When it comes to pond fish, Koi are as beautiful and full of grace as any you have ever seen before. Koi are quite smart and will develop into pretty tame fish over the years. With good care, a whole lot of tender loving care, an expected lifespan is in the region of 25 to 35 years easily. They do take some special care, but if you put in the time, you can literally enjoy these fish for decades in your pond.
Koi need plenty of oxygen in their water. If you have any desire to keep your fish around for decades you will have to invest in a high quality filtration system. These biological filters will process all the dirty water and waste naturally clean the water. It goes with out saying that a big fish needs a big pond.
Like with most fish that can grow large, if you keep them in a small area they will stay small. To really have a good sized pond for your Koi it should have somewhere near 500 gallons of water. In addition, it should be over two feet deep. This is vital so as to keep birds and wildlife from getting them so easily. Should also make sure the pond has walls, so that predators cannot get to fish.
It is also very important that you take measures to prevent illness in your Koi. One of the leading killers of fish is stress. You have to change some of the water on a regular basis. You need to utilize a test kit at least once a season. /check the PH levels. It is a fact that low PH levels leads to low oxygen in the water. Not good for your fish. You also need to inspect for water hardness. The ammonia and nitrate levels should be at zero in your pond. The higher the PH level, the more toxic the water becomes for your Koi.
If you have a surface skimmer, they are good for removing any objects from the pond that should not be there. In case you did not know, Koi are omnivorous. This simply means that they eat both plants and animals. In addition, these fish are also pretty fond of fruit, like oranges, watermelons and lemons. Clean them real well and remove peels. Cut into small pieces and feed. These fish will also eat catfish chow, bread, lettuce, earth worms, krill, trout chow and fresh shrimp.
Koi are a beautiful fish that can bring you years of peace and tranquillity to your backyard pond. In order to make that happen, you must follow all the necessary procedures to ensure that your fish has a fighting chance for survival. It takes patience and determination, but it can be done and your reward will be great, if only you can stick to your convictions.
Having a Koi pond in your back yard is something special to be proud of. It is not an easy process to make into a success. But if it were easy everyone would be doing it. It takes special people to take care of special fish.
Plan your backyard fish pond well. Follow all the procedures by the note. Be consistent. If you can do this, you will truly enjoy the Koi pond for many a decade with your family and friends.
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