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Topping up the 5 ft glass tank
5 ft glass tank with IOS filter
13 Koi in 5 ft glass tank
Sideview of the 5 ft glass tank
IOS filter with media
A Pre-filter in the IOS
13 happy koi in 5 ft glass tank
2 x 2ft Glass Tanks
Upper Tank with Pre-filter
Lower tank without Pre-filter
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An unresistable Offer
I saw an advertisement in one of the aquarium forum in end Jan 2008. There was a guy selling a 5ft x 1.5ft x 2ft glass tank with wrought iron stand for S$50!!
As my fibre tank was quite over-crowded then and I had always wanted to have a glass tank to keep my koi in the living room, I immediately arranged with the seller to view the tank.
He was still using the tank at that time, so there is no issue of water leakage. It has 10mm glass all round and it's strong enough to hold the water for a 5ft tank.
Then I arranged for transportation which cost almost twice as much as the tank, but I calculated the total cost and it is still within my budget.
Commissioning the Tank
The tank arrived on Saturday - 26 Jan 2008 noon in good condition.
The next thing I did was filling up the tank with tap water. It took almost half an hour to fill up the 5 ft tank.
After the tank was filled up, I could smell the chorine or chloramine in the water. They smell exactly as what you smell during swimming in a public swimming pool.
So I added some water conditional and air the water for 2 days. I then added the filter media: coral chips, lava rocks and cotton wool. I would have added Japanese mat and oster sheels if I have spare.
To kick start the bio-filter, I also migrated a few bags of lava rocks from my other tank.
On the fourth day, 5 kois were added followed by 2 kois every day until 13 kois in total.
Feeding the koi
I started feeding after about 1 week, starting with less than half a spoonful of pellets. They were afraid to grap the food from the surface of the water initially as they were not used to the new environment and the water was still not stabalised.
Luckily there is one leader, the Soragoi which often comes to the front to look for food and slowly the rest followed.
Now, after about 2 weeks, I feed them 1 spoonful of pellets 2 to 3 times a day.
The First Week
As the filter takes it's time to mature, the koi were quite frighten in the beginning which is quite common in new setup. They were especially nevious when the light in my living room was turned on at night, that means from total darkness to total daylight. They would dash across the tank and sometimes bang into the walls and splashing some water at the surface.
It is important to cover the tank to prevent them from jumping out accidentally. I also try to switch on the dimmer light first when the room was in total darkness to prevent the sudden change in ambient light.
After 2 weeks of living in the glass tank environment, they are now more used to it and the nevious behaviours were subsided.
What's New in this Setup?
I use a Pre-filter which is very similar to the membrance filter except instead of using the membrane, I use the normal wool media which is more permeable and required less powerful pump.
This Pre-filter allows cleaner water to enter the bio-filter chambers and prevent the bio-filter from clogging.
As we know that a clogged bio-filter is not as effective as a clear bio-filter. A clean bio-filter allows water to get to all part of the media. In this way, the bio bacteria will effectively convert the ammonia and nitrite to less toxic substance.
The Pre-filter will also make the water in the tank much clearer so that you can enjoy watching your koi swimming in clean and clear water. You can compare the clarity of the water in the last 2 pictures on the right. The top tank which is installed with Pre-filter is much clearer then the bottom tank which does not.
A Different Viewing Experience
The glass tank provides a different viewing experience for me. I can now see them up-close swimming gracefully in the glass tank. You can see them while watching your favorite TV show or while reading an interesting book in your comfortable sofa.
For the majority of us who are staying in highrised flats or apartments like myself, glass tank provides an viable alternative to Fibreglass tank in that it requires less space and look more presentable in the living room.
For those who can afford a large pond, you can also use it to house your smaller koi where you can observe and allow them to grow to a good size before introduce them to the big pond.
Recommended Glass Tank set-up
I would recommend that you go for at least 5 Ft with IOS (Internal Overflow System). It would be better to have 2ft wide in width. The one I have is 1.5ft wide which is still acceptable. At least 2ft in height with cover.
Next, a Pre-filter so that you can have a clean and clear water. Also an Air-pump to provide enough oxygen for your koi.
Last but not least, plenty of bio-filter materia for good bacteri to grow and do their job. Hope you'll enjoy keeping koi in glass tank as I do. Cheers!
I saw an advertisement in one of the aquarium forum in end Jan 2008. There was a guy selling a 5ft x 1.5ft x 2ft glass tank with wrought iron stand for S$50!!
As my fibre tank was quite over-crowded then and I had always wanted to have a glass tank to keep my koi in the living room, I immediately arranged with the seller to view the tank.
He was still using the tank at that time, so there is no issue of water leakage. It has 10mm glass all round and it's strong enough to hold the water for a 5ft tank.
Then I arranged for transportation which cost almost twice as much as the tank, but I calculated the total cost and it is still within my budget.
Commissioning the Tank
The tank arrived on Saturday - 26 Jan 2008 noon in good condition.
The next thing I did was filling up the tank with tap water. It took almost half an hour to fill up the 5 ft tank.
After the tank was filled up, I could smell the chorine or chloramine in the water. They smell exactly as what you smell during swimming in a public swimming pool.
So I added some water conditional and air the water for 2 days. I then added the filter media: coral chips, lava rocks and cotton wool. I would have added Japanese mat and oster sheels if I have spare.
To kick start the bio-filter, I also migrated a few bags of lava rocks from my other tank.
On the fourth day, 5 kois were added followed by 2 kois every day until 13 kois in total.
I started feeding after about 1 week, starting with less than half a spoonful of pellets. They were afraid to grap the food from the surface of the water initially as they were not used to the new environment and the water was still not stabalised.
Luckily there is one leader, the Soragoi which often comes to the front to look for food and slowly the rest followed.
Now, after about 2 weeks, I feed them 1 spoonful of pellets 2 to 3 times a day.
The First Week
As the filter takes it's time to mature, the koi were quite frighten in the beginning which is quite common in new setup. They were especially nevious when the light in my living room was turned on at night, that means from total darkness to total daylight. They would dash across the tank and sometimes bang into the walls and splashing some water at the surface.
It is important to cover the tank to prevent them from jumping out accidentally. I also try to switch on the dimmer light first when the room was in total darkness to prevent the sudden change in ambient light.
After 2 weeks of living in the glass tank environment, they are now more used to it and the nevious behaviours were subsided.
I use a Pre-filter which is very similar to the membrance filter except instead of using the membrane, I use the normal wool media which is more permeable and required less powerful pump.
This Pre-filter allows cleaner water to enter the bio-filter chambers and prevent the bio-filter from clogging.
As we know that a clogged bio-filter is not as effective as a clear bio-filter. A clean bio-filter allows water to get to all part of the media. In this way, the bio bacteria will effectively convert the ammonia and nitrite to less toxic substance.
The Pre-filter will also make the water in the tank much clearer so that you can enjoy watching your koi swimming in clean and clear water. You can compare the clarity of the water in the last 2 pictures on the right. The top tank which is installed with Pre-filter is much clearer then the bottom tank which does not.
A Different Viewing Experience
The glass tank provides a different viewing experience for me. I can now see them up-close swimming gracefully in the glass tank. You can see them while watching your favorite TV show or while reading an interesting book in your comfortable sofa.
For the majority of us who are staying in highrised flats or apartments like myself, glass tank provides an viable alternative to Fibreglass tank in that it requires less space and look more presentable in the living room.
For those who can afford a large pond, you can also use it to house your smaller koi where you can observe and allow them to grow to a good size before introduce them to the big pond.
I would recommend that you go for at least 5 Ft with IOS (Internal Overflow System). It would be better to have 2ft wide in width. The one I have is 1.5ft wide which is still acceptable. At least 2ft in height with cover.
Next, a Pre-filter so that you can have a clean and clear water. Also an Air-pump to provide enough oxygen for your koi.
Last but not least, plenty of bio-filter materia for good bacteri to grow and do their job. Hope you'll enjoy keeping koi in glass tank as I do. Cheers!
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