Pond Overstocking
Overstocking a pond with fish is a very common error new pond owners make.
A lot of times we will encounter a customer with pond problems and they buy some product and see minimal results.
Well, upon further examination and fact finding we find that the person actually has an overstocked pond.
It is easy to see how this happens as a person will get this new pond and immediately add baby fish.
Well these fish seem so small and there appears to be so much room left that more is added.
What is not taken into consideration is how big these fish will be when full grown and how they will breed.
Then before two long they have a huge fish population in what may only be 1000 gallon pond.
So how do you determine how many fish to add to your pond? The good rule of thumb is to aim low as it is always better to have fewer fish than too many.
You can always slowly add more if your pond can support it.
Another key component is to make sure you ave proper filtration for your size pond.
In this case it is better to aim high, as in selecting a filtration system that ay even be rated for a pond slightly larger than yours.
This will also give you some flexibility in the number of fish you can support.
Now as for a specific number of fish to add, there are a couple of formulations and guides you can go by to help you come up with a good starting point.
One formula is basically to 103-123 of fish per 10 square feet of surface area or about 13 of fish per square foot.
To calculate square feet simply multiply the length times the width of your pond.
Some people also go by the 13 of fish per 10 gallons of water rule.
I think this rule is more appropriate for aquariums or maybe shallower ponds say 2 ft or less becayse you could end up with a scenario where the pond is deep but not very big and the fish have no room to move around.
Remember, use the adult size of the fish as the measuring point not the baby size.
So if your pond will support 203 of fish, make sure you select 203 of fish based on their full grown size, not current size.
Another consideration too is the type of fish added.
Generally koi are a little messier than gold fish or others so they will produce more waste for their weight so again, fewer may be better...
in the beginning.
Bottom line is this...
a sure fire way to make ponding easier and to ease the stress of trying to keep fish healthy and water clear is to be sure you are not over stocking your pond.
Your fish will love you and you will be all the happier.
A lot of times we will encounter a customer with pond problems and they buy some product and see minimal results.
Well, upon further examination and fact finding we find that the person actually has an overstocked pond.
It is easy to see how this happens as a person will get this new pond and immediately add baby fish.
Well these fish seem so small and there appears to be so much room left that more is added.
What is not taken into consideration is how big these fish will be when full grown and how they will breed.
Then before two long they have a huge fish population in what may only be 1000 gallon pond.
So how do you determine how many fish to add to your pond? The good rule of thumb is to aim low as it is always better to have fewer fish than too many.
You can always slowly add more if your pond can support it.
Another key component is to make sure you ave proper filtration for your size pond.
In this case it is better to aim high, as in selecting a filtration system that ay even be rated for a pond slightly larger than yours.
This will also give you some flexibility in the number of fish you can support.
Now as for a specific number of fish to add, there are a couple of formulations and guides you can go by to help you come up with a good starting point.
One formula is basically to 103-123 of fish per 10 square feet of surface area or about 13 of fish per square foot.
To calculate square feet simply multiply the length times the width of your pond.
Some people also go by the 13 of fish per 10 gallons of water rule.
I think this rule is more appropriate for aquariums or maybe shallower ponds say 2 ft or less becayse you could end up with a scenario where the pond is deep but not very big and the fish have no room to move around.
Remember, use the adult size of the fish as the measuring point not the baby size.
So if your pond will support 203 of fish, make sure you select 203 of fish based on their full grown size, not current size.
Another consideration too is the type of fish added.
Generally koi are a little messier than gold fish or others so they will produce more waste for their weight so again, fewer may be better...
in the beginning.
Bottom line is this...
a sure fire way to make ponding easier and to ease the stress of trying to keep fish healthy and water clear is to be sure you are not over stocking your pond.
Your fish will love you and you will be all the happier.
