Indoor Baby Koi Pond Set-Up (with pictures)

A few people have asked about the indoor baby koi pond setup that I have. This is "version 2" with "version 1" being a Key Largo shaped pond that did not work well (not deep enough, pump was not operating at maximum efficiency and water circulation was bad). The pond is in the basement of my house, which is plain concrete.

The "pond" itself is a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank with a 1 1/2" bottom drain. I bought it from a local farm store for $220 (with tax). The container measures 69"W x 63.25"L x 25"H. It fit through my old house's doors without a problem.

Here is a picture of the system as you come down the stairs into the basement.

Here is a picture of the bottom drain for the pond, retrofitted with a ball valve and some other pieces. We used a lot of teflon tape to make sure everything would be watertight. Originally we had the wrong pieces so we had to go back to the hardware store. The plumbing pieces were about $20 total. I attached a piece of Laguna hose, then to that (you cannot see in picture) I have flexible tubing, which leads to a drain in the basement floor.

This is my filtration system. A submersible pump pumps 900 gph (turnover three times per hour) to a pressurized filter with built in UV, biological and mechanical filtration. The filter is the 1400 model, both filter and pump are from Laguna. I believe both together in a package were around $380.

Also as a note, ALL electrical equipment is connected to a ground circuit fault interruptor. I have two three-outlet GCFI units, one on each side of the pond. The UV, pump and air pump go to one unit. The dual 500 watt heaters (next picture) go to the other unit.

Dual 500 watt titanium heaters, these were about $40 each if I remember correctly. They have external thermostats and can provide heat in a range from 60 degrees to 90. I keep the water at around 72 degrees. I have a floating thermometer, which I check twice a day to make sure there are no temperature fluctuations.

This is a picture facing the stairs. The filter is on several cinder blocks, and surrounded by blocks so that it cannot accidentally be knocked over. The air pump sits next to the filter - it is rated for only a 100 gallon tank, but I figure something is better than nothing. The water comes VERY fast out of the filter, so I know that there is plenty of air exchange going on. Netting is over the entire pond and is held in place by bright yellow bungee cords. I figure that the contrast of the cords with the netting would serve to discourage fish from trying to jump out of the pond in the first place.

The filter is back-washable, which is really easy. I turn off the pump, flip a switch on top of the filter, attach tubing and run the tubing to the drain. There are two handles on the filter, which I pump up and down to dislodge stuff in the filter, then I turn on the pump and everything is backwashed away. Yesterday I opened up the filter for the first time since I assembled it in November. I poured out the murky wanter and used pond water to rinse the filter pad and swish around the bioballs. Too bad it is not summer, I'm sure my hostas would have like the fish poop soaked elixer. I probably should have opened it up and cleaned it sooner, I'll try to do that at least once a month now.

I hope these pictures are educational - the big thing I learned was not to rush a small system (300 gallons is very small in the grand scheme of ponds). I religiously check my ammonia levels almost every day (was checking twice a day when I was dealing with spikes) and change out 25-40% of the water twice a week.

Too organized for me . . . nah, just kidding. You sound like a manufacturers rep on indoor pond set-up. In a few short months you will be the one giving out all the advice!

Thank you for the pics, good looking set up! I actually have the same filter. Last year, after it was full of bacteria I put it on my 110 gallon stock tank. I also had the amonia spikes and can't figure out why since the 1400 should over filter and I was understocked. That is why I'm going to use by biostep instead and see if it works better. I do love the convenience of the back wash and the pressurized systems are so much easier to hide then the box. Maybe I can run the bottom drain to the filter and also have a drain hose option there as well.

Elizabeth -

can you include a picture of Poppy for us too?

Carolyn, I have terrible news.

Poppy the koi died overnight. He jumped out (hubby and I still cannot figure out WHERE - the whole pond is netted and there are no holes) and I found him dead next to the tank this morning. I cried and cried, just hysterical. I cursed and yelled that it was so unfair, he made it through so much, just to die from having jumped out of the tank.

I added my four new fish yesterday that we brought back from Des Moines (Iowa Koi and Water Gardens - iakoi.com which has some gorgeous fish). Everyone seemed to be getting along just fine. Poppy was nagging the other fish, who are all much larger than he was.

Poppy the koi died a legend...he was not meant to swim with other fish, I think he truly wanted to be an "only fish".

I will try to get pictures of the new fish in a few days, they are all pictured on Rick's website under "sold fish" and look about the same, just larger than I expected.

Elizabeth

Impressive set up. Lousy news.

Pressure filters are with built in UV's are excellent filters.

I redid the bungee cords (with my husband's help). He found where he thought Poppy got out, there was a small area next to the filter where the bungees, as I had them, left a loose spot in the netting. The fish found the one spot he could have got out - I don't know if it was bad luck or if he had been trying for awhile to jump out. Who knows what that fish did with his free time. Hubby suspects he harassed the other fish when they were alive, too. So goes the last of my $6.99 big box koi.

Now the bungees are all around the rim of the stock tank. I took a new picture to illustrate. This will actually make it easier for me to clean the filter.

Elizabeth,

I am so sorry to hear that. You went through so much with Poppy.

The same thing happened to us quite awhile ago, we were in the process of enlarging so we were going from one pond set up to another and during the night, of course he was our favorite fish, found the only place where the netting had come off the holding tank and during the night had jumped out. I was so upset! It was almost like he had aimed for it - just like you said.

I wish you better luck with the new koi you just got.

Carolyn

Elizabeth,

I just took a peek at the website - I love your Showa! We have a Showa and she is one of our favorites.

Carolyn

Poor Poppy:( He will be missed! Its soo sad to lose any fish but especially a favorite or your only. I'm glad you have new babies to shower with love!

Looking at your set up I think part of the reason my laguna 1400 didn't work as well is I needed my flow rate to be at 900gph or less and it was at 1200gph. The filter did fine in the pond but it was split with another filter, so the flow would be less. I will get a smaller sized pump or a valve to slow down the flow and see if that helps.

Has anyone rigged their pressurized filter with other types of media then what came with it? I'm not wild about the foam in the laguna, 1 or 2 foam pads would be okay but there are 4 and I think some matala mat and more bioballs might add more surface area for bacteria and do an even better job. Not sure if you can do this, would it mess up the whole pressure thing?

I'm not sure about matala. I tried substituting it in a skimmer filter (Savio) for the Savio replacement filter mat and it did a lousy job. There are different densities. The stuff is expensive too. But the one I bought was supposed to be the recommended matala substitute. It also is really, really hard, if not impossible to trim. The mat I got was about 1/8" too big. It took hours of cutting with a carpet knife to get it trimmed so it would fit properly. I'm really sorry I tried it. The mat I got was green. Here's where I got it. Don't believe the malarky about it being flexible. Maybe if your Magnus Magnuson on the "Strongest Man Competition".

http://www.webbsonline.com/catalog/replace/

The green Matala didn't filter out half the crud that the Savio original mat did. If you want to experiment with matting you might want to look at the bulk stuff that Aquatic Eco carries. This is what I use. I get a slightly heavier density (thickness) than the original Savio filter mat. I buy the stuff in a large roll. It's fairly easy to cut to the right dimensions and as a result about half the cost of buying one from Savio precut. I replace the mats at least once a year. They do wear out with frequent ( 3-4 times wk) cleanings. Also the old matting makes a great liner for container plants in the bottom to cover the drainage holes.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/1747/Washable-Filter-Material/pf16/0

I did go through so much with that fish, it is really disheartening that I lost him through such a stupid way. I just had a bad feeling after I added the new fish. I felt like, WOW, I'm really getting to be a real fish keeper. I used my hands and gently took each one out of the bag and put it in the water after the bag had floated on the water for about 45 minutes. The two biggies, the tancho showa and the kujaku, are each eight inches if they are an inch, and girthy. I've always had this "ick" reaction to touching fish but over the past few months I've worked past that and confidently handled the fish yesterday so I wouldn't add the nasty water that they travelled in to the pond. Then this morning, I saw that Poppy had found the ONE hole in the netting. I have some choice words for that fish.

When my hubby came running, while I was crying and screaming (he thought I fell down the stairs from the noise I was making), he just looked at me and said "No more naming fish." It is so true, none of the new ones are going to get names.

I should be grateful, the new fish are really gorgeous. The pictures don't do justice to them, they are so much better looking "in person." The gin hi utsuri is the only long finned in the bunch and is the smalled but is fascinating to watch.

Rick had some huge beauties and is getting new ones in next week, which he'll quarantine for some period of time (60 days I think) and will then send to new homes, if they are sold. Hubby snapped this picture of me gawking at the biggies. Many of these are Rick's personal pond fish, he overwinters them inside.

Aww:( The first time I lost a fish my husband thought I shouldn't do fish either.

The new babies look awesome! Enjoy them. I only have one long fin and they are the best to watch. I would really like a yellow one, not sure what those are called.

Where are the pictures of the babies? Sorry to hear about Poppy. I understand what you said about naming them and said the same but names just sneak up on you even when you resist naming them. I told myself not to get too attached to my new fish and I have to say I am attached to a bluey one (I haven't seen it all winter) and now that Tancho that I saw so many times near the heater this winter (until I treated the fungus with the PP). The 3 from Japan are not bonded with me at all at this point. I tend to get closer when they need my help.

MM, my new babies are here, the ones that say "Sold to Andy and Elizabeth":
http://iakoi.com/purchasedkoi.aspx

I really like them. The three regular fins are from Japanese breeders (I didn't write the names down) and I think the long finned is domestic, though I didn't ask.

My tancho showa is the smartest of the bunch, it seems. He sniffs out the food and has learned to cruise the sides of the tub for every last bit. The kujaku is the dimmest, LOL. I think those two are males and my other two are females. The gin hi utsuri long finned and the dark showa are about three inches smaller than the other two, so they are learning that they need to be fast to get some grub. I started giving them two small meals a day. I'm probably underfeeding them right now but I want them to get adjusted to the new environment and I don't want to overload my biological filtration, it was used to one tiny koi and now has these four tubs!

It is completely different to watch these healthy, vibrant fish than it was to watch the big box fish that I had at first. None of them ever moved with the grace and purpose that these fish show. On Rick's website, the picture of the gin hi utsuri looked nothing like the fish in real life, she is such a little porker (I think it is a "she"). I wish I had my big pond done now, LOL!!! Rick has an ochiba that is just jaw-droppingly gorgeous (hint-hint if any of you have pond space!). This is the fish: http://iakoi.com/8-10ochiba.aspx but in person the colors are so much more vibrant. He is also huge, he has to be several inches larger than the ten inches that he is advertised for sale as. Seeing Rick's multiple tanks indoors, I got some ideas for enlarging my setup! : ) He is a big proponent of bringing fish indoors for the winter, none of his babies overwinter outside.

I'm happy I found such a great dealer, and only two hours from my house! A secretary at work today asked whether I got my new fish (there was that snowstorm to drive through) and I told her yes, but it is still bittersweet because of Poppy's suicide. EVERYONE here knew the story of Poppy. : (

Elizabeth

Oh ic - They're beautiful!

Thanks snapple! I wish you could see the hi utsuri in person, she is just gorgeous. I've been subconsciously thinking of her as "Momma" because when I saw her in person I thought of your beloved fish. Originally I was going to get a gin hariwake but in person I was not crazy about the fish and Rick let me sub in the hi utsuri. He had a huge one in his big tank that was also a butterfly (though not gin) that was mesmerizing to watch.

I hope my little school does well, my ammonia reading was 0 yesterday and again this morning. I have the water drained down about eight inches from the top to discourage anyone from jumping out (didn't stop Poppy) so it is more like 250 gallons than 300. When I talked with Rick about outdoor ponds he told me I was already way ahead of the curve for knowledge and to just keep reading.

Wow, nice fish. Where is this place in Iowa? I feel a road trip coming on:)

Right smack in the middle of Des Moines, near the Drake campus. Would not be too long a trip for you, evesta!

I saw your fish and I think they are beautiful. The Tancho (but not for long with that sumi coming up) has beautiful white color on it. Does it look the same in person? I like hi utsuri's as well. Probably one of my favorites. Mine died this past summer during spawning. Head was stuck between two rocks. Your trip to the koi place is making me want warmer weather even more so. It is killing me. Maybe I should take a trip over to my favorite koi place and say hello and help me with my winter blues.

The tancho is a tancho showa, I can't wait for the sumi to come up all the way, it is already up quite a bit more than it was in the picture. It will probably take a year or two for all the sumi to come up.

The white is nice and pure, but the fish is still stressed and has that "flushed/blushing" look to the white. It is very pure white, not any hint of yellowish, but more pinkish right now because of the stress of the move and handling. I'm okay with pinkish when stressed, not yellow in ordinary conditions, and hope that as it grows out it will not develop any yellowish-ness (if that is a word!). I bought only one hi utsuri, the other is actually a showa with not much white on it (though it is there and THAT fish has some pure white, no flushing!).

How about botanical centers MM? Can you visit any nearby to help beat winter blues? We were going to take a trip a few weeks ago to the Quad Cities Botanical Center, but then hubby had kidney stones and we stuck around Iowa City. There must be a few near you with Chicago so close - and many probably have koi, too!

None have koi but my fave koi/garden center is huge and have many ponds inside. I am taking my kids for their annual physical examination right across the street from the place and am allowing an hour extra in time so we can stop their before the doctor visit. I have my priorities in order. Take kids out of school early so I can see koi and go to a doctor visit . . . My kids will be groaning when they see the garden center. I better remember their Nintendo DS games for the wait on the bench in the koi area . . .