Posted by Michele on December 18, 2002 at 15:04:35:
In Reply to: Musty smelling water posted by mom105 on December 16, 2002 at 21:08:54:
Koi really need 100 to 150 gallons per fish...you could get by with them in your small 250 gallon indoor pond...but you will still need filtration and water changes.
While you are deciding who to move where, lets get you going on regular (at LEAST once a week) partial water changes....first, invest in something called a "Python" gravel vacuum. It is a siphon that hooks right up to your faucet...comes in various lengths and you can even add on. No more buckets! LOL! You can drain and fill without a mess and without the back breaking work of buckets. I drain mine out to the garden...the plants love it, but you can also drain into the sink while you are vacuuming the gravel. This will get the detritus out of the gravel. Then, get your water temp to within a degree or two of the tank water temp (I hold a thermometer under my faucet) and refill your tank using the python. You can add a chlorine remover while the tank is refilling, or before you start to fill....the pet store will have something...stay away from anything said to have magical healing properties (fish do NOT need alow...and it can clog sensitive gill tissues)...just get a simple, straight forward chlorine remover. You might check with the water district to make sure that is what they are using...if they are using "chlorAMINE" (which is becoming more common) you will need something to neutralize that...a standard chlorine remover will not suffice.
If you need to make some temporary homes for some of the goldies while you are deciding what to do, you can get the largest size Rubbermaid trash cans and fill with water...these will need partial water changes also.
For now, start doing those water changes a couple of times a week...you want to do 30% twice a week...three times a week would even be better....after a few weeks you can go to once a week if that is all the time you have...but twice a week will improve your water quality and stability.
If you haven't tested your water, it would be a good idea...your nitrates are probably very very high...and your pH may have dropped substantially because of it. Water changes will correct this problem.
Stunting may have already taken place with your koi, as well as the difference in genetics from one fish to another. Stunting affects not just size, but immune system, and longevity.
So, that is where you need to start.
Best of luck,
Michele
:I've been searching this forum, learning a lot, and I know changes need to be made, but, can anyone advise on this? We have a 125 gallon tank, with 2 butterfly koi (I know its not big enough..) and numerous goldfish. The tank has been very easy to take care of, we have occasionally changed some of the water, or added if needed. The tank has been up and running for 2 years. We have 2 filters on the outside that the water flows back through. No "real" plants. AQ gravel, which the koi keep stirred up a lot. The water smells musty, we've lost a few goldfish, and the bottom-feeder (the guy with a sucker for a mouth, he was about 12") So, now what? I have a third of the water out, I think I should take the most of the goldish out also, and put in an indoor pond that I have in my greehouse. My concern is the koi, they were both one size, but now one, the black and white is about 14", the smaller about 7". We like the koi in the 125 gallon tank, its at my husbands office, which entertains the clients...but I will move them to the indoor pond if that would be better, I believe that one is about 250 gallon. We have city water, so there's chlorine in it, how do I treat the water before I put it in the tank, or do you put the treatment in the tank and put the water in? I have been using a bucket, and adding the treatment, and then putting it in the tank....time consuming if I take a third of the water out, which is why I probably havn't done it too often. Any suggestions?
