okay just curious i no that koi need around about 230-300 gallons minimum for one fish but i was thinking if you had a tank that big would one koi be able to live in their or do they need to be kept in ponds

Koi are not happy kept in tanks. They need a pond and they need to be around other fish.

Yup, Debi is right

it's theoretically possible but i wonder why'd you want to do it in the first place... Koi don't really strike me as attractive when viewed from the side as opposed to being viewed from above... unlike goldfish.

koi should only be kept in ponds, they're not happy in tanks

i guess i asked the question because at a chinese restaurant i go to they have koi in a tank that is why i was just curious. i would never do that though, thanks for all the replies

i have a similar chinese restraunt that has 2 big tanks crowded with goldfish and a indoor pond

well there is a thai restaurant near me as well but they have 10 fancy goldfish in a 100gallon tank which is nice to no they follow the rule, (keeping my eye on that place if they close down i am asking for that tank)

One day, I went to a chinese resturant and it had comets in a pond with about 5 inches of standing water (pond is about 10 gallons or under and I do not think there is a filter!). People also put coins inside thinking it was a wishing well!

oh the poor fishies, people can be so mean to animals

I agree with everyone, Koi grow soooo fast, ponds only please

Koi can successfully be wintered over in tanks, quarantined in tanks or even live in display tanks. Of course, one has to have accomodations and fitration that correspond to the size of the koi. Obviously keeping a 36" koi in a tank would not be very feasible. However; smaller ones can do fine as a temporary measure and certainly give every appearance of being "happy" and will hand feed and interact with their owners. And while they were bred to be viewed from above; some are quite attractive from various other angles as well.

Eventually, they're all going to probably have to go into a large pond.

yes i tend to agree with you there angelsun. hey i learnt something that is why i started this topic.

but it still sucks that some chinese restaurants keep koi in 10 gallon tanks

Yes, its a thing the chinese have done for years.. but we keep in mind that the first three years of growth are the most important ones, these are the fastest growth spurt years, then it slows down. A lot of folks have more trouble with trying to use AQ tanks though, if its possible, Koi are even more messy then goldies! The risk of stunting them back though through the rapid growth period is not something one really wants. A stock tank is pretty neat though, and pond filters can be switched over for use. A basement or a garage is feasible for overwinter. I just picked up a second stock tank, 300 gl's for a round one and it was only 169.00 for that. My other one is 750 gl's and I've used it to overwinter with.

I'd honestly say if it was done correctly, sure Koi can live in a tank. You'd just need quite a bit of money.

The tanks I'm referring to are the above ground tanks public aquariums use, one particular one I've been to had a Koi tank. Most if not all of the Koi were easily 3 feet long. The actual tank was 8 meters long, at least 5 wide and 3 deep. Thats only really a guestimation, it was probably bigger then that. The sides were all solid except for the front which was glass and the whole thing was designed to look like a pond. But I cant really see people being able to afford a large enough tank for Koi to live in permanently, there just such massive fish.

I can speak from experience on this one. My roommate had a koi living in a 55 gallon with his other fish. He bought this fish when she was a tiny koi, and by the time he moved here with her (almost 5 years later) she was GIGANTIC. We finally found a home at a greenhouse where she can live in a pond and hopefully get a home. I hated taking her, but I felt awful seeing her in that tank. I absolutely hate seeing cramped fish, it makes me so sad.

I completely agree with everyone