How long could a butterfly Koi stay in a 16 gallon tank before moving to a larger one?
Question by : How long could a butterfly Koi stay in a 16 gallon tank before moving to a larger one?
I am considering purchasing a young butterfly koi fish (preferably a black one).
I currently have a 16 gallon tank, would the Koi do ok in this tank to start with? For how long?
What would be a good size tank for this koi when it’s grown up incase I can’t put it in a pond?
Best answer:
Answer by Above Average
Years.
Add your own answer in the comments!
January 19th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
To be honest to start a juvenile Koi you should start with a tank no smaller than 55 gallons and that’s only for over wintering, they will grow fast, up to around 2″ a month when small, they will get 12″-14″ within a year, and 24″ plus within 2-3 years.
Koi are strictly pond fish, fish tanks are the wrong dimensions for these huge fish. For a tank anywhere near the right dimensions it would be a couple of hundred gallons, over 300. But really they need a pond a minimum of 1,000 gallons.
January 19th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Five minutes.
Seriously, you can’t house a butterfly koi or any other koi in a 16-gallon tank. Don’t even think about it.
An adult koi should have a pond of at least 1000 gallons.
There are many small fish you could keep in a 16-gallon aquarium. You might like some of the smaller barbs, which are related to koi.
January 19th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
You should be fine, until it reaches 15 inches.
January 19th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Never.
January 19th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
How long?
Long enough to get a much bigger tank cycled is about all.
A young healthy Koi should be growing about an inch per month – so is going to get too big for that tank in a few months, or else you are going to start stunting it and affect it’s health.
Good size tank if you can’t put it in a pond? About 500gallons!!!
Seriously don’t buy a Koi unless you have a plan on what you are going to do with it in a couple of years time. A shubunkin goldfish looks very similar, but wont grow as big. You could start one out in a 16gal, and move it to a 55gal for life as it grew.
Ian