# Koi in Aquariums



## amelia (Aug 11, 2005)

I have two koi--A 3 inch japanese koi and an 8 inch butterfly. I do plan to acquire a 150 gallon tank in the next year or so.. Would this suffice to keep the koi, along with a few goldfish, in permanantly?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Butterfly Koi can actually grow up to 48 inches and would do best in a tank about 800 gallons. More like a pond.  The nice thing is you can train them to eat from your hand.


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## amelia (Aug 11, 2005)

Oh wow. I had no idea they got that big.. Well, my "significant other" has a thing for pond fish. He's always wanted big pond fish, and he was thrilled when I got the goldfish. It'll be a few years, but We do plan to have a pond eventually. Should I get a deep pond or a shallower one? I have a basement that would fit a pretty large round pond if the need was there.. Only problem with keeping a pond outside here is that the neighbours have dogs that wreak havock and my cats always keep their eyes out for anything that moves.. All except for our lazy indoor kitty. Would a 1 1/2 foot shallow pond with a 6-8 foot diameter be big enough in a few years?


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## Tcian (Aug 16, 2005)

As koi develop and mature they gain strength and proper body shape by swimming vertically. Ideally, they should have at least a five foot depth. Deeper if the pond is outside and you are in a winter climate.


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## aquariumfishguy (Jan 18, 2005)

I'm late coming in on this, but I happen to believe Koi really shouldn't be in any less than a 1000 gallon pond. They need seasonal changes (in my opinion and in my experience) and it is best to provide this in a pond. As for depth, I do think any less than 5 ft is too shallow for these fish. Maybe more like 6 ft if you live in the north. Hope this helps!


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