My first koi was named Koby. After six months of building and perfecting my koi pond we finally purchased a beautiful white and orange koi at a major pet store. I wanted to take it slow when working with koi because I did not want to make the same mistake I made when stocking my aquarium.
I stocked the large aquarium with about 25 or 30 goldfish, about half a dozen crayfish and a few assorted bottom feeders as well. Sure, they were tiny but they eventually grow up; like all living things do. There were sick fish, dead carcasses floating in the aquarium and mayhem between the bottom feeders and the crayfish. Eventually, I was left with three fishes after eight years.
When the time came to stock my koi pond, I chose to start with one and learn all I could about caring for the little critter. Here are 5 essential tips for keeping and caring for the health of your koi.
1) Be sure to keep the water temperature of the pond even to reduce the stress placed on your koi. Although koi are very hardy fish, they are susceptible to rapid temperature changes.
2) Watch out for ammonia levels in the pond. There are several causes of high ammonia levels; check the filters to see if they are dirty or not working at all. Check for increased algae growth as well.
3) Do not overstock your pond. I had one fish for a number of years before making the purchase of several more koi. Be prepared to clean the mess when new koi are introduced to the pond. Adjust your pond cleaning schedule when you introduce new fish to the pond before the excess waste accumulates.
4) Read up on the four basic factors that contributes the illness of koi: Viral, Bacterial, Fungal and Parasitic.
5) Familiarize yourself with the most common diseases that plague koi. That way you'll anticipate any trouble before it gets out of hand. Koi fish are easy to handle and lots of fun, but you'll want to be ready to care for them all year 'round.
Dennis is a koi fish enthusiast who finds peace in tending to his koi fish pond. You can get free practical information and personal observation on caring for koi at http://didarticles.com/koi
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