I'm a rank amateur at keeping koi but have managed to keep my 5 med (200-300mm) koi alive and well for a year in my 3000 lt pond.
But I have a situation that was beyond my control and I now have a 120 med sized koi in that same 3000 lt pond.Please understand that I was basically forced into this situation and that I now need some advise.Getting rid of them is NOT a option.I need to keep them alive and well for the next 6-10 weeks as I have sold the house that I'm in now and bought a bigger property so as to build a proper sized koi pond.I do regular water changes (20 % every other day) but I was thinking I should bypass the bio-filter and install a uv filter and increase circulation.
PLEASE ADVISE

To have 120 medium sized koi in 3000 liters is a time bomb.

If you have to keep them, get some portapools and a lot of oxygen in the mean time and don't feed.

If they survive, they might get a knock for ever.

Why do you want to keep so many? How big is your new pond going to be?

Thx for the advise so far. The koi belonged to a very dear friend whom recently past away. My new pond will hold around 200 000 lt. I have not fed them since I got them 4 days ago. I've got a small waterfall and a seperate small pump with airstone. My thinking is that I should get the water as "dead" as possible and well airated.

Why do U want to bypass the bio filter?
U need all the help it Can give U with ammonia conversion.
U are not mentioning QT?

Well,as I have already admitted to being a amateur at this,the term "inflated ego" seems null and void. I'll be sure to ask for your advice once I start constuction. In the meantime thanks to a well hit cricket ball my kois will move to a 60 000 lt pool within the next few days. Some kids playing cricket hit my dstv dish and whilst on the roof fixing it I saw my neighbours half full green swimming pool. Took some convincing but they agreed. So I'm busy rerouting the pipe work and I will fill the pool with water from my borehole,so they should be in by the weekend. Lesson learned from all this "carefull what you wish for !!"

Hi, im also an amateur, but, dont you know someone with a koi farm who would be willing to look after them for you? For a charge to cover feeding of course!

sueq447 wrote:

Hi, im also an amateur, but, dont you know someone with a koi farm who would be willing to look after them for you? For a charge to cover feeding of course!

No one will put koi in his mud dam, unless they go through QT first.
I don't know the quality of this Koi, but only very very good Koi are normally put in mud ponds...

RayB wrote:

Well,as I have already admitted to being a amateur at this,the term "inflated ego" seems null and void. I'll be sure to ask for your advice once I start constuction. In the meantime thanks to a well hit cricket ball my kois will move to a 60 000 lt pool within the next few days. Some kids playing cricket hit my dstv dish and whilst on the roof fixing it I saw my neighbours half full green swimming pool. Took some convincing but they agreed. So I'm busy rerouting the pipe work and I will fill the pool with water from my borehole,so they should be in by the weekend. Lesson learned from all this "carefull what you wish for !!"

OK!
We have all learned the hard way!
Remember a Koi needs 1000 liters of water to grow properly, plus adequate filtration.
The swimming pool will have no filtration...and the Koi will produce ammonia.
Ammonia is a poison to Koi....first it will make them sick and then kill them.
For a short while U can get away with water changes...
U will be better off not feeding at all. It is now cold and most koi keepers stop feeding when the water nears 10 C.
Good luck!

Again thx for the advise. I cleaned the pool today and have it about halfway full now. I would like to hear your opinion on something- I'm moving my bio to the pool which is why I did some pipe work yesterday. It however is way to small for the pool but a small filter is better than no filter,right?? So now I bought a bigger filter but I'm thinking I should put it in the line BEFORE my current filter. Any thoughts? @Sueq A 120 koi is alot to take in at once-even for breeders

RayB wrote:

Again thx for the advise. I cleaned the pool today and have it about halfway full now. I would like to hear your opinion on something- I'm moving my bio to the pool which is why I did some pipe work yesterday. It however is way to small for the pool but a small filter is better than no filter,right?? So now I bought a bigger filter but I'm thinking I should put it in the line BEFORE my current filter. Any thoughts? @Sueq A 120 koi is alot to take in at once-even for breeders

I know this is not your pond so there are not much changes U can do to it.
This is what I can advise for now.
If your fish is bad quality...is it worth all this investment? What are U going to do with all this fish?
But since You would like to keep it, and I don't believe in harming Koi....here is what I will advise.
First are U using municipal water. If U are don't forget to neutralize the chlorine with sodium theosulphate...or ask at a pet shop...what they use.
Second. Remember, u need mechanical filtration before your bio filters.
Only clean water should go to the bio filters or U will cause them to malfunction, and grow different type of bacteria that is harmful to your Koi.
U don't have a bottom drain in the pool, or SC, so the easiest thing for U to do is , put a pipe on the bottom of the pool, perforated with 15 mm holes 15-20 cm apart,along the length of the pool .I used a special suction pipe, which is flexible and heavy duty.
U connect it directly to the pump, and from there U pump into a sand filter for Koi. U can find some time a second hand one...but it is different from a pool sand filter...it uses larger sand and the arms on the bottom, have largest holes.
From the sand filter U can pump to your bio filters. U did not mention what bio filter U are using, and what media...if the media is similar, U can mix the old with the new media...to promote faster colonization, of the nitrifying bacteria.
Don't forget, a sand filter needs to be thoughly cleaned at list twice a week, and preferably with air..if not steered with hand, while open on top.
U can also make filters from 200 liter drums , both mechanical and biological...it will be much cheaper.
I can notost pictures here now, since I am using an iPad...but can email them to U.
All the best.
BTW, I love my koi even if they are mutts some time...but some people have the illusion that all koi are expensive...
Good luck with the hobby. U will love it.