answer, no. The reason this is so important is that each koi needs a certain amount of space to live a healthy life. Ponds that are too crowded can cause disease to run through the ranks of your koi. It will often hurt your larger koi and leave the smaller ones to fend off the disease as the levels balance out. No one wants to lose their prize koi. So it’s super important to know how many koi your pond can safely hold. It can also cause your ecosystem to become overloaded with the excessive fish waste. So make sure your pond is the right size for the amount of fish you have.
Ok, so here’s the answer. Koi and other pond fish need 10 gallons for every 1 inch in length minimum. So it would look like this. If you have one fish that is 6 inches long, you would need 60 gallons of water to survive. This can be done by estimating the size of your fish and then adding a 500 gallons extra to be safe. Now this is minimum. Some Koi fanatics will tell you it needs to be 30 gallons for every inch in length. But starting at the base is a good place to start.
“How do I know how many gallons is in my pond?” Ahh, very good question. Well let me give you one more equation to do (I told you this was more technical). To find the approximate gallons in your pond you will need to measure the length, width and average depth. You will then multiply these together and then multiply that number by 7.48. This will get you your estimated gallons. Let’s go over an example to make sure it’s clear. If I have a 7’x10′ pond that has an average depth of 2′, I would multiply 7x10x2 and get 140. I would then multiply that by 7.48 and end up with 1,047.2 gallons.
Okay, I know that’s a little more in depth then most of my blog posts, but it’s a question we get asked a lot at Amen Corner Ponds. I hope it helps you stock your beautiful koi pond or plan the paradise you’ve been dreaming about. Thanks for reading.
