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Posts Tagged ‘koi’

The Koi come in a wide variety of patterns and colors. The black Koi are distinguished from the other varieties with their own coloring, and not much else. These species can live about 25 to 35 years, the oldest of which have lived up to 200 years! They are seen regularly in outdoor ponds throughout the globe.

The male Koi are recognized and distinguished by their concave anal section, as well as those breeding spots being displayed on their head. They have the ability to lay up to 1,000 eggs. The babies (called as the fry) will start to emerge within 4 to 7 days, depending on the temperature condition of the water. It’s an amazing fact that their color will emerge when they’re about 3 to 12 weeks old. When they were first bred in Japan from carp mutations, they only had two colors. More colors came in with more breeding through the years, resulting in a variety of beautiful colors and patterns.

These species can reach up to about a length of 36 inches, that's why they should be kept in large ponds. The species known as the Magoi is considered as one of the first black mutations which can reach to great sizes in length. Their color is actually deep bronze, which can be seen as black when they are being viewed from above. Due to their unique possibilities in terms of size, the blood of the Magoi is being re-introduced to the other species so as to maximize their potential when it comes to growth.

The Karasu ("karasu" which means "crow" in Japan) is another one of those extremely old species. It is characterized by its black body and black fins. It has an orange or white-colored belly.

It can change its color because of the dietary and environmental effects. The color changes range from duller shades to brighter ones. The Matsukawabake is known for this characteristic; black in color and has areas or white on its body. Depending on the water's temperature or the season, its color can change completely. It can turn completely black or white, and will return to its original pattern once the temperature conditions will change.

The Kumonryu (Japanese for “dragon fish”), which first appeared in the 1980′s, is considered to be as the most popular of the species. It was designated with such a name as it is reminiscent of the bodies of dragons that are depicted by the paintings of the ancient times (some would say that these fish looked as if they were dragons that ascend through the white clouds). This can also change their colors.

Pond owners are being attracted to the Koi's colors and patterns, and surely there's nothing more exciting compared to owning such a magnificent and beautiful fish!

The Koi have become quite popular in making them as pets. The first Koi were bred through the German Carp and Asian Carp. The earliest colors of the Koi were recorded around the year 1805. They have been selectively bred for years, and this resulted to their various patterns and colors. Today, there are lots and lots of variations in color available.

Among the populare ones are white, yellow, orange, silver, red, black, blue and green. The patterns can be combined, resulting to an endless possibility in the pattern of the fish. Each Koi with different patterns and colors have their own names, as unique as the color associated with.

Countries like the United States (typically in warmer places like California and Nevada), Japan, Singapore and Israel raise the fish for purchase. The fish can be bought at most of the local pet stores available. They can be ordered if ever there's no stock on hand. The good thing about this is that you are being presented with more options as you order since you need not pick right away from the available stock, but the bad thing about this is that you will not be able to pick the specific kind of Koi that you want.

Always remember that your pond should be complete first before you purchase your fish. The size and number of fish that you're going to purchase should be limited to the size of your Koi pond. Make it a point that you don't overcrowd your fish, which could cause instant problems to your pond (which can kill many of the fish that you have bought, causing you to lose significant amount of time and money). You can always talk to your local dealer about the proper setup that you can have, and they will be the ones to give you advice on the amount of fish that you should place in your own pond.

The majority of the fish owners know that most fish will only grow in accordance to the enclosure where they are held and contained. Koi, on the other hand, will grow until they have reached their full growth potential (based on their specific kind). But you must accomodate the number of Koi that you're going to buy.

Personality And Traits:

The Koi is not an aggressive fish. The Koi do not have teeth, that's why you need not worry of getting bitten as you feed them with your hand. This trait of the Koi will allow you to get kids involved, as they'll enjoy watching the beautiful and vibrant colors of your pets, coupled with their being gentle in nature. Like all of the other wild animals, it is natural for them to be afraid of your in the start (this is what keeps them alive in the wilderness). Building trust with your pet Koi really takes time and patience.

They are ominvorous, feeding on both meat and plants, giving them an adaptable kind of diet. They will eat whatever you put in the pond for them to feast on, whether or not it is good for them… which means that you being the owner should always control their diet.

The fact of the matter is that these fish have personalities, similar to the other species of animals. They are social kinds of animals, giving them the ability to be trained in directly eating from the hands of their owners. You'll observe more of their individual traits and characteristics as you get to spend more time with your pets. They also have long life spans, the average of which will last around 30 years. The oldest Koi have lived up to around 200 years! These good qualities make the Koi great choices for someone like you who's looking for a long-time pet companion for breeding.

Herons are majestic and attractive birds that have only one flaw: they're opportunistic predators that would love to feast on your pet Koi. That's why as you take care of your Koi, you must be always on guard, never leaving your pond unattended.

These are cunning and deceitful birds: when you first notice them lurking around your garden, they might seem harmless. Standing around 2 to 3 feet tall, they have very large wingspan, with a graceful appearance. But don't get fooled by those looks, for what you're looking at are predators on the prowl, ready to snatch and eat your Koi!

When you notice that your pond is lacking some Koi, greater chances is that the heron is the suspect. When you notice some large gaping holes in the sides of your fish, this means that a heron has attempted to snatch up your fish, but just didn't have the necessary grip to get it successfully. Other cases include a fish lying on the lawn located a few feet away from the pond, which is a result of them being dropped by the heron after being scooped up from the pond.

So, given these facts, there are some necessary precautions/measures that you can do to avoid these unwanted incidents. These "detours", however, will only work for a small amount of time.

1) Plastic herons - You buy those fake and plastic herons and place them in your garden. The purpose of this is to detour another heron from landing on the spot. This may work for parts of the season, but may prove ineffective when the mating season begins, as they may land near the plastic heron when they're looking for their mate.

2) Make some noises - If you catch a heron about to go for your fish, make as much noise as you can and physically frighten it. You can shout, cast things at it, or whatever it is that can scare it. Remember: the more frightened it is, the lesser chance there is for its return any time soon.

3) Alter your routine - You can change your routine always. These birds are really smart enough to detect your presence. Visit your pond as frequent as you can so as to increase your chance of catching the herons in the act. If you're unable to do it, you can always enlist somebody to visit your pond. Giving permission to older and trustworthy children to visit your pond is another good idea, which can add presence to your pond.

4) Creating a hiding place in the pond for your fish - You can create a hiding spot for your Koi in the pond. You may notice that after a heron attacks a pond, it would seem that the bird has gotten all of its prey, but you'll see that your fish will start to appear from strange hiding places once the scare stops.

By providing a hiding place for your fish to protect them from attacks, you will greatly reduce the number of fish caught by herons (and don't worry if your fish is hiding from you, as they'll know and trust you that you will not do them any kind of harm)!).

5) Never restock your pond immediately - As you take care of your pond, don't restock it right away in an event of an attack from herons. The bird will be forced to search for another feeding ground instead if you would take a little bit of time before you restock your pond.

Winter is almost coming, and this will be the first time for your pond to experience cold weather. Wintertime is a downtime for your pond, because during this season, there will be lesser events compared to other seasons. To ensure the survival of your fish and Koi pond through the weather, here are important precautions that you need to take for your garden before winter blows its first cool breeze.

First, clean up - Take your time in completely going over your pond (this can take about a weekend). Eliminate those undesirable bulk materials around it and inside of it. Inside the pond, remove all of those materials such as leaves and slits from the bottom of it. If you have flowers or plants that wouldn't survive the cold weather, you should also remove these as well.

Around your pond, clean up those things that can be blown into it, because you won't be able to notice those debris until the end of the winter (this will then prevent those potentially harmful parasites and bacteria in the future).

Second, stop feeding - Keep in mind that your fish needs to stop feeding during the winter period. Feed them once a day when fall starts and temperatures reach around 55 degrees to 60 degrees. Completely stop the feeding once the temperature hits below the 50-degree mark (even though the temperature will go beyond this mark, you should refrain from feeding your pets).
It would take at least for days for them to completely digest food and the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you will forget this important step, you will surely end up killing your pets! Don't mistake it for hunger when your fish open their mouths to you, for it's only a learned reflex instead of a sign of hunger. Do not worry that you're not feeding them, as your fish will feed on something else besides the food that you give to them (especially if your pond has a great amount of natural plants). If you're not feeding them and if ever they get hungry, they will then feed upon these.

Third, check up - Do a seasonal check up on the equipments that you have, from your filtration system to your array of preventable medications. Keep in mind that the majority of the ponds all throughout the world lie dormant during the winter time, you would be able to have lesser chances of finding the stuff you are going to need. Ensure that your emergency kit (including the nets, medications, bags, and water testing kits) is always ready and up to date.

Fourth, prepare for the cold - Make a preparation for the cold weather by investing in the items that you’d be needing during the summer time. It is known that the fish can withstand constant temperatures as low as 39 degrees for short periods of time (including those slightly lower than 39 degrees).

If you're going to purchase a heater, do a research first on the size that you'll be needing to heat your pond the right way during the winter. Otherwise, ice will still form, causing danger imposed by the amounts of gas in the water, as it is being trapped under the ice's surface. In extreme cases, you can put an emergency tank inside of the pond.

Finally, turn off all of your water sources - Your heater will do its work harder in order to maintain the temperature suitable for your fish to live in the cold weather. If you add-ons like fountains, waterfalls and streams, you should turn them off during the winter (as they will circulate water and constanly bring new and cold water to your Koi pond). By switching them off, you'll make your pond's standing water the only thing that your heater will be responsible for.

Koi owners really enjoy it when feeding their pets with treats. It's such a delightful sight seeing your fish respond to the food you feed them, an activity that you can do with your kids (or grandkids as well). Although Koi feeding is a great bonding experience with your pets, you should always take some important precautions before doing so.

Keep in mind that your fish will eat anything they get, whether it's good for them or not, so this makes it important for you as the owner to control their snack diet. Overfeeding is another issue that must be avoided, because your fish don't know when to stop eating, which may cause weight issues (especially with those non-nutritional ones) for them if not monitored.

Any Koi owner will always think that their pets deserve the best treats there is, so there are many kinds of food that you can give your fish that contain nutritional value, and those that are guaranteed not to harm them in any way.

Natural Treats: The best treat for your fish are those that can be found naturally in the pond, and these are bloodworms, earthworms and tadpoles. You can look around your pond to find them, and once you locate them, dig up these treats from the ground around your pond, or you can opt to purchase similar products found at your local pet store.

Lettuce: This treat is rich in essential vitamins and minerals, making it very healthy for your pets. You don't need to tear these into smaller pieces, as they will enjoy doing it themselves!

Prawns: These are edible crustaceans which are quite similar to shrimp, only larger. These are great for your fish as these are rich in protein. You can purchase prawns in feed stores, department stores and local pet stores. Prawns are sold as regular and frozen (if frozen, be sure to melt them down before feeding it to them). These are good in promoting hand feeding.

Bread: Wheat bread is one of the cheapest treats available. What you do is take a piece of it, break it up, roll it into small balls, then throw it into your pond. Avoid all types of those white bread, which contain small amounts of bleach and other chemicals that can be very harmful to your pets.

Fruit: Your fish eat a wide variety of fruit. When you feed your Koi, make sure you break up the fruit into smaller pieces. Keep in mind that most fruits contain a high amount of natural sugar which can be harmful to them if given in large amounts, make it a point that you feed them fruits only during special occasions.

If you feed them food like grapes, corn and beans, keep in mind that these contain outer casings which can be improperly digested by your fish if swallowed. Be sure to remove the outer casings before feeding your fish. Also, never overfeed your Koi, as giving them too many treats can interfere with their own diet, which will cause more harm than good to them.

In today's scenario, Koi breeding and Koi pond keeping is quickly becoming a very famous hobby among the fish enthusiasts. The demands of this hobby, however, makes it really essential in communicating with others who breed and keep Koi as their pets too. The network of enthusiasts will be very handy if ever you run into problems and then your Koi dealer, vet or local pet store is unavailable at the time being. This network will be providing you with complete fun and entertainment. This is a place where you can discuss your hobby with others who are equally interested as you!

Many Koi communities online are accessible 24/7, and they are also free to use too. Just go through the sign up process, then you can start reading, posting, and responding to posts done by the other members. This is the way you can share helpful tips to others, with which you can benefit from it as well. You'll find joining an online community very easy to do, and it's rewarding as well. Here are the few steps that you have to follow:

1) Find an active community. Make it a point that you do not join those old, outdated and unvisited communities. You can look for the stats of the message boards on their main page. These statistics will include the following: the total number of members that are signed in currently in the message board, the total number of users (members) and the number of posts done for a specific day and month.

The larger the number, the better. If you see great number of members online, this will be a great opportunity for you to post and respond to messages, as well as talk to the other members right then and there.

2) After you will find the best community for you, you should become one of its members. Others won't require any sign ups, which is a good idea if you're not planning to post more than a couple of times. But if you intend to make more visits to the board, it's good to have an "identity" by obtaining your own member name and password. So once this is done, you can create your member profile. Just add and share the information that you would want the people to see.

3) Now that you're already a member, you can now look at many online topic boards. These boards will break different topics into divisions, allowing the users to discuss and find what interests them. Topics can cover Koi keeping for newbies, advanced Koi keeping, Koi behavior and health issues, etc.

4) After finding the board you like, you can now read and post messages. Make it a point that you only post messages on the topic listed so as not to confuse others and prevent the deletion and removal of your post. Follow the necessary etiquette and procedures when posting your messages: don't post in all caps, never argue with others, make sure to spell out each word and don't use catharsis (or abreactions), etc.

5) Finally, you can lend a hand to other people. Newbies to the hobby and other Koi enthusiasts will really find your opinion very helpful to them. Giving them your input about breeding, feeding, taking care of the fish, among others, will help them make their own ponds a better place for their Koi.

In taking care of your Koi, controlling the population is something that's need to be done too. Remember that your Koi will always spawn and lay their eggs (while others will fertilize them too). It is in their very nature, and there's only a little that you can do when it comes to it. In controlling the population of your Koi, remove the unwanted babies after they're born.

Now, you might feel or think that this is a cruel thing to do, but always remember the fact that having many fish in your pond will impose harm and danger to both your pond and to your original fish population as well (particularly the original parent fish).

Why offsprings are harmful…

These babies has the potential to grow up to three feet in length. Now, if you have many babies that you'll keep in the pond and will grow up to this length, you can picture out how your Koi pond would look like? An unhealthy and overcrowded pond, that is! What will happen is that the fish will not be comfortable with this kind of habitat, which will put them in danger.

In setting up your pond, make it a point that you set up a filtration system that will suit the number of fish. If you're going to add extra Koi without adding more to your system, this could cause harmful gases and chemicals.

How to get rid of the offsprings…

Getting rid of the babies can be achieved in many ways. You can stop feeding your pet Koi once spawning has occurred for no less than three weeks. If you think that your fish will starve, don't worry about it, for they can take care of themselves, focusing more on natural foods around them if they don't get fed regularly. Their diet includes their young, as they'll eat those that are still eggs and the ones that resemble tiny insects (as harsh as this may seem, this is just part of their nature)!).

You can also give those unwanted offsprings to people that will be able to take care of them. You can go to local pet stores and zoos that have the same programs for this. You can also go to the local Koi society that you know. You can also opt to log on to online message boards and groups and you can post your own messages there.

A good and working filter are one of the things that are required for your Koi pond. A filtration system (or filter) promotes the biological balance in your pond. A good filter works well without the use of a pump in order to force water through it.

So what are the types of filters that you can use which are necessary for your pond? There are two kinds of filters. These are the mechanical and the biological filters. The biological filtration system depends on the bacteria in the breakdown of the toxic wastes (known as ammonia or pH), converting them into nitrates. Nitrates are less harmful substances (they’re only harmful when left untreated at high levels and large amounts).

The mechanical filtration system is the one that cleans the particles (solid wastes from your pets) from the pond’s water, which are being trapped in the filter and cleaned up during the regular maintenance.

Your Koi pond is quite a big area that the strength of the filter alone is not enough to circulate the water (and remember that your pets need to have an ongoing supply of oxygen in the water). In order to increase the strength, add up features to your pond, such as waterfalls and fountains. These features can promote aeration, a process that agitates the water and in turn giving more oxygen to your pond.

It is necessary for you to keep the chemical mixture of the water at a healthy, normal range for your pets, so it’s important for you to test the chemical content of your pond every week, and this is done by bringing a water sample to your local pet store and have them test it, or if you prefer not to have any hassles in going to the pet store, you can choose to buy a home testing kit to test the water all by yourself.

Your duty as a Koi pond owner is to take the responsibility, time and effort to keep it healthy. Being a rewarding hobby, giving your pond the things it needs (like the filter) wlll able to give you a long-lasting outdoor pond!

In taking care of your Koi, you need to take the necessary precautions when faced with those storms, both small and large scales. No matter where you live, expect that you’ll experience one extreme weather condition within the year.

We have all seen the destruction bought about by Hurricane Katrina, showing us that a good emergency plan is the best way to avoid the aftermath of total destruction.

The Small-Scale Storms:

Preparing for smaller-scale storms is much easier compared to those of the large ones. These few simple steps will guide your pond through such storms.

1) Stop feeding the fish. Truth of the matter is that your pond has enough natural sources for food for the fish to feed on so that they won’t starve for a long period of time. If your filtration system are undamaged, not feeding your fish will reduce the risk of ammonia problems in the future.

2) Make big water changes to your outdoor pond. If the time comes that something goes really wrong and you’re unable to take care of the pond immediately, your Koi gets to have the privilege of having the freshest water there is. You should leave out several inches of water to make up for the upcoming rainfall so that there will be lesser chances of overflowing.

If you got a drainage system, just be sure to clear it of any kind of debris to make it work very well. Now, if your pond is at ground level and you’d expect high waters to occur, you can add some protection through sand bagging around the area, which will keep your pets confined within the area if the time comes that flooding will occur.

3) You can place a net over your pond to protect it from flying debris. The same net that you used for the fall in order to keep out the leaves is fine, so long as you will secure it down very well.

4) Remove any object that can blow over, away or fall into the outdoor pond. Remember that if you can push it over, so can the wind! The items that can be blown away by the wind should be removed completely and you can place them inside your home.

The Large-Scale Storms:

Large-scale storms prevent any type of preventative measures from being effective and successful. To completely save your pond from the storms, remove all of the fish from the pond itself.

First off, it’s good to have all the equipment that you need to transport your fish readily. The equipment needed to bag and transport your Koi is really small which can be stored easily when not in use.

You must have the right bags ready to transport your fish. Never try to use trash bags or regular plastic bags for this, because they aren't designed for the task and may even damage your Koi. Make sure to get bags that are big enough to hold and store your fish.

You will also need rubber bands for the bags that you purchase. Choose those that have good quality, so as not to let the pressure of the water pop the rubber band out as you’re transporting your fish.

You are going to be needing a net that’s big enough to compete with your fish. Even though there’s no need for you to use the net to pull your fish out of the water, there is a need for you to direct your Koi to the place that you want them to go. Just take proper precaution in handling the net, as they can cause potential damage to your fish, especially the larger ones.

If you also want to give the best care possible for your fish, use a paint bucket to catch your fish, because it will not harm them unlike the nets. Make sure that your bucket is large enough to contain your pets.

Being a Koi owner, you get to enjoy taking care of them, feeding them and also spending time with them. But the question is how much do you really know about your fish? In this article, you will get a complete profile and background of your Koi.

Koi (Japanese for "carp") are domesticated varieties of the carp. During the 1820's, they were bred for the first time in Japan. These species come in a wide variety of colors and patterns which include black, blue, red, orange, white, green and silver. The environment where they live and their diet affect their color, and this makes it easy to comprehend the skill and patience it took for the first breeders in developing such an amazing and magnificent fish.

They live in cold water, performing best in temperatures between 61 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Thriving in cooler temperatures, it's safe to keep them outside during the cold seasons.

The Koi is a popular fish that live in freshwater ponds, and they can be found in millions of outdoor ponds throughout the globe. They are loved for both their color patterns and lifespan (the oldest of which reached around 226 years old!). These are typically large fish, which requires them to be placed in ponds with 500 gallons of water (or even more), and the pond should be no less than 3 feet in depth.

For this, you should construct your pond in such a way that it can hold your fish very well. Remember that your pets' health will depend on the amount of space that you give them. Water quality is another thing that you need to consider, another factor that'll affect the health of your pets. These are more expensive compared to the goldfish, that's why they can be harder to replace.

They're not typically among those schooling fish, but this doesn't keep them from socializing and mingling with other breeds of fish. Just be sure not to place them next to larger fish that might consider them as prey. They will split up in smaller groups when placed in larger areas, but seem to school together in smaller ponds.

As winter will come, they will begin their hibernation. During this time, their digestive system will slow down, almost reaching to a stop. The food stored in their stomachs may grow bad, which can make them sick. This is why your pets shouldn't be fed in temperatures dropping less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Koi are beautiful, ornamental fish which can complete those relaxing sounds produced by the rippling water flows of your pond. Owners of Koi consider themselves lucky as they care of pets that touch their lives in a very special way.