How fast do Koi grow?

I have a new pond. 8'x11' how fast do Koi grow? and ho do I introduce to my
pond?

"WilsonKKW" wrote in message
...
I have a new pond. 8'x11' how fast do Koi grow? and ho do I introduce to my
pond?

I have four koi that I introduced to my pond last august with 8 goldfish and one
albino channel catfish. The koi were all about 6". Right now, the largest is
about 11", and the other three are about 10". This is probably slightly above
normal, as I feed them about two to three times a day (but not heavily). They
usually grow about 2-4" per year in a backyard pond. My understanding is that
they reach sexual maturity in about 3-4 years. They get about 36" at full
length, but I would suspect that would be at about 6+ years, although don't
quote me on this because my koi obviously aren't fully grown yet. I do have one
large fish, an albino channel cat, that I got last year when it was 14" long.
It is now almost 23" long, as eats hardily, but pretty much leave the other fish
alone, unless he is eating, then he chases them away. What does he eat?
Anything he wants! Actually I feed him Louisianna shrimp (they are smellier
than regular shrimp, and he seems to prefer them), and suppliment that with
large fish pellets. The koi and goldfish get regular koi variety sticks. My
pond is 4 feet by 12 feet by 45" deep, and has a waterfall at one end with lots
of rocks. The water is prefiltered, then goes to the main biological filter
where it is pumped back to the pond via the water fall. I prefilter it so that
I can easily clean the heavier goop out without disturbing the biological
filter. Flow rate is about 1500 gal/hour, so it does more than a complete
turnover each hour. The goldfish have been spawning, twice in fact in the last
two months.

As for introducing them to the pond, there are several ways to do this. My
method has always worked from me, and comes from 30+ years experience with all
kinds of fish, even salt water fish. First of all, always buy them from a
dealer you trust. Inspect the fish very carefully for parasites, injuries,
fungi, and infections. The prettiest ones might not be the healthiest ones, so
choose wisely. If your feel that your fish are healthy and have no parasites,
injuries, or other diseases, and if you have no other fish in your water garden,
you can try to go ahead and introduce them, but remember that you are still
taking a risk.

The two most critical water parameters to remember when introducing any aquatic
animal into a new aquatic environment are temperature and pH. A third critical
parameter,but one that is not usually a big problem for freshwater ponds is the
ammonia level (but I would check the ammonia level anyway before introducing
the fish to the pond). Introducing a fish into water that is warmer (or
otherwise considerably different in temperature) than the water they were
brought home in, or of a wildy different pH can result in the fish going into a
state of toxic shock. Also, don't introduce them into the pond when it is brand
spanking new. You will nearly always regret it. Let the water mature first.
Depending on the materials used to make the pond, and the starting conditions of
the water, this could take anywhere from a week to 21 days. Ideally, you should
let the pond water go completely through the nitorgen cycle (for freshwater
fish, this is not as critical as temperature and Ph, but it helps to prevent new
tank syndrome, and eliminates a possible cause if a problem develops). I use
stress coat when starting a new tank or pond. It really does help condition the
water, and the aloa in it seems to provide a soothing effect for any minor
skin/scale conditions/abrasions. It also helps them to develop the protective
slime on their skin that give fish that icky feel and smell. And it will get
rid of both chloramine and chlorine from tap water.

Fish eliminate ammonia from their system via their gills (in other words, they
don't pee like we do). A rapid water temperature or Ph change adversely affects
the ability of the gills to eliminate ammonia from their system, resulting in a
toxic blood condition that will cause the fish to go into shock. They can die
rapidly from this condition. So the best solution is to soak the sealed plastic
bag they are in in the pond for at least 20 minutes or more to ensure that the
water temperature has slowly equilibrated. It is a good idea to check the pH of
both the pond water and the water in the bag to make sure they are not wildy
different (in fact, you can do this before you buy the fish - you can ask the
dealer what pH he keeps his water at, and check it with your pond water. If
they are wildy different, you are going to have to make an adjustment prior to
introducing the fish). Most fish can tolerate some fluctuation (say from 7.0 to
7.4), but not, say going from a pH of 6.0 to a pH of 7.4. Then slowly add some
of the pond water into the bag to help them adjust to the water conditions in
the pond. After about 35-40 minutes, you should be able to release them into
the pond with few problems. Monitor them closely for at least thirty minutes to
an hour afterwards to make sure none are in distress. You will know it if any
are. It usually occuers within the first few minutes, but onset can take
several hours. Then check on them once every couple of hours the first day or
so. Don't feed them for at least a day after introducing them to the pond. Let
them get used to their surroundings first. If they don't eat after the first
day, don't worry, they may still be adjusting. If after two days, they don't
eat, try a different food, and/or look for problems like diseases, redness
around the mouth and gills, parasites, etc. If they were healthy when you put
them in the pond, and the water conditions are correct, you shouldn't have much
of a problem. Koi are fairly hardy but do best with ideal water conditions,
which means that the water should be filtered, and oxygenated.

If your dealer is amenable to it, you can have him isolate the fish you want by
holding the fish in a tank by themselves, and have him treat the water for ick
and/or other parasites (the primary disease concern when introducing new fish)
for about a week (that is, if he is amenable to it, and if you are willing to
bribe him) prior to taking them home and placing them into the pond. If he is
good, he has already done this, but not all dealers are this diligent. If he is
not willing to do this, you can set up a holding tank yourself and treat the
fish for ick. After the treatment is completed, introduce the fish as described
above. In fact, you may have better results this way, since if you need to
adjust the water parameters before you introduce the fish, this is the best way
to accomplish it.

Good luck, and have fun with your new pond!