Keeping Koi Inside

In This Chapter

• Checking out the humidity
• Creating the plan, equipping the site
• Following your plan
• The balancing act: Water quality
• Preparing your koi for their first indoor swim
• Solving the mysteries: Pond problems and solutions

For most people, an indoor pond is an alternate, second choice to an outdoor pond. Either the indoor pond is seasonal (for colder months), or the home is in a metropolitan area where an outdoor pond isn’t possible. Some koi-keepers have just one pond, in a screened-in pool cage or similar area, so that it’s both outdoors and indoors, but they live in areas where the daytime temperatures are always 70 degrees F or higher. There are, of course, a few areas where the weather makes it possible to have one pond, a pond that is both outside and inside.

Outdoor ponds seem to have all the pluses:

• Koi are much easier to take care of outside.
• Their colors are brighter because of sunlight.
• The fish are healthier because they have more swimming room, vertically and horizontally.

Yet you can design an indoor pond to provide many of the good points of an outdoor pond.

Remember

More than anything else, an indoor pond makes sense when it comes to your pocketbook. Taking care of koi in an outdoor pond during the winter is expensive. Although the cost of a cover and a heating system are one-time expenses, the utility costs aren’t.

In contrast, an indoor pond adds modestly to your utility costs. Of course, the cost of installing an indoor pond can go from affordable to extravagant, but for most koi-keepers in northern states, the enjoyment is well worth the cost.

In this chapter, we discuss the do’s and don’ts and the ABCs of indoor koi-keeping. In addition to the questions of humidity, equipment needs, and logistics, we guide you through the setup of your aquarium, water-quality issues, and the anticipated arrival of your koi. Finally, we add our advice on potential problems: what they look like, how to avoid them, and how to solve them if they do occur.

Addressing Humidity and Its Effect on Your Home

The first question we get regarding indoor ponds is usually, “Doesn’t all the moisture from the indoor pond wreck your house?” Our answer: Absolutely not.

Instead of causing problems because of increased humidity, an indoor koi pond helps alleviate the wintertime dryness that makes human noses and hands red and itchy. The moisture also decreases the chance of you shuffling your feet across the carpet and pulling a 2-inch static spark off the tip of your spouse’s nose (which may or may not be a good thing!).

Tip

If you renovate a room for pond installation, avoid possible damage by using water-resistant green board for the walls rather than ordinary sheetrock. Concrete backer board (the material used as an underlayment for ceramic tile) is even better if there’s a chance that the water will come in contact with the walls.

Warning!

However, adopt a zero-tolerance attitude toward any bit of moisture on the floor next to your pond. A small leak can cause a ghastly amount of damage, and leaks rarely stay small. (Our personal experience is that little leaks become big leaks on Sunday afternoons or immediately as you leave for a three-day weekend.)

You can easily disperse the humidity that builds up in your pond room with ventilation. Note: An exhaust fan vented outside or even to your attic isn’t a good idea if it’s 40 degrees outside because you’re tossing heat out along with the moisture. Instead, vent the fan into a hallway to help circulate the damp air throughout the house.

Tip

You can also go slightly higher-tech and buy a home dehumidifier that can roll from one room to another. These units pull the moisture from the air; then once a day or so, you empty its water receptacle.

Plan C: You can just not worry about it. We don’t.

Planning Ahead for Your Indoor Spectacle

Designing and building an indoor koi pond isn’t all that different from constructing an outside pond. You start by planning for the largest pond that your space and budget will allow, figuring in the size and potential size of your koi as part of the process.

Finding a container for an indoor pond is surprisingly easy. You can use any of the following:

• A big aquarium (for baby koi)
• A show tank
• A stock tank
• A preformed pond
• A semi-permanent pond made from a liner and landscape timbers
• A permanent indoor pond

The costs increase in that order as well. Table 10-1 gives you a side-by-side comparison of each of the options that are suitable for adult koi. See the next section for info on using an aquarium.

Table 10-1	A Comparison of the Types of Indoor Ponds
Type of Pond	Material	Cost	Pros	Cons	Where to Get One
Preformed ponds	Vinyl	$2,100 before shipping for 4-ft. deep, 11 1⁄2-ft.- long, 1,100-gallon pond	Fitted for a bottom drain; adding siding (even stucco) creates a permanent look	Requires a good deal of space and is semi- permanent; can be expensive; same safety concerns as outdoor ponds (see Chapter Planning Your Koi Pond)	Local pond dealer or online directly from manufacturer
Show tanks	Sky-blue polyester vinyl, cut and sealed into a pond shape; supported by an external framework of PVC pipes	$450 for a 6-ft. tank; $50 for a cover; add a filter, pump, and aerator	Quick to set up and break down; stores unassembled under a bed or on a closet floor; very affordable and functional	Looks like an add-on	Pond store or manufacturer
Stock tanks	Polyethylene	$100–$200 for 100- gallon pond or $200– $300 for 200-gallon; available in larger sizes	Box in to make attractive	Doesn’t have a bottom drain	Local farm-and feed store, manufacturer
Indoor custom-built ponds	Typically cement-block walls with cement floor, coated in- side with paint-on or spray-on sealant; liner and landscape timbers in 8-ft. lengths; floor slants to one side; filter drains at valley of the slope; walls are 2–4 ft. above floor to reduce digging and provide safety	Upwards of $3,000 for a small pond. Cost depends on size and design of pond, the amount of electrical and plumbing work needed, as well as any decorative tile work	Can be made to your specifications; theoret- ically can approach outdoor pond in size, beauty, permanence; may allow for landat scaping, decorative rockwork	Expensive; perma- nence can be a down- side; same safety concerns as outdoor ponds	Local contractor recommended by pond store or koi hobbyists

Considering the aquarium option

A large aquarium tank, 150 to 200 gallons, works as a winter wonderland for a few baby koi up to 6 inches long. The problem is that koi don’t stay small, so the fancy-schmancy aquarium with a heater and filter and lights is only useful for a year before those cute baby koi outgrow it.

But an aquarium buys you some time if you need temporary housing while you complete the inside pond. Be forewarned: You’ll put about $400 into a big aquarium and all its accessories, none of which will work in your inside koi pond.

Deciding on the setup type

As you decide which type of indoor pond best suits your needs, give some thought to plumbing. Plan to plumb a drain line right into the pond bottom or adjacent to the pond. Trust us on this: Filling and draining the pond or backwashing the filter is a lot easier if you’ve installed a drain in the setup process.

Figuring out how big to make it

The only concern you have regarding the size of your indoor pond and your koi is the fish load, meaning how many inches of koi will fit comfortably into the new pond. Simply put, the pond must be big enough to provide swimming room for the koi.

Tip

In planning your indoor pond, the minimum depth of 4 feet is a given. So, to figure out how many koi you can adequately house, and how large a space you’ll actually need around any pond, start with some basic numbers and work outward, using the compromise standard of an inch-and-a-half of koi per square foot of surface area:

1. Start out with the smallest possible pond. A small pond measuring 6 feet x 4 feet (and 4 feet deep, at least) can house 36 inches of koi.

2. Adjust the measurements a bit to see how many more inches of koi you can add with that tweak. For example, bump up the measurements by just 1 foot along one side, and you have a 6-x-5-foot pond that can house 45 inches of koi.

Because your indoor pond will probably be smaller than your outdoor pond, putting all those koi into a smaller pond is going to send the ammonia and nitrite readings through the roof (read that: your fish will quickly become stressed and die). Consider the wise words of Dolly Parton, who once said that you can’t put 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5-pound sack. Either accept that you will be keeping fewer fish than would be possible in a large, outdoor pond, or make plans now to redistribute some of your koi to pond stores or other hobbyists before the cold season sets in.

Although koi lovers sometimes don’t have the space to accommodate their koi-keeping habit and may feel a bit self-conscious about the small size of their inside pond, you needn’t be one of them. Take a deep breath — you can overcome that small-inside-pond syndrome. If you are in the fortunate position of having unlimited time and money, as well as a place to live during construction, you can follow the example of those unusually dedicated (extreme?) koi owners:

- Some such folks add on an outside pond and then increase the size of the house to encompass the pond.

- Other owners start with a pond and then build their house around the pond.

- Realistically, however, most people just find a corner in the den or the mudroom and build an indoor pond there.

Buying the necessary indoor pond equipment

The decision to create an indoor pond and the process of doing so involves many of the same issues that face those seeking to establish an outdoor pond. If you are new to pond keeping, please read Chapters Planning Your Koi Pond, Making It Pretty: Landscaping the Pond, Building Your Pond and Maintaining Your Pond before embarking on a plan to build an indoor pond.

If you already have an outdoor pond, you probably have much of the smaller equipment you need for an indoor pond. Just bring your koi nets, sock nets, koi bowl, water-testing kit(s), and the koi wheat germ diet inside. The nets and the bowl can be stored on hooks on a wall adjacent to the pond, and the rest fits inside a plastic outdoor storage unit that you bring inside for the season.

Or you can do what most koi-keepers do: Clean out the guest coat closet for your koi supplies. When company comes, toss their coats on your bed. Because many of your friends are going to be koi-keepers as well, they’ll understand perfectly.

Discarding the crud: Filters

This is not the time to skimp on filters. Many kinds of biofilters are out there, all produced by different companies, but be as careful in the selection of this biofilter as you are for your pond.

Tip

You’re best off biting the bullet and buying a three-chambered filter or a bead filter for your indoor pond. (For more info on these two types of filters, flip back to Chapter Planning Your Koi Pond.) One area you can actually save money in is on a UV sterilizer; you probably won’t need one for an indoor pond.

Warning!

A submerged filter can’t handle what your koi dish out, so don’t even think about buying one. Also, don’t buy a canister that promises to handle mechanical and biological filtration if it only has a couple of small filter pads and a double-handful of bio-balls. These small pond biofilters may be okay for water-lily ponds, but koi sure aren’t lilies when it comes to producing debris.

Getting the water to go through the filter: Water pumps

Pump designers choose between cheap, easy-to-produce pumps and pumps where efficient design is more important than production cost. So, you’re not likely to find a cheap pump that is also very effective. As water quality and overall clarity is especially important in indoor situations, we suggest that you do not skimp on costs when choosing a pump.

Remember

An important factor in pumps is the power requirement. Sort your top choices for a pump by amperage. Ignore the pumps on the high end of amperage use (any that use more than 8 amps) because they literally drink electricity (note that we did not say sip). If a kilowatt-hour in your area costs a dime (what a deal you’re getting!), you can multiply $100 times the number of your pump’s amps to guesstimate its annual cost to run. For instance, a water pump that uses 12 amps costs about $1,200 a year to run, or about $100 dollars a month.

Of course, the cost of a high-amperage pump (12 or 13 amps — and yes, you should flinch when you hear those words) is a bit cheaper upfront (about $800) than a lower-amp pump. A pump that needs only half the amps may have an initial cost of $1,400, but it’ll cost you a lot less to run (multiply 6 by $100 and divide by 12 to get your monthly expense of $50). When you’re writing out a check to your local utility each month, the thought of saving $50 because you bought the right kind of water pump can be very appealing. In just one year you’ll make up the difference of the more expensive unit ($1,400 – $800 = $600 ÷ 12 = $50).

The size of your pump will determine its ability to clean and oxygenate the water. Look for a water pump that can move your pond’s volume through the filter about every two hours.

Giving your koi some oxygen: Air pumps

The smaller surface area of inside koi ponds means lower gas exchange. When you add in the chance for overcrowding, your koi are going to need some help.

Solve the problem by putting in an air pump and an airstone. Two benefits from higher levels of oxygen are

- The fish will be able to breathe naturally, that is, without gulping for air at the surface. They will, therefore, be more likely to remain healthy and behave normally.

- The friendly bacteria in your biofilter work more efficiently.

Tip

Position the airstone in front of the filter return so the oxygen-laden air gets pushed around the pond (and you get more oomph for your airstone buck).

Look for an air pump that can deliver at least 1 cubic foot per minute through 1⁄4-inch or 3⁄16-inch tubing. This flow will operate a 12-inch airstone or two 6-inch airstones, enough for most indoor ponds. When you buy the air pump, buy the tubing and a manifold at the same time so you can put more than one airstone on a single air pump.

Because this pond is indoors, you don’t need to worry about weatherproof housing for the air pump. An indoor air pump that can pump a cubic foot a minute costs about $100, and a metal manifold costs about $70. Expect the pump to last about two years.

Bringing your koi out from the dark: Lighting

Light quality is an important but often overlooked consideration in the design of indoor koi environments. Although koi do not absolutely require full spectrum light, the subtleties of their colors are certainly shown to best advantage under it. The fish also seem to be more active under such naturalistic lighting — perhaps full spectrum light may someday be shown to confer health benefits to koi, as is the case for many reptiles. In any event, your viewing pleasure and the appearance of your home will be enhanced if you choose your pond’s lighting wisely.

It is recommended that you add banks of full spectrum fluorescent plant bulbs over your pond, but that can be pretty bright, and the shop-type fixtures are better suited to a garage workbench than your pond room.

Some koi keepers install a wall of glass blocks or large double-paned glass windows next to the pond and add insulated drapes for cold days and nights. But when the drapes are closed on cold days, you need additional lighting.

Incandescent bulbs that give off UVA and UVB light are available from reptile dealers and some pet shops. Although they look like sunlamp bulbs, these UVA/UVB lights are made from clear glass. And because they’re so bright, you need to place them in reflectors (metal units that hold the bulbs) so the light is directed down into the pond. (Reflectors are available where you buy the bulbs.)

Tip

Place the UVA/UVB bulbs on one end of your indoor pond. They not only light up the whole pond but also provide the kind of lighting that encourages plant growth (please note that some bulbs sold as “plant bulbs” do not emit sufficient UVA/UVB — check that the label specifically notes UVA/UVB emission).

Koi may be startled by light suddenly flooding a dark room, so be sure to turn on the room lights first, then the pond lights. A timer can be used to keep the lights on a fixed schedule — 10 to 12 hours of light per day works well. A timer can also be used to program a small lamp or room light to come on a half hour or so before the pond light and to stay on a half hour after they go off. This will provide a “dawn/dusk” period, and will eliminate the risk of stressing the fish. If you plan on breeding your koi, you should use a light timer to mimic local seasonal fluctuations, such as short winter days that lengthen as spring approaches.

Incidentally, koi look gorgeous in full spectrum light.

Getting Down to Business: Setting Up Your Indoor Pond

The initial stages of planning your indoor pond are as important as the actual physical process. Maintaining koi indoors can be a time-consuming and expensive prospect, and mistakes made early on will be compounded over time and difficult (and expensive) to correct. Therefore, read and plan carefully at this stage so that you have a thorough understanding of all that is involved before you actually get your hands wet (pun intended).

In case you’re a bit wary, take it from us that setting up an inside koi pond is actually easier than it sounds. Whether you go for a permanent or a temporary pond, you’ll find working on a smaller scale fun because everything is so reachable; the filter is just around the edge of the pond, and the bottom of the pond is just 4 feet down — you could reach in with a fine fish net or siphon to pick up any dirt.

But first, the easiest setup of all: the aquarium.

Starting out simple with an aquarium

An aquarium is the least expensive way to keep koi indoors and is, on the surface, a simpler route to follow than is pool construction. We say “on the surface” because there are some potential pitfalls that you must consider. As mentioned in the “Considering the aquarium option” section, koi will quickly outgrow most aquariums, so you must either plan for an eventual larger enclosure or resign yourself to finding new homes for your pets at some point. Also, because tanks are smaller than ponds, any mistakes that you make in terms of water chemistry (allowing ammonia levels to rise, for example) will be magnified and more serious than they would be in a large pond. Therefore, always purchase the largest tank that your space and budget allow (although you can keep small koi in a 55-gallon tank for a short period of time, a 100- to 200-gallon tank is really the smallest that you should consider).

Location

Deciding where to put your aquarium is an important decision that is usually made based on available space within the home. However, you need to consider several other important factors, especially the weight of the tank. When filled with water, a 100-gallon aquarium with its associated equipment approaches 1,000 pounds in weight. The floor on which it rests must, therefore, be strong enough to support it over time. Ideally, the tank should be located over support beams. If you have any doubts in this regard, consult an architect.

If you plan to place your aquarium on a stand, you should purchase one with adjustable legs. This allows you to compensate for uneven spots in the floor. The stand’s surface should be smooth and free of bumps as even tiny irregularities can cause stress fractures and leaks in the aquarium over time. A cork or foam sheet placed on top of the stand is an important added safety measure. You may also wish to purchase appropriate home or renter’s insurance, just in case a leak does occur.

Although sunlight through a window may add to your viewing pleasure, be aware that such light can affect water temperatures and stimulate the rapid growth of algae. Keep in mind also that koi can detect sound via water vibrations, and so may be stressed by loud stereos and televisions. “Busy” rooms with slamming doors are best avoided as well. The noise concerns go both ways, so don’t locate the aquarium where the sound of the pump’s motor or of flowing water will disturb you or others.

Your tank should be placed near a source of electricity. Ideally, the socket should be off to one side and out of the range of spilled water. If, as is likely, a floor drain is not available, you will need to run a siphon hose out a door or into a toilet (don’t use sinks where food is prepared) when doing water changes and other routine maintenance. You also need to consider a source for fresh water and space for your filter and pump.

The pump and filter

A wide variety of pumps and filters are suitable for use with koi aquariums. These are rated by the size of the aquarium that can be filtered (be sure to read the product information carefully or consult a knowledgeable retailer). In choosing one, it is better to go with a model on the stronger end of the scale, because koi produce a good deal of waste and will easily overwhelm an undersized system. Of course, don’t go overboard and buy a unit that is far too powerful for your tank, or the currents generated may interfere with the fish’s ability to swim.

Please see Chapter Preparing for Your Koi’s Homecoming for a list of basic supplies that you will need to have on hand.

Setting up a preformed pond

A preformed pond may be the easiest way to add an indoor pond. There are a few drawbacks, however. Normally, preformed ponds are buried in the ground, and the surrounding dirt helps the pond support the weight of the water.

If your pond isn’t strong enough to be self-standing when filled, you’ll need to find a way to support the pond, which means building a wooden box around the pond that is strong enough to support the weight of the water-filled pond.

If the preformed pond has a bottom drain, you’ll need to raise the pond high enough to hook up the drain to the water pump. Most koi-keepers just reinforce the area under the raised pond with 2-x-4s but leave an access area to the drain open. The air pump will feed air out through the top of the drain, or you can attach the air pump hose to an airstone and drape the hose over the edge of the pond.

If your pond doesn’t have a drain in the bottom, you have two easy options:

- Buy an add-on bottom drain. Tetra makes a vacuum attachment (the rest of the koi world calls it an add-on bottom drain) for $45. It rests on the bottom of the pond, looking a bit like the vacuum wand for your canister vacuum. It hooks up to your water pump with a length of 2-inch flex hose (about $2.25 per foot not including any fittings).

- Drape your pump intake and filter outflow pipes over the edge of the pond. This approach is simpler than adding a drain, but it isn’t so pretty. Add a prefilter (a foam filter-intake cover) to avoid catching one of your koi in the intake hose.

Figure 10-1 shows the various components of an indoor preformed pond.

Figure 10-1: An indoor pond setup.

Building and setting up a timber-and-liner pond

Landscape timers and a liner make for an easy-to-assemble, easy-to-take-down pond. You simply buy enough timbers to make the pond as high as you want it; four timbers, stacked atop each other, are a foot high, so each side of a 4-foot-high pond will need 16 timbers.

Constructing the pond

Landscape timbers are 3 inches high, 4 inches wide, and 8 feet long. If you make your pond 8 feet square, you won’t have to cut any timbers. You simply fasten the stacked timbers together with 4-foot lengths of rebar, inserted through holes you drill in the timber. You’ll need three lengths of rebar per side, one for each end of the time, and one in the center, for a total of 12 4-foot lengths.

1. Using a 7/8 drill bit and an 8-foot length of 1 x 4, drill holes in the timber, 2 inches, 6 inches, 44 inches, and 48 inches from one end. Drill a fifth hole 2 inches from the far end.

This piece of timber will serve as a template, so you can drill all the timbers and the holes will match up.

2. Use the template to drill these holes in every timber.

3. Lay the first course of timbers in a square, so the end of one piece abuts the side of the piece next to it.

4. Add the second layer of timbers so the corners are interlocked, like a log cabin.

5. Repeat the layers, making certain the corners overlap.

6. When your layers are about a foot high, insert the rebar into the timbers so they are locked together, then continue to place the timbers, threading them onto the rebar.

There will be rebar at each end, and one near the center.

7. Continue the courses until your pond is just one layer short of 4 feet high.

Installing the drain line

Ask your local plumber to install a drain, unless your skills extend to modest plumbing. The drain can be as simple as the drain in your laundry room — a 3-inch PVC pipe, covered at floor level with a removable metal grate and leading to your back or side yard. You will use this drain when you flush, clean, or drain your pond, and when you backwash your filter. To get rid of the backwash, simply attach a 2-inch flexible hose to the backwash drain, stick the other end down into the drain, and open the filter’s valve.

Tip

Backwash is loaded with nutrients, and it’s a good fertilizer. But if there’s salt in the water, you may not want it on your lawn; for this reason and perhaps for local regulations, your plumber may recommend the drain be tied into your sewage line.

Tip

Incidentally, an indoor pond can be a good place to use your filter outflow for a small waterfall if you can position it so any splashing is kept within the pond. This added attraction also helps aerate the water.

Adding the filter intake and outflow

Now you need to place your filter and your water pump near the pond and hook them up. You need three sections of PVC or flexible swimming pool hose, 2 inches in diameter, or whatever size your filter and water pump take. If you use PVC, be prepared to cut it and add PVC preformed joints as needed.

You need one piece of hose or PVC pipe long enough to reach from the bottom drain to the water pump, one long enough to go between the water pump and the filter, and the third long enough to reach from the filter over the side of the pond and down into the pond. Follow the manufacturer’s directions on securing the hose or PVC pipe to the various components.

1. Check your filter to make certain the filter media is in place, and move the filter to the site you’ve chosen next to the pond.

2. Place your water pump adjacent to the filter.

3. Attach the intake hose/PVC pipe from the bottom drain to the water pump.

4. Attach the hose between the water pump and the filter.

5. Attach the filter outflow hose to the filter, and place the free end of the hose down into the pond.

When you set up your indoor filter, some koi-keepers recommend replacing some of the new filter media with media from your outside pond and filling the filter tank with water from your outside pond. This step helps to establish the nitrifying (beneficial) bacteria in the filter. But beware: Using media and water from your outdoor pond also delivers any pathogens from that pond to your indoor pond. If you have any concerns about this, purchase a culture of nitrifying bacteria from your pond or pet store.

Adding the liner and water

If you’ve gone through the preceding sections, you’re now ready for the final, glorious step: adding the liner and the water.

1. Drape the liner into the pond, being careful to hold the corners neatly, and bring the upper edges out over the top landscape timber. You can cut slits in the top edge of the liner to make it fit around the rebar.

2. Staple the liner onto the top of the timbers.

3. Thread the final landscape layer over the rebar to conceal the liner edge.

4. Add water.

Tip

With this style of indoor pond, it’s important that the water in the pond not come into contact with the treated landscape timbers. Keep the level of the water in the pond at least 4 inches below the top edge of the liner.

Tip

A good way to settle your indoor pond water is to put a few goldfish or inexpensive (read ugly) koi into your indoor pond a few weeks before the other koi. These trial fish will, by their behavior and adjustment (or nonadjustment!), bring to light any water-quality problems and will help feed the beneficial bacteria and mature your indoor pond water naturally.

Monitoring Water Quality

The drawback of indoor ponds is, of course, the size. This smaller pond system is chemically far more fragile than an outdoor pond. If you have an outdoor pond and think you’ve been very careful with your water readings this summer, ramp it up a notch. You have to be twice as vigilant and twice as concerned about small chemical changes in your indoor pond because the impact of these will be magnified in the reduced water volume.

Your vigilance on the indoor pond’s water chemistry takes two factors into consideration:

- This new pond will have all the typical new-pond problems. Don’t think you’re getting away from them just because you’re a seasoned pro with outdoor ponds.

- Your old nitrite-gobbling friend, algae, isn’t going to grow on the walls of an indoor pond the way it does on an outdoor pond. Indoor ponds don’t get enough sunlight for algae, so you may need to use a product like AmQuel Plus (the plus is important) to reduce nitrite levels.

Remember

Do the following to transition to a chemically balanced pond (please see Chapter Maintaining Your Pond for details): 

- Test your indoor pond for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH at least weekly or until the readings level out.

- Partially change the water (10 percent) every week to lower the ammonia and nitrite levels until the water chemistry settles down.

- Use a product like AmQuel Plus to remove nitrites.

Check out Table 10-2 for the correct chemistry levels for your indoor pond.

Tip

One of the simplest but most important ways to maintain your indoor pond’s water quality is by not overfeeding. Koi, poor things, have no stomach. Their throat leads directly to their gut, so they have very little pause time, if you understand, between feeding and output. Koi don’t need a great deal of food, and they can fast without bad results for a month or more. Bottom line: Feeding lightly is a good idea for the water quality of an indoor pond.

Table 10-2	Desired Values for Indoor Pond Water Quality
Component	Range
pH	6.8–7.6; ideally 7.4
Ammonia	As close to zero as possible; if pH is higher than 7.4, the toxic effect of any ammonia whatsoever is greatly increased.
Nitrites	Close to zero; above 1 part per million (1 ppm) stresses your fish
Nitrates	Close to zero — nitrates are a byproduct of filtration. A low level is okay because nitrates are a food source for pond plants or bog plants.
Chlorine/chloramines	Zero
Alkalinity	120–240 ppm
Salinity	Near zero unless fish are being treated for parasites or infection.
Dissolved oxygen	Decreases as water temperature gets above 80 degrees; 8 mg/L is ideal when water temps are about 77 degrees.

Adding the Finishing Touch: Releasing the Koi

You can add koi to your indoor pond after you’ve

- Filled, drained, and refilled the pond

- Treated the water for chlorine and chloramines

- Checked the pH level and temperature to make sure your fish won’t undergo drastic pH or temperature changes

Tip

You may not want to put your prize Bekko in at this point. Instead, test drive your indoor pond by putting in a few goldfish (if you haven’t already included them to help mature the water) or a few koi for a day or two and watch for any obvious signs of distress.

Before you add all of your koi, double-check those koi-load factors to be sure that your pond and its filtration system can support the fish you plan to keep in it (see Chapter Making Sure Koi Are Right for You). Then add your koi and call your koi friends to come over and admire your new indoor pond.

How to Tell When Something’s Wrong (And How to Fix It)

No matter how much you read, plan, and prepare, problems will inevitably arise. You can prevent problems from becoming disasters by being alert and detecting them early, and by knowing what steps to take. The following hints will help you recognize and deal with the most commonly encountered difficulties.

- Closely observe the fish. Are they gasping at the surface of the water? Are they staying near the surface and not venturing down into the bottom of the pond?

- Check your water chemistry values, especially for ammonia or nitrite levels. A partial water change may help deal with the problem temporarily, but if the values go up again, you need to identify the cause and deal with it.

- Check your dissolved oxygen levels. Are they at least 5 milligrams per liter? You can increase the oxygen levels by using a small waterfall or one or two airstones.

Can the problem be (gasp!) too many fish? Maybe the answer is a bigger indoor pond.

- Check your pond for leaks. The sooner you know about a leak, the better. You can buy a battery-operated leak detector (Skylink WA 318 is one) that consists of a sensor and a receiver for about $25. You place the sensor on the floor near the pond. When water touches electrodes on the bottom of the sensor, the sensor sets off a chime and a flashing light in the household receiver. The receiver can be located up to 300 feet away from the pond.

Tip

Prepare for the what-if of a pond leak. You may never need it, but thinking out a procedure ahead of time can save you time and headaches.

If you can’t self-diagnose your pond problem, call an experienced koi-keeper to look at your setup and your fish. He may be able to see something that you don’t — and it’s a good way to find out more about your fish at the same time.

In the case of a total pond meltdown, your koi need help fast, and that likely means a koi buddy to the rescue. Friends like this arrive in the middle of the night with loaner show tanks or stock tanks, or they help you scoop your koi up and take them home to their own quarantine tubs, or they fill your bathtubs, dechlor that water, and move the survivors. They’ll even call around and see who has room for what. There is no substitute for koi buddies. Lacking them, you should keep empty stock tanks or inexpensive plastic wading pools on hand. Be sure to have enough extra liquid dechlorinator to treat the water that you’ll be adding to these enclosures.

Other supplies you’ll need just in case include

- A wet/dry shop vacuum (Although the biggest versions can handle only about 10 gallons before you have to dump out the water, they take the water off the floor faster than you can mop.)

- A dozen rolls of paper towels

- One or two buckets

- Big sponges

- A mop

by R.D.Bartlett and Patricia Bartlett