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Thursday, October 17, 2013

How to Make Your Koi Carp Healthy and Fit

Before Tim, Tom and Teddy came into our family, we had Koby. Koby was the first koi in the family and came to us from a large local pet supply store. I purchased Koby after making the decision that I wanted to graduate from goldfish in my office to a big beautiful koi pond in the back yard.

Koby was a white and red iridescent koi about four inches long. I made every mistake under the sun while taking car of this poor fish yet she was patient and understanding. Koby ate and swam to our constant delight. When the weather changed I paid special attention to the feeding procedures my store owner told me about. "Koi begin to slow their metabolism down during the cold season, so don't over feed them" he said.

My pond is 10 feed by 12 feet and about four feet deep. The fence came in after my wife found our then four year old trying to take a swim in the new pond. After getting over the horror of potential danger, I built the fence and a installed a mesh overhang to prevent overhead predators.

We fed Koby special koi feed in pellet form. The special pellets gave her a balanced nutritious diet that allowed us to feed her based on her weight. During the summer, we fed her peas and lettuce for variety. the key was to keep her fed every day but not over feed her.

After a series of sores began to appear on her belly, we consulted the pet store manager and discovered that the rocks in the pond and debris on the bottom were irritating her skin. We cleaned out the pond and replaced the stones with larger round pond stones to avoid future irritation.

The original pump was fine for filtering the pond water but my wife suggested a rock and waterfall design for the area surrounding the pond. That constant flow of water would serve a very useful purpose when sitting around the pond and enjoying the peaceful and tranquil sounds of the waterfall.

Koby enjoyed our pond for about four years before she was sold to my brother in law. We now have three other Japanese koi who benefited from our lessons with Koby. The important thing is to keep your koi happy and properly fed. Take care to regulate the temperature of the pond and the materials in the pond as well.

Avoid over-feeding and be sure to secure the pond from above as well as below. Your koi can last for decades so be cautious with its environment and feeding schedule to ensure lasting health and well being.

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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