# pond advise



## Toady10 (May 17, 2011)

I'm starting to make a pond in the Garden the size im going for is 6L 6w 4maybe5ft deep.How big would a few small carp end up getting as I would like a few big ones in ther?


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm no carp expert by any means but a Google search suggests that most species of carp grow up to 5' with the smallest carp being the crucian carp at 2' so your length and width aren't going to be big enough. I assume you don't want any type of goldfish.


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## Veeny (May 30, 2013)

Common carp, mirror carp can grow to a fair size, as can grass carp. If they're fed a good diet and have good water condition, the sky is the limit. Don't believe they will stay small in a small enviroment


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## Toady10 (May 17, 2011)

*Pond filters*

Thanks for advice guys. I've been digging and I've made the pond now 6ft deep. Wich is going to be better for the pond apparently. Looking on the Internet some carp ponds have lots of pipe work on the bottom But is that needed??? I was thinking of getting a powerfull pond pump and a big pond fillter. Will that be ok? My mate has got a pond with loads of gold fish in it he uses just a small pump and the water is clear as a bell


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## RubyRoo12 (Jun 20, 2012)

just because the water is clear doesnt mean its not high in ammonia,nitrites or nitrates. i have a pump and filter box and pump rated at about 2-3x the size of my pond and i only keep goldfish and a few rudd in there. mine is 11ft long, 7ft wide and 3 feet deep. i wont keep koi as i feel they would grow too large for this pond. the water in my pond is pretty green at the moment but it gets a lot of direct sunlight, the fish are big and healthy though and growing like weeds. the plants are also happily taking over a lot of the surface, the lilies have got so many pads and flowers they are looking lovely and helping keep the water in good condition for the fish, and the iris creates some shade over the pond too from the edges. i use this on mine - Green2Clean 18000 Filter & PondPush 6000 Pond Pump Set: Pump and Filter Sets: Pump and Filter Sets - Buy pond liners, underlay, pumps, filters and pond equipment from Pondkeeper: fishing out the best deals on the net.


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## RICHARD OWEN (Oct 30, 2008)

Toady10 said:


> Thanks for advice guys. I've been digging and I've made the pond now 6ft deep. Wich is going to be better for the pond apparently. Looking on the Internet some carp ponds have lots of pipe work on the bottom But is that needed??? I was thinking of getting a powerfull pond pump and a big pond fillter. Will that be ok? My mate has got a pond with loads of gold fish in it he uses just a small pump and the water is clear as a bell


 on a pond that size you wont need a bottom drain or skimmers etc, just buy a decent bio filter, cockney koi do a good black box system with all the filter medium for around £30 gravity fed system, if you get it right with lillies and planting your pond will look after itself, don't use tap water to top up in the summer as this will send your pond green because it contains nitrates and algea love the stuff, good look with your build and get a couple of small koi they do look good and when they get too big build a bigger pond lol


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## akuma 天 (Apr 15, 2008)

I had awful trouble with my pond about 5 years ago when I first set it up. It is 8x4x4.

It seemed I was giving it a full clean every month as the blanket weed and green water would simply not go away, it was such a nightmare I almost gave up.

In the end the problem was purely and simply the filtration. I although I have a pump and filter rated for the pond, it simply wasn't big enough. (god knows who writes the pump ratings and where they get the numbers from!)

Anyway, after purchasing a pump, fllter and UV system rated 3x the volume of water, and with some basic and regular monthly and annual maintenance including a POND VAC, new UV bulb and testing kit. I have been plain sailing for about 3 years, crystal clear water with 5 Koi and 2 Gold Fish.


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## RICHARD OWEN (Oct 30, 2008)

hats why I like the cockny koi black boxes if there not up too the rating that's required you can add another one to it and at £25 a pop not too exspensive well cheaper than a vortex or bead filter


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## Toady10 (May 17, 2011)

Liking the advice guys very helpfully. I've just made the pond hole bigger its 8foot long 6wide 6 deep. That's my limit. I don't no how many gallons that is yet but it looks big now a lot bigger than a aquarium. I won't be putting fish in there for a year yet but I will be putting the liner in the next few months and just leave it with the water in just to let it settle or dose it need pump and filter in it before putting water in? And dose anyone no what To stock the pond with? I love all carp especially mirror carp but I think the pond is probably to small for mirrors.


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## RICHARD OWEN (Oct 30, 2008)

Toady10 said:


> Liking the advice guys very helpfully. I've just made the pond hole bigger its 8foot long 6wide 6 deep. That's my limit. I don't no how many gallons that is yet but it looks big now a lot bigger than a aquarium. I won't be putting fish in there for a year yet but I will be putting the liner in the next few months and just leave it with the water in just to let it settle or dose it need pump and filter in it before putting water in? And dose anyone no what To stock the pond with? I love all carp especially mirror carp but I think the pond is probably to small for mirrors.


 get the water in and pump and filtration up and running, you want to be stocking it before the wheather changes so that the fish can acclimatise to the winter temps, mate put in what you like, mirror are nice and if you want to go down that way I suggest ghost carp they look nicer from above and you will see them easier


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## love_reptiles (Mar 1, 2009)

You're going to need to cycle it before putting fish in, unless you're doing a fish cycle, in which case I would use goldfish who are better able to deal with rising parameters such as ammonia and nitrite.


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## RubyRoo12 (Jun 20, 2012)

just because goldfish could live through the cycle perhaps better than other more sensitive fish, doesnt mean they wont suffer. keep a very close eye on the water tests if you do cycle with fish, and add a lot of live plants before you add the fish as they will help too


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## Ony (Oct 19, 2012)

Waiting till next year seems better. Otherwise it would be a bit of a rush to get everything done before the weather changes. You will also want plants to establish before the fish go in ideally. My office goldies have been happily shredding any plants that look a bit ropey (especially new ones) and even healthy plants get picked at. Since the fish are in I can't really do much about it so I've had to go for marginals instead.


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## RubyRoo12 (Jun 20, 2012)

we set our pond up at about this time of the year or possibly a bit later a few years back, the fish didnt have time to settle properly before it cooled down and the pond struggled in general until the next summer when it warmed up. wish id waited to add the fish but hindsight is a wonderful thing lol. i was too impatient! its all good now though but i hate seeing them overwinter outside...im too soft :lol2:


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## Inked up (Jul 22, 2011)

I have a 20x10x6 foot koi pond and if I was to be starting from scratch I would use a gravity filter system and start the filters up with a few small carp /goldfish and a product like filter start. Pump fed filters tend to be quite expensive to run and unless you go to the top end of the market can be a touch on the temperamental side I would wait until spring to start installing a pond and use the winter to purchase the equipment to run a trouble free pond hope this is some help


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