Koi Care Basics Blog

Mainly used for decorative purposes in water gardens and outdoor ponds, Koi, or Japanese carp are ornamental domestic varieties of the common carp. Although they are quite beautiful and hardy these fish are prone to Koi bacterial infection.

This occurs most often when they come in contact with Aeromonas or Pseudomonas bacteria. These naturally occurring bacteria are found mainly in the water of ponds and lakes. They do not exist in tap water because of the chlorine it contains.

However, if you fill your pond or water garden with tap water you will discover that the bacteria can eventually be found in this water too. Once the chlorine evaporates Aeromonas and Pseudomonas are quick to move in. Unfortunately they then have the ability to cause Koi bacterial infection.

The good thing about these bacteria is that they don’t cause much harm when found in low quantities in a clean and healthy pond.

Also, the outer coating or epidermis of the fish protects them from infection. However, harmful bacteria can infect your Koi when its epidermal layer is broken because then the bacteria can penetrate it’s outer cover.

Not only does it harm the fish already present in water, but can spread very rapidly too.

Commonly, when the Koi’s dermis layer is exposed to bacteria, infection can start to spread rather rapidly. This process takes place when flukes use their haptens, resembling small fishhooks, to attach themselves, thus attracting harmful bacteria onto the surface of the fish.

Another thing that can break the Koi’s slime coat is a puncture or scratch from a sharp object, such as a rock, that exposes it to bacteria.

The Koi can also be exposed to bacteria due to poor water quality or stress caused through overcrowding or moving the fish from one pond to another.

So how can these infections be treated? If you are interested in trying some home remedies you can follow the procedures below.

Koi bacterial infection can be present in wounds either smaller or larger in size. Therefore separate procedures are followed to treat them.

When treating small sores use a paper towel to dry off the wound. Next, soak the sore in a solution of hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab for 30 seconds before you place the Koi back in the water. You need to repeat this procedure for 3 consecutive days.

The treatment for larger sores is similar. The only difference being, after following the same procedure and drying off the wound again, you need to apply a Debride Medicated Treatment on the sores. This procedure also needs to be followed for 3 consecutive days.

However, if this treatment doesn’t work effectively, you may need to seek the advice of your veterinarian. You can also feed medicated food to help heal your fish faster. This method may not always work, especially in fish very small in size.

This advice is for informational purposes and is not intended to replace proper medical treatment by a licensed veterinarian when treating stubborn or severe cases of Koi bacterial infection.

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

Particularly if you are leaving the vegetation out of your pond you will want to feed your Koi some fresh foods.
Many fresh foods supply vitamins and minerals. Bear in mind that these Koi fish foods are meant to be offered as occasional treats and not included as dietary staples.

The following are some fresh foods you can offer your Koi:

* Lettuce:
Lettuce is an excellent treat for Koi fish. You can begin serving lettuce by shredding the leaves and letting them float in the pond. After a few weeks you can put in a whole head of lettuce and watch your Koi enjoy tearing off the pieces on their own. I recommend Romaine or Leaf lettuce as these contain more in the way of nutrition than ordinary iceberg lettuce. Once all the leaves have been eaten remove all the remaining pieces from the pond water.

* Oranges:
Oranges are another favorite Koi fish food. They are high in Vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant and also helps lower stress levels. These can be served by cutting them into segments and putting them into your pond with the rind intact. The Koi will rip away the flesh, leaving the rind behind. As soon as your fish are done eating make sure you remove any leftover remnants.

* Prawns:
Koi consider prawns a delicacy and they are also a good source of protein. Since they are high in protein they should only be fed in the summer months when your fish require a higher protein Koi fish food for extra energy and can digest the protein more efficiently.

* Garlic:
Koi adore garlic and will consume almost anything that is covered with it. You can use a coating of garlic to entice your Koi to eat out of your hand.

Finally, you should consider adding insects and larvae to your Koi fish food repertoire. If you do decide to offer your Koi insects then mealworms, soft-shelled crickets, bloodworms, blackworms, waxworms and tubifex worms are all suitable.

Feed them sparingly, and don’t feed them at all unless you can guarantee they are from a pesticide-free environment. As with prawns it is best to feed these higher protein treats only during the summer months.

The following is a VERY cute video of a Baby Duck feeding Koi, I wanted to share it because I enjoyed it so much!

Enjoy!
Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

You have your dream home along with a wonderful garden that enhances it’s beauty. But… you want to make your garden even more beautiful! How about the idea of enhancing it with a small Koi pond?

Koi fish are an ornamental variety of domesticated Common Carp or Cyprinus Carpio. Also known as Japanese Carp, these pretty fish are known as symbols of love and friendship. You can find Koi in a multitude of colors, including white, black, red, yellow, blue, cream and silver.

It is an old Japanese tradition to tame these fish in small ponds. Their homes have always been beautiful and wonderfully embellished. In the present the Japanese people widely use a small Koi pond in their home garden to decorate it and maintain a positive energy. Koi  are traditionally known in Japan as a ‘good luck charm.’

In addition to increasing the serenity in your garden, these small ponds add to your reasons for spending time relaxing in and enjoying your garden.

Another bonus of a small Koi pond is that building one is not an overly tough task. You can build it in hours without spending huge amounts of money. To make your job even easier follow these simple guidelines…

First, decide on location, where to place the pond in your garden? Selection of a shady is always a wise decision as shade will help moderate water temperatures and provide some cover for your Koi.  You must also select a place where you can easily keep your pond clean and free from garden wastes. You don’t want chemicals or fertilizers to run into the pond since this would be likely to kill your fish.

You should also make sure that the place you have chosen for your pond has easy access to electricity. Electricity will be required for running your filter and water pump.

Size is another important factor, particularly if you are the one who is going to dig the hole. The size of a pond also varies in accordance with the number of fish, and depending on where you live you will also need to make sure your pond is of adequate depth. If winters get below freezing you will need to make sure that a good portion of your pond is a minimum of three feet deep.

To build the small Koi pond in your garden you will need a liner or preformed tub. After digging the hole, you can put the tub in  and fill the dirt around it. This is the easiest way to prepare a Koi pond. But, if  you are using a liner  you must be cautious. Some rubber liners can be dangerous for fish.

The last, but most important component of your pond is your fish! You can have just Koi fish, or even a mix of gold fish and Koi. It is very enjoyable deciding on which colors and types to select and in just a short time they will become beloved pets!

Now your striking Koi pond is ready. If you would like to make it even more beautiful you could place a small wooden bridge over it. This will offer an arresting look to your garden. You will surely be enchanted by the beauty and tranquility of your small Koi pond!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

There is no reason that Koi and Koi pond plants can’t co-exist, however many Koi owners are very reluctant to mix the two. The main reason for this is that these fish are voracious eaters and will consume almost anything they can fit into their mouths!

Koi are by nature very curious and each has a unique personality. Koi pond plants might become food, provide entertainment or even be ignored. Unfortunately there is no way to predict how your particular fish will react.

In general it works out better to introduce your Koi into a planted pond than to introduce a Koi pond plant into an established Koi pond. Koi are curious fish and will go over to investigate the new addition. Then, if one begins to nibble on the plant they will all nibble on the plant as they learn from each other.

However, if you put a few new Koi into an already planted pond chances are that they’ll probably leave the plants alone. Exploring a new environment and finding new things to do can occupy them, thus providing a bit of protection for the plants.

Koi pond plants that have recently been potted do not have well developed root systems to help hold the soil in the pot and the plant in the soil. If your Koi can find any way to get to the soil they will uproot your plant. Rooting is an instinctive behavior for members of the carp family.

One way to keep them out of the soil is to place rocks on top of the dirt. Of course this only works when the rocks are larger than the Koi’s mouth and it won’t prevent them from pushing the rocks out of the pot.

To prevent that from happening you can plant in a pot that is two or more times deeper than the dirt. If the Koi want to get at the dirt they’ll have to stand on their head which is quite uncomfortable for them. Even so, you still need to place the rocks over the soil.

Another option for protecting roots is to grow your Koi pond plants without soil. You can plant them in plastic net baskets with golf-ball size lava rocks. The fish aren’t interested in the rough textured rock, your plants will get their nutrients from the water and the spaces in the rocks allow bacteria to grow. This method will both help keep the Koi away from the roots and help keep your pond water clear.

Leaves are considered a delicacy by bored or hungry Koi fish. There are a couple of ways to handle this problem. You can make sure your Koi are well fed and offered a variety of foods, including fresh and / or rotate pots in and out of the pond. Pots sitting out of the pond give plants a chance to recover while the pots in the pond are available as a tasty snack! Watercress and water celery are particularly good for this.

Keep the plants that you most want to protect in shallower water and at the edges of your pond to make them harder for your Koi to reach. They aren’t averse to coming up out of the water a little ways to get to a delicious meal!

The addition of fast multiplying duckweed or mosquito fern to the pond offer a nice alternative to your more prized Koi pond plants.

As your Koi get larger you might need to separate your plants from your fish. Often barriers can work well. Most of these include netting with holes just large enough for Koi fry and water currents to pass through. Your success rate with netting can vary as the fish can learn to wiggle over the floating nets. If one does it the others
wil surely follow since Koi are quick learners. However you could get lucky and they may not figure it out.

Some Koi enthusiasts build cages from wire around their plants and this can work well as long as you are certain that there are no sharp edges for your fish to get scratched on. Opportunistic diseases can take over if an open sore or scratch is available to fester in.

A last thing to keep in mind is that many Koi ailments are treated with salt and some Koi keepers keep a minimum salt level in their ponds. This is probably okay as long as it is a very low level. A pound of salt per 100 gallons of water will kill all of the submerged plants.

If you have a sick fish and want to medically treat i with salt you will need a higher concentration and should remove it to a seperate tank for treatment purposes.

If you are careful and do some planning you should have very little trouble with Koi pond plants.

To learn more about how to take care of Koi pond plants visit KoiCareBasics.com

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

The key to feeding Koi properly is that feeding Koi depends on the season. Actually, to be more specific, feeding Koi depends on the water temperature.

If you are feeding Koi in heated ponds then they can have a regular, year-round diet. Koi kept in heated ponds do not have to adjust to changes in water temperature.

Feeding Koi properly during the summer months encourages growth, helps in tissue maintenance and repair as well as helping lay down fat deposits and providing nutients that the fish can store for use during the winter months.

When water temperatures are between 64-68 degrees Fahrenheit (18-20 degrees Celcius) feeding Koi should incorporate a high protein diet that will promote growth. Conversely, feeding Koi in cooler temperatures involves less protein as it becomes more difficult to digest then. Instead it is excreted into the water, which not only makes feeding Koi more protein a bad feeding plan, but also pollutes the pond water.

You need to assess feeding Koi in the cooler months of fall and spring when Koi appetites are subdued. During this time feeding Koi should involve a change from a high protein feed to a wheat germ based diet that is easier to digest in the cooler temperatures.

Feeding Koi at temperatures below 46-50 degrees Fahrenheit should stop altogether. In these twater temperatures Koi won’t feed at all and will rely on the nutrients that it’s already stored to get it through the winter.

When the weather begins to warm up again and your fish begin seeking out food you can start feeding Koi the wheat germ based diet again. Then begin feeding Koi by gradually mixing in the higher protein summer food as the water warms up.

Amounts for feeding Koi depend on their age and body temperature. Feeding Koi fry is different from feeding Koi adults. When water temperature is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit Koi up to 1 year old eat 5-10% of their body weight, Koi between 1 and 3 years of age consume 5% of their body weight daily and adult Koi (3 years and older) consume 2% of their body weight daily.

A good rule of thumb for feeding Koi is to offer as much food as they will eat within 2-3 minutes at each feeding. When feeding Koi you will notice a big surge of activity at the beginning of each meal, then as they start to get full they will eat more slowly. This is the point at which you should stop feeding Koi.

As far as the frequency of feeding Koi take note that at temperatures of around 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celcius) feeding Koi should be planned for 2-3 times per day. Feeding Koi in colder temperatures (50-59 degrees Fahrenheit or 10-15 degrees Celcius) is only required once per day.

As you can see, it is extremely important to note seasons and temperatures when feeding Koi!

If you are looking for an exceptional Koi food enter “Hikari Koi food” in the search box when you follow this link for feeding Koi!

Alan Deacon
You can learn much more at my site…
KoiCareBasics.com

Secrets To Successfully Raising Koi Fry

Successfully raising Koi fry begins with Koi eggs. You should make sure your fry raising pond is equipped with air stones or their equivalent as Koi eggs need well aerated water to develop.

During breeding some Koi keepers will use mechanical filters in their ponds, but this is not the best idea since when they can get sucked into the filter. This can be prevented by placing a fine net around the filter’s water intake. Microscopic food particles can become trapped on the foam around the filter. This attracts the Koi fry to the area and they become drawn into the filter.

You can forget using a filter altogether if you are willing to do frequent water changes. You need to replace approximately 20 percent of the water during the water exchange.

Koi eggs will usually hatch in 3 to 7 days depending on the water temperature. If water temperature is around 20 degrees Celcius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) Koi fry will hatch in about 3 to 4 days. You will know when the eggs are close to hatching because they will take on a special, shiny look.

Next you will be able to see the Koi fry wiggling and moving inside the egg, and a few hours later they will make their escape! Now you are ready to begin raising them.

As soon as the babies have emerged from their eggs they will attach themselves to the sides of the pond. Koi fry are equipped with a sticky pad that makes it possible for them to remain attached this way for 2 to 3 days. Providing plenty of oxygen is as important for raising the fry as it is for keeping the eggs healthy.

After 2 or 3 days of being attached the Koi fry will make their way to the surface of the pond to get some air.
When this occurs air passes into their swim bladder. Afterwards they will be able to swim happily around the pond!

At this point you will need to begin feeding them. Very small Koi fry can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp. Hard boiled egg is also a good choice in the first few days of raising Koi fry.

If you can’t provide them with this you can use a commercially prepared Koi fry food. Make sure to use only special Koi food with a high protein content and make sure to grind it into a fine powder before feeding it to your Koi fry.

After about 7 days you can start feeding a special Koi fry food consisting of fine powder pellets. When they reach 1/2 inch they can graduate to small pellets and as they grow you can gradually increase the pellet size until they are consuming the same food as their parents. Feeding is one of the most important components of raising Koi fry to be happy and healthy.

It is easy to overfeed your Koi fry and cause the water to become polluted. Young fry are very sensitive to ammonia. You must limit your feedings and provide a water change daily. The easiest way is to use water from your adult pond as long as your adult Koi are healthy and the quality of your pond water is good. You need to keep a watchful eye on water quality to prevent fungus.

If you observe these basic precepts you should have no trouble successfully raising Koi fry!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

Although it began in Japan, today Koi breeding takes place all over the world. Many people enjoy Koi ponds and some may even consider trying their hand at Koi breeding.

With that in mind let’s get down to the basics!

The first thing you need to do is to determine the sex of your Koi. This is impossible to do until the fish becomes sexually mature which usually hapens when it gets to 10 inches or longer. Even sexually mature fish can be tricky to sex but in general a male Koi will be less plump than a female Koi because a mature female has filled ovaries that expand her body.

The sexually mature male Koi typically looks more slim and streamlined and often has larger and somewhat more pointed pectoral fins than the female. There are some exceptions to these general rules and it is possible to have a scrawny female or fat male Koi fish.

When Koi breeding season begins the male Koi will develop two white spots on his head and on the first rays of his pectoral fins. The breeding tubercles will look like small white elevated spots and can be hard to recognize. The Koi breeder sometimes becomes alarmed and treats their fish for itch when they notice the small white spots, but with practice soon learns to recognize them.

If you keep your Koi in an outdoor pond they will start to spawn in late spring and early summer as the water temperature begins to rise. A water temperature around 20 degrees Celcius or 68 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal to stimulate Koi breeding.

If you keep a lot of Koi together a so-called flock spawning will occur. A flock spawning will give you an abundance of healthy offspring but breeders try to avoid them because these fish often display less desirable colorations.

Thus, during professional Koi breeding, the fish keeper will select desirable parent fish and place them in their own pond. You will need one female and two to three males for a successful Koi breeding.

If you don’t want to dig a new pond especially for Koi breeding you can use a children’s swimming pool. To increase the chances of spawning you can change the water frequently and lower the water temperature somewhat.

Adult Koi eat live foods such as worms and flies and parents won’t hesitate to eat eggs as well as free swimming offspring in their own pond! During professional Koi breeding when a large survival rate is important the eggs are best placed in their own ponds.

Collecting the eggs will be difficult if you let your fish deposit eggs all over the pond. Most breeders therefore use spawning mops. A spawning mop can be made from frayed nylon ropes or pieces of cotton string that are placed on the surface of the pond.

The breeding fish see the mops as floating plants and will most likely choose them as a breeding site.

During the Koi breeding you will eventually notice that the males are chasing the female. This behavior usually goes on for several days before any eggs are released.

When the females deposit their eggs at the spawning mop the males will immediately go over and fertilize them. The spawning mops can then be removed and placed in a fry raising pond.

As you can see, though it takes some preparation and attention it is not all that difficult to perform a successful Koi breeding.

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com