Small Carp

[Danny84]

hi im new to fish keeping this will be my first time

im thinking of buying myself a tank and getting some small carp to put in it , is there anything in particuler i need to know about them and how to set my tank up?

are there any other species i should not put in with them?

do i need to cycle my tank or is this just for tropical species?

do i need a certain size tank to keep them in?

thanks

 

[t1tanrush]

hi im new to fish keeping this will be my first time

im thinking of buying myself a tank and getting some small carp to put in it , is there anything in particuler i need to know about them and how to set my tank up?

are there any other species i should not put in with them?

do i need to cycle my tank or is this just for tropical species?

do i need a certain size tank to keep them in?

thanks

Depends what kind of carp you are talking about... Most carp should generally be kept in very large tanks if not ponds. I'll be having some in an 800g kiddy pool here shortly and I can let you know how that goes.

 

[Danny84]

hi yeh i look forward to hearing how that goes

those type of carp (small koi i think ) , as small as possible around 2-3" (obviously they grow lol)

 

[three-fingers]

I think you may not be realising how fast they grow (especially at indoor temperatures vs. outdoor ponds). And if you keep them in tanks too small, it will stunt them and negatively effect their health.

Start of with the smallest koi, give them a ~50gal tank, and transfer them to a large pond after a few months, then you would be OK.

Otherwise, common goldfish are carp too, they behave basically the same. Get a ~50gal and keep 2-3 of them in there for life.

And yes, you need to cycle the tank all the same, so if your going to do it at all, you should do it right and read up on cycling here . As usual, the best method of cycling is finding getting mature filter media from someone who already has an aquarium.

Tropical and coldwater tanks are the same except from the difference of a heater, which usually just means a difference of a couple of *C and less temperature swings based on the time of the year. The fish aren't fundamentally different .

 

[saph.st24]

hi
baby koi grow and grow big both these koi where bought as 3inch babies, the black and white one is 17inch and still growing,

they grew up i a tank for 12months and they live in this now

so unless you plan on building a large pond i wouldnt buy carp they are hard work in the pond and a 100 time worst in the tank,
stick with a couple of goldies or shubunkins they are easier and alot cleaner

 

[t1tanrush]

I'll have to show the OP some pictures of the koi I bring home tomorrow. Gotta fish about a half dozen invasive out of a local pond, but the one is easily 24 inches+, lets just hope the ducks aren't all over my bread like they where tonight ruining it ;;

 

[t1tanrush]

Here is a picture of a medium koi from the local pond where I'm removing them, in a 500-600 gallon pool in my backyard:

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Really koi need at least a 12ft long by 6ft wide and 4ft deep pond to live in even if you are just getting a few, they grow very large and are very active fish which produce a lot of waste (so also need strong filtration). I am uncertain of koi growth rates however personally if i were you i would build the pond first before getting any koi (because the building of ponds can always be delayed and costs a lot of money, you don't want to end up with some koi in a tank which are quickly outgrowing it and you have nowhere else to put them because the pond is not ready yet etc).

 

[saph.st24]

judging by the red fins this koi is very stressed out

have you filled the pool with tap water?

is it filtered if so is the filter cycled/matured?

you need to be testing the water daily for ammonia nitrites nitrates and ph and doing water changes as and when needed

 

[t1tanrush]

judging by the red fins this koi is very stressed out

have you filled the pool with tap water?

is it filtered if so is the filter cycled/matured?

you need to be testing the water daily for ammonia nitrites nitrates and ph and doing water changes as and when needed

You are only slightly behind Fish died later that night, had severe septicemia, there is a thread in the TFE forum with pictures... Almost all scales where gone, fins ripped up, blood pooling at the surface... I medicated and aerated the water, treated the tap water before adding her and brought her home as stress free as possible.

It isn't a filtered pool, I put them there until they are healthy and rehomed, most other fisherman would just throw them on the shore to die, because it is illegal to release them. The water quality is bad so I'm doing them a favor (and making a buck I wont lie).

 

[saph.st24]

fairplay to you for doing it


carp naturally live in mud ponds, its only us koi keepers that keep their water clear so we can enjoy seeing our koi.
changing the tapwater for their pond water and slowly add treated tap water over a few weeks, this way they wont be as stressed with the change of water.
add a filter and air in the pool, dont add to many fish and dont over feed otherwise you'll add to there problems you should also get each fish scraped to see what they are carrying parasites wise then you know what your dealing with

 

[t1tanrush]

carp naturally live in mud ponds, its only us koi keepers that keep their water clear so we can enjoy seeing or fish

try changing the tapwater for the pond water and slowly add treated tap water over a few weeks, this way they wont be as stressed or go into shock with the change of water
add a filter otherwise you'll add to there problems

Unfortunately I have no way to get 500 gallons of pond water across town to my pool. I drive an 85 Camaro. I'm not talking about the fact she lived in a mud pond, the water is polluted to an extent. They've been spraying all sorts of chemicals down there recently which could be causing trouble, I've had the water sitting out for 36 hours now, the koi probably won't even be in my care for a few weeks if all goes well, I'm looking to get them into a real pond ASAP. I also can't afford a filter for a koi that I'm rehoming and having for probably a week, I'm not looking to KEEP these koi, I'm looking to stabilize them and rehome them, before they end up like the other, or screwing up the pond, no money for such an under-taking, at least not yet, maybe after I sell the first koi I can consider some sort of fancy pump.

 

[saph.st24]

you could make your filter just have to buy a pump
and only have a few fish at anyone time, leave the water to stand for a week or longer, then add he fish by slowly (over a few hours)adding the pool water to their transport container will need to be covered as they will try and jump out trying to get to the fresher water, do it to quick and they go down hill quickly.when they are in the pool cover the pool they will feel safer good luck hope you give them their second chance

 

[t1tanrush]

you could make your filter just have to buy a pump
and only have a few fish at anyone time, leave the water to stand for a week or longer, then add he fish by slowly (over a few hours)adding the pool water to their transport container will need to be covered as they will try and jump out trying to get to the fresher water, do it to quick and they go down hill quickly.when they are in the pool cover the pool they will feel safer good luck hope you give them their second chance

I shouldn't have it long enough to worry about it, the hose is right next to the pool and I have several large bins to hold them while I do the pool. I can't however wait for the pool for a week, I'm simply chemically treating all the water in the pool, so 36 hours + chemicals should do pretty well, thankfully the water here is extremely close to natural water, most of our stuff is spring water and we are said to have some of the purest water around.

I was trying to add the new pool water in slowly, got the temp adjust and whatnot, only problem was the fact she was in such horrible condition I needed to get her into the pool asap and be able to still have time to get to the store to buy medications, didn't have a way to watch her and go down =/ was a bad mistake didn't think I'd come up against something like this when I took on the project, but I'm prepared for the next 7 fish, so all should be well