Saucy Pet

Posts Tagged ‘Koi care’

The Koi is among the most popular fresh-water pond fish that has emerged in the fish industry today. The Koi can be found thriving in the waters in many outdoor ponds throughout the globe. They are well-loved by owners for their colors and patterns, as well as their long lifespan (normally up to around 30 years). Such good qualities make them the perfect pets that can be taken care of in ponds.

The Koi are domesticated types of the carp (the word "Koi" is Japanese for "carp"). These fish come in a wide array of colors and patterns, like orange, black, yellow, red, blue, green and silver. Outside elements like the environment where they live and the kind of diet that they have affect the fish's color, and in here you can see the amount of patience and skill it took for the first breeders in Japan to develop such an amazing fish!

They are very social with other breeds of fish (and as long as their size isn't small enough to be fed upon by the larger ones that can be those opportunistic predators). In small areas they school together, but tend to split up into smaller groups in large areas.

They can grow rather large, so you're going to need at least 500 gallons of water for them. If ever you get to decide to house them in smaller ponds, just observe how big they can get. If overcrowding occurs, you can change the pond's size completely and make it bigger, or you can choose to give away your larger fish for smaller ones.

Keep in mind that space is important for the health of your fish, so for this, you need to keep the number of fish you have in the pond with respect to the amount of water the pond holds. Because they cost much, they can be hard to replace with.

These fish live in cool waters, thriving in temperatures between 61 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Because these amazing fish live in cooler temperatures, they can be kept outside in the winter safely. Make sure that the pond will reach no lesser than a depth of 3 feet. As winter comes, they will begin their hibernation. Their digestive system will slow almost as if it will stop. The food in their stomach may turn rancid that can make them ill, that's why it's very important not to feed them when temperature falls below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The pond itself is a soothing area as you hear the rippling water flow, and to make it complete, it should be added with fish as magnificent as the Koi. Owners around the world consider themselves lucky as they have this kind of magnificent pet that they can take good care of, touching their lives in a very special way!

Keeping koi in your garden is a very challenging task to do; hence one should know the important koi care tips. Koi are a very fragile fish and it needs a lot of time and focus from their owners to take care of them. They are also extremely gifted species, at times friendly, and can even be a potential asset when it grows up. Here are some necessary tips to go by in taking care of your koi.

Feeding
Feeding is one of the most ignored tasks in keeping koi in the water garden. The righte choose of food is really important and it depends on the season. Although feeding is not entirely an issue to koi fish in a warmer climate, it is a big deal when you live in a Northern climate, where seasons change from summer to winter. The thing you need to check is when the temperature rises, the amount and rate of feeding koi should also rise.
When the temperature goes down to about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, kois go to hibernation. Therefore, you shouldn’t be feeding them with too much protein before hibernating, as this can cause infection, and infection during hibernation will mean adversity. So, before they go for a long slumber, change the food you feed them with low-protein source, preferably wheat germ based.
A very interesting fact about koi care is that they do not have stomachs. With this, they cannot store enough essential nutrients to keep themselves healthy. Although kois are known for getting their own food in the pond, such as insects and worms, it is also necessary to feed them with processed foods.
It is not good to give too much food, so feed them with intelligence. To do it, simply feed them with a calculated amount, and clock it for five minutes. After this time, you can see how much food has been eaten. If there are leftovers after five minutes, feed them in smaller amount the next.

Filtration
It is tremendously important to have filtration systems in your koi pond. Bacteria, mud and algae free water is the key for a long life of your Koi fish. So protect them for these wastes. A good filter-system is so important. It protects the water and provides a clean pond.
A koi filtration system of a pond has also other functions, such as protecting the pump from debris, eliminating biological wastes such as ammonia, getting rid of suspended particles before getting into the deep surface, taking care of dissolved wastes away from the water, and regulating the growth of algae.
Filter systems are classified by various types, so check out which one would be the most suitable for your pond to use.

The Water-Quality
Water quality is very important for koi to survive. Make sure to maintain its clear properties, for this is very crucial to the fish’s health. The ponds where koi are living are not just where they eat, sleep, and live. The ponds are also where they go for toilet; so if you are not going to regularly clean it, they are highly swimming in their own toilet water.
To determine how clean it is, try to look at the koi pond. If you cannot see the bottom of it, then it is not clean enough.
And again, the water quality is still important. Figure the PH- and nitratelevel out of your water. You can easily do this with water test kits. If it is not in its balanced state, add some pond salt or baking soda on the water to put it back to its right rate.