Adopting Koi

[milliemax]

  An aquaintance has 2 koi in a tank indoors. He has decided that they don't belong there and is offering them to me. They are about 3-4 inches long.
  I've only had a pond for a few months, and have been sticking to comets for the time being.
  I have a pond approximately 3'x7', maybe 270 gals. I have a half dozen comets in there. The water has gotten pretty murkey due to elm leaves that are beyond my control! (bought a great vacuum at aTarget last week, works great!)
 Are 2 koi, along with the comets a reasonable amount of fish for this sized pond? I don't know the sex of the koi, but I've heard that the comets breed like rabbits!
  Another ? The hyacinths I was given rotted! I have "unicorn grass" That is supposed to die back in the winter, but is doing fine.
  The umbrella palm I bought is turning yellow. I have cut back all the yellow and have it well watered in the greenhouse.
  Any help with pond plants would be appreciated!
  TIA  Nancy

[CT]

  I have two 800 gallon ponds and I have two longfin koi that as a beginner I just HAD to have. I now know that neither of my ponds are large enough to keep them happy and they will soon outgrow my pond if they don't stress out and die. I am trying to rehome them. Of course I bought plants and didn't quarantine them (another lesson learned) that brought in baby koi so those have to find homes too.
Look at Joyce's pictures from a recent trip she took. Those koi are magnificent and huge, living to their potential.
I feel so bad for ever getting them in the first place but I just didn't know. So, I do serious water changes to try to keep their environment as healthy for them as possible.
 So to answer your question, no..I wouldn't. Your comets are most likely going to overwhelm your pond for you in a short time and 6 are quite a few for 280 gallon as it is..but the good news is you have reason to build a huge second pond
  Hyacinths never grow well for me so I don't even bother with them. Mine always rot. I think not enough sun here and the fish eat the roots. I wonder if your umbrella plant needs fertilizer maybe and they like really wet feet so I'm told 
 

[milliemax]

  Thanks Kay, I think I'll just rescue the koi over the winter (I'm sure they won't grow too much!), then offer them at the local pond store for adoption in the spring. They'll be happier than in an aquarium!
  I'm thinking the hyacinths didn't get enough sun. The pond is in mostly shade.
  Any suggestions for shade pond plants, please! I think we were told hawthorne? Nancy

[frloplady]

Nancy what are your winter temperatures? You are asking about shade plants so just trying to figure this out!!

[Esther]

Koi that size will overwinter in a 55 gal acquarium in the house. Mine did for two winters.

[milliemax]

  My pond is in the shade spring, summer and fall. It gets about2 hrs of dappled sun. Once the leaves fall (they usually all dump around Thanksgiving) we have winter sun.
  I'm in No CA USDA zone 8ish. We are about 50 miles NO of San Francisco. We get mostly rain and a few mild frosts. Rarely anything that will freeze anything more than the top of the dog's water dish. Summers are fog then sun, 80-90*.  HTH  Nancy

[milliemax]

Esther,
  His tank is really small (for KOI), maybe hmmm 25 gallons? I think I'll just take them for the winter then find homes in the spring. (Or I can talk my DH into a BIG pond! LOL yeah right)
  Thanks,  Nancy

[Timgod]

The koi will overwinter fine in the aquarium. Inside with a heater they will continue to grow and thrive. Outside in the winter you should stop feeding them when the weather gets cold. Their bodies slow down and there is virtually no growth. I still provide ours with a winter type of food as I don't have really cold temps in Houston TX. But I slow down considerably the feeding schedule when the water gets below 60 degrees. Their biggest growth cycle is in spring and summer. We have a couple butterfly that started out as 3" - 4" three years ago. They are now about 10" - 12" inches long. You must remember that Koi have really long lives if taken care of so they do not grow overly quickly. If you do talk hubby into building a new one then remember their final potential size and how many more you a certain to add over time (trust me...you will ) I have to build a bigger pond next year for my wife's. The two that are now 10" - 12" are the biggest but there are more behind them catching up in size...LOL.

[milliemax]

  Thanks for all the info. My friend hasn't brought up the koi again, so I guess he's going to keep them for awhile. I'll tell him they'll do OK in the tank for the winter.
  My neighbor has a very nice koi pond, but has had to scale back and I'm learning from his mistakes.
  I think I'll just stick to my little comets for now. They seem happy and healthy for now.
  We're thinking of hiring a tractor in the spring to do a bunch of landscaping stuff, so maaaayyyyyybbbbeeeeeeee I can have them dig a real pond at the same time! Crossing my fingers!  Nancy

[Noahsnana]

270 gals is too small to raise koi... It maybe a get by QT but filled with goldies already they will not be happy. Constant cleaning will be needed... they really are dirty fish. They eat and poop