Can Koi be raised in a large indoor tank?

[vegas2k]

perhaps 1 or 2 Koi in a 55 gallon with lots of filtration? I know that pretty much all you see is Koi ponds normally, but I wonder if they are ok in a large fish tank as well. I know they can grow to be quite large, but it would be neat if they can be indoor fish as well.

[MonkeyPox]

You can have koi indoors, but you would need a significantly larger tank then 55g.
They can grow over 3ft in length.

[vegas2k]

100G? 130G? :) more? I wonder what the average Koi tank dimensions are.

[MonkeyPox]

750g and up.

[Cristoff]

Yeah, I don't think the bioload is the problem as much as the adult size and the face they like alot of space to swim laterally in.

An adult Koi would need a tank at LEAST 6-7 ft long, preferably longer. Height of the tank would be less important than the footprint of the tank (length and width)

You could always ask Brookfish to borrow his new tank.:hmm3grin2orange:

[smaug]

Koi are boisterous fish,considering the minimum pond size they should be kept in is 1000 gals I would say that responsible fish keeping practices would preclude the idea of keeping one in any normally obtainable indoor tank.I have kept them for years in ponds and even my 2500 gal pond looks small when I observe the behaviours of my koi.It truly isnt a good idea to keep them in tanks.

[vegas2k]

ah, good to know. it would be nice to build a koi pond some day here. I do know some people in extreme temperature places put them in holding tanks for the winter. They must have huge holding tanks then lol. One guy I saw had a koi pond, then a smaller koi pond with a shack built around it that he puts them in for the winter.

[Deleted User]

With your line of interest and mine, I won't be surprised if you and I don't both have outdoor ponds under construction next spring!!!

[smaug]

All that has to be done in winter is to keep an air exchange hole open through the ice.Even if it gets super cold that can be accomplished with specialty heaters.I use a pond pump set with the outflow inches away from the surface to creat a big bulge in the water that makes it hard to freeze.If it does freeze,I use a pot of boiling water set on the ice to melt a hole through.Depending on the size of the pond and its load,a pond can freeze solid across the surface for a few days.The fish shut down almost completly,needing very little o2 and no food when the water is below 45 deg.

[smaug]

With your line of interest and mine, I won't be surprised if you and I don't both have outdoor ponds under construction next spring!!!
Get it done!There isnt anything as nice as a koi pond.Check out my pond building thread for pics and ideas.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[vegas2k]

With your line of interest and mine, I won't be surprised if you and I don't both have outdoor ponds under construction next spring!!!


haha I know right?

[vegas2k]

looks nice :) Our challenge in Vegas in making a Koi pond is going to be mostly the digging. We have a very hard Caliche "soil" which is very difficult to dig. It can be done, just requires a lot of work, perhaps even hiring of someone with special digger to dig for you. That is the primary reason that out here in Vegas, we really don't have basements. the cost to dig that would be extremely expensive. But I don't think it's expensive for a tiny pond..just can't simply dig with a shovel =p. to add to that, it gets as hot as 120 degrees here, so in this heat we need to make it deep enough so they can hide in the cool bottom when it's that hot outside. I don't think any of this would deter us from doing this ever, but just bringing it up because I think it's neat to bring up how different environments change a lot of things as far as creating a pond :) You mention ice? what ice? haha..

[Cristoff]

I've dug through that stuff alot in central Texas. Rent a Jackhammer for the day (Lowes or Home Depot usually rents them by the day or hour). One person busts it up and loosens the soil and one or two shovel it out. It will save you MUCH, MUCH pain.

[vegas2k]

I've dug through that stuff alot in central Texas. Rent a Jackhammer for the day (Lowes or Home Depot usually rents them by the day or hour). One person busts it up and loosens the soil and one or two shovel it out. It will save you MUCH, MUCH pain.


man I'd probably kill myself(or my partner) with a jackhammer lol

[Nobodynotime]

LFS in Iowa has a huge tank 750+ gallon with Koi and the like in there. I think they actually take peoples pond fish in during the winter if they don't like leaving them outside.

[vegas2k]

LFS in Iowa has a huge tank 750+ gallon with Koi and the like in there. I think they actually take peoples pond fish in during the winter if they don't like leaving them outside.


haha, thats a cool service!

[smaug]

LFS in Iowa has a huge tank 750+ gallon with Koi and the like in there. I think they actually take peoples pond fish in during the winter if they don't like leaving them outside.
That would be somthin to see.I would be wide eyed amazed to see a half dozen 2-3 ft fish in a tank inside.Today I watched my biggest one [1.5 ft 2.5 yr old old] come totally out of the water at feeding time.The tank maint would be horrible.They crap like dogs when they get that big.
If I had the money to do whatever I wanted,I would have a 2000 plus gal indoor pond.That would be the way to go.

[vegas2k]

[QUOTE=smaug]They crap like dogs when they get that big.
QUOTE]



That's some big poop...in the small koi pond, what is used to handle such large poop?

[smaug]

[QUOTE=smaug]They crap like dogs when they get that big.
QUOTE]



That's some big poop...in the small koi pond, what is used to handle such large poop?
You caught me exaggerating a bit(blush) Of course its not dog turd sized but the amount of fish poop is quite alot,not to mention ammonia excretions trough the gills and feces.The same mechanisms used in a tank are incorporated in a pond except on a bigger scale.Huge biofilter capacity and considerable water movement are needed to keep things moving.

[Deleted User]

Get it done!There isnt anything as nice as a koi pond.Check out my pond building thread for pics and ideas.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
That is beautiful and inspirational!!! Love it!!!!!!!!!

[Nobodynotime]

That would be somthin to see.I would be wide eyed amazed to see a half dozen 2-3 ft fish in a tank inside.Today I watched my biggest one [1.5 ft 2.5 yr old old] come totally out of the water at feeding time.The tank maint would be horrible.They crap like dogs when they get that big.
If I had the money to do whatever I wanted,I would have a 2000 plus gal indoor pond.That would be the way to go.

Ya its actually pretty cool it almost takes up the whole back of the store the glass almost looks like bullet proof glass its so thick. They've got a couple big old catfish in there too.