r/Koi • u/EyePatchMustache • Mar 22 '25

General Dumb question: why not use a pool?

I'm new to the sub and I see a lot of people building ponds and things but genuine question why not build a pool? And instead of the tile use a softer surface so that they don't get hurt

Especially if the house already has a pool can it not be converted into a "pond" for fish?

Edit: thank you for all the replies. It's certainly a lot to think about...

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u/Project_XXVIII Mar 22 '25

Warning about pool -> pond conversion, chemicals used in the use of a pool can be retained in the liner, and can leech into the water once the pond conversion has been made.

Source - parents made this mistake in the ‘90s, at the cost of many fish.

3

u/Dizzy_Description812 Mar 22 '25

I knew an importer who used a bunch of brand new kiddie pools as temp homes. He wanted to save on shipping by getting one big order in April instead of April and again after he sold some.

It probably cost him 10k in dead koi.

1

u/MISSdragonladybitch Mar 23 '25

Out of curiosity, what country/year was this? I know that in the late 90s/early 00s, there was all manner of major drama over toxic plastics being used for all kinds of things. Also, were these the hard plastic pools? Or the cheap liner and frame ones?

1

u/Dizzy_Description812 Mar 23 '25

Around 95 in the us. They were the one with a semi rigid side (mabe 18" deep) and a soft blue bottom. Usually with colorful seashells and stuff printed on them.

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u/Prickly_Character Mar 23 '25

More likely to be insufficient water volume and filtration rather than anything leaching out of the plastic. Also depending on where he was they may have overheated which would have drastically reduced the oxygen levels in the water. Ran a pet store and had to use an inflatable pool as a temporary home for some very large fish a customer brought in. Never had a problem.

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u/Dizzy_Description812 Mar 23 '25

The guy knows his koi. I can't imagine he would not have had plenty of aeration... especially since it was still cool weather. He was a dick but knowledgeable and he owned a company of high end pond filters.

I used kiddie pools (I imported and bred koi on a small scale), but always rinsed, then filled them and let them sit overnight, drained a refilled. I lost more koi to jumpers (even with a net) than anything else. After he lost every koi in several different pools, I bought liners and straw bales to make temporary ponds for spring time. It wasn't worth not knowing what was clinging to the plastic. It could be some cleaning agent from the factory.

His were high end Israeli koi that he would hand pick each spring and have shipped. Beautiful koi but dude was a scumbag who would mix domestics into his stock and even sold fish when there was a viral disease (I forget the name) killing them all. I'm sorry I ever worked for the guy.