First Pond

[Velociraptor737]

I would also like to know what is the smallest pond i can have that will allow  couple of koi to grow to maximum size.

[Julles]

Hi V, and welcome to the forum.

Lots of people start out with little pre-form ponds from Home Depot, and then grow bigger and bigger over the years.  You can't keep koi in such a small pond, though.  You can do a search, but koi need lots of room, especially if you want them to grow to 3' or so.  The pond should be 3' deep, minimum, and probably 1000 gallons, if you want koi to grow big.

I've had some of my koi for at least 10 years, over crowded in what has grown into a 1000 gallon pond, and the largest one is probably 20"-24".

Happy ponding!

[tranquility]

If you want a koi to reach its full potential--filtration,filtration, filtration and 1,000 gallons per female and 500 gallons per male--I'd say the smallest I'd make a proper koi pond would be 5,000 gallons--if you want more of a water garden type pond then 3,000 gallons...And the deeper the pond the better the body on the koi...koi kept in shallower ponds tend to get a belly...5' is average for a koi pond- bottom drains also very important in a koi pond...
Lawanna

[Mike S.]

I'd have to say that the answer as to the best size pond for a Koi pond, water garden, or a combination of the two, (Koi Garden?) would be as large as you can comfortably afford.

I say that because the larger the pond, the more forgiving it will be. Larger ponds are more stable than smaller ones. Smaller ones will react to changes in water temps and water chemistry much faster that larger ones.

Experience has taught me that when it comes to keeping fish alive and thriving, a pond with a couple of thousand gallons is much easier to keep running right than a 10 gallon aquarium. . . 

The figures Lawanna gave are the same one's I go by, when you really want to "maximize" the ability to let Koi reach their full potential. But I know that most people will over-stock, no matter what.

Best of Luck!

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL