Koi Care Basics Blog

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

There are many excellent reasons that you should invest some time and money in Koi pond plants. They do involve a little bit of work but they provide many important benefits.

The first thing you need to know about Koi pond plants is whether or not you really need them. They do involve a bit of work but they provide many benefits.

First of all they help keep your pond clean, balanced and algae free. Pond plants feed on unwanted nutrients like fish waste and nitrogen. These are the same materials that feed algae and allow them to flourish. Since algae and Koi pond plants compete for the same food and pond plants are higher on the food chain, they starve off new algae growth.

The best combination for your Koi pond is: lots of live plants & good filtration & a minimal amount of fish = a healthy ecosystem…AKA a clean pond!

Some other reasons that you need Koi pond plants include:

1. They provide cover for your Koi, thus preventing things like sunburn (yes, Koi can sunburn!) and predation from birds. Birds, with their keen eyesight have no problem locating your colorful Koi and swooping in to scoop them out of your pond.
2. As already stated they help reduce algae problems.
3. Pond plants help lower the water temperature of the pond thereby also lowering the day-night temperature differential of your pond. This helps reduce environmental stress on your Koi.
4. Another benefit of Koi pond plants is that they help lower evaporation rates…
5. And they provide nice, shady areas for your fish to relax in.

6. The plants in your pond help also help keep your fish well fed. They do this in two ways. First, they trap some of the floating fish food, giving your Koi another chance at it before the pond skimmer gets it. Secondly, as Koi are voracious eaters, the plants themselves provide a “fresh food” source for them. No matter what you do you are going to have to plan on periodically replacing some of your plants. Your Koi won’t be able to resist them!
7. Pond plants also provide excellent cover for Koi fry (Koi babies). While you may not plan on raising any babies they will still be born and having pond plants ensures that at least a few will survive.
8. Some of the plants in your pond will (and should be) oxygenator plants. The best plant for fast growth and best water filtration is the water hyacinth. The oxygenator plants are the backbone of what aquaculture is intended for. They filter contaminants out of the water and produce new oxygen.
9. Last but not least, the plant life in your pond creates a beautiful backdrop for your colorful and elegant fish! Don’t underestimate the aesthetic beauty they will add to your Koi experience.

As you can see, there are many excellent reasons that you should invest your time and money in Koi pond plants!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

Helpful tips for Spring And Summer Koi Pond Care

It is important that you have a checklist for spring and summer Koi pond care. The helpful tips in this article will ensure that you don’t forget any of the more important Koi pond care components.

Now that spring is here it’s time to begin your Koi pond care program. If you don’t already have a Koi pond care checklist in place you’ll find the important Koi pond care basics in the following paragraphs.

The exact same Koi pond care regime won’t apply to every single Koi pond, however there are many Koi pond care basics that must be adhered to.

As your pond begins to warm in the spring and you see it coming back to life it is time to implement an effective Koi pond care program. This will get your pond going in the right direction for the rest of the year.

The first step in your Koi pond care program is to un-winterize your pond. Anything you did to get your pond ready for freezing weather should be undone when the threat of freezing has passed.

Next on the list for your Koi pond care is to make sure you don’t forget about your Koi! As soon as the water reaches a constant temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit you need to begin feeding your fish. Make sure you feed a cold weather food until the water temperature reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit when as part of your Koi pond care routine you can move them on to a higher protein summer food.

If your pond has accumulated leaves and other debris over the winter the next step in your Koi pond care plan is to remove anything in your pond that might decompose and leave behind waste products that are toxic to your fish. There are both skimming and bottom scooping types of nets that will assist you in this aspect of Koi pond care. There are also other water treatment products available to help accelerate the natural decomposition of any leftover debris.

Another possibility in your Koi pond care program is the use of a vacuum to remove debris from the bottom of the pond. If there are an excessive amount of leaves and sludge then proper Koi pond care may require that you do a complete pond cleaning. This type of Koi pond care should only be done if absolutely necessary since it will mess up the balance of your pond and interfere with your algae control.

Proper Koi pond care includes keeping your filter clean. If you use a skimmer or pre-filter as part of your Koi pond care then you will need to clean those more frequently, possibly as often as once a week. However it will cut down on the frequency of your regular filter cleanings.

If you use a biological filter as part of your Koi pond care then make sure you do NOT over-clean it, and avoid chlorinated water. Koi pond care that includes over-cleaning these types of filters can destroy the helpful bacteria that has colonized on the media in the filter.

Another very important Koi pond care tip is to make sure you do what you can to maximize aeration of your pond. Warm water holds less oxygen. I strongly suggest your Koi pond care include an additional air pump and that it is running all the time.

By following the above tips you should be well on your way to good warm weather Koi pond care.

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

The Koi filter is an integral part of any Koi pond. The maintenance of your pond is among the first things you need to consider when planning your Koi garden. If you make sure to educate yourself about the key components of Koi pond maintenance while still in the planning stages you can eliminate becoming overwhelmed and deciding to bail out half way through your project. Or worse yet, acquiring your fish and finding you can’t keep them healthy. The proper maintenance equipment for your pond, mainly the Koi filter and water pump, can hopefully keep bigger troubles and mishaps away for good!

Keep the chemical balance correct in the water by checking it on a weekly basis. Buying your own testing kit is the easiest way to make sure this gets done regularly. Kits can be purchased at almost any pet store. If you don’t feel confident about doing it properly yourself you can always take some of the water into the pet store and have them do the analysis for you.

Koi fish need a quality filtration system in their pond as they are more sensitive to water quality than many other fish. I recommend you buy the best pump and filter that you can find.

A pond filter will keep the environment in the water well balanced. In their natural environment waste produced by the Koi fish is removed in many ways. The volume of water plus the water’s current both make a contribution to the waste removal process in nature.

Your Koi pond filter needs to serve a dual role. You don’t want the ammonia, or Ph, to build up as it is very harmful to Koi fish. The biological function of the filtration system will break the ammonia down to less harmful substances such as nitrates.

You want to keep Ph and nitrates at a low level in your pond or they can become harmful to your fish. The mechanical function of the filter cleans all types of particles from the water. Whoever takes care of your pond will remove these particles as part of it’s regular maintenance.

A quality pond filter will only work with the water circulating through it. This can be attained by properly installing the water pump. Don’t skimp here as this is one of the few working parts in your Koi pond. With a good pump pushing the water and circulating it through the filter your Koi fish will be happy, healthy and content.

A waterfall or fountain not only adds serenity to your Koi garden, it will improve the health of your fish. A constant oxygen supply will be enhanced by these items. They will churn up the water and fold air into it. This process is called aeration.

To keep your Koi fish healthy and give them brilliant color they need a good, clean pond. This objective can be obtained by investing in a quality Koi filter.

To learn more about Koi filters and general Koi care visit KoiCareBasics.com

Alan Deacon

The Koi garden needs to be well planned out in advance. There are many factors to consider whether you are building a Koi garden from scratch, planning one around an existing Koi pond or adding Koi to a garden that is already in place. Your planning will be well worth the effort as a Koi garden offers vast enjoyment to all who experience it!

The three primary elements that make up a Koi garden are:

-the pond

-the Koi

-the plant life

Unknown to many beginners is the fact that Koi fish and plants do not get along well together! When one thinks of a garden they most often think of plants…adding Koi to your garden can increase your enjoyment beyond measure. Mixing the elements properly can give you years and years of pleasure as well as creating a happy, healthy and thriving environment.

The Koi fish is known to enjoy giving their owner a difficult time! Unless your pond is prepared properly the Koi can “dig” into the plant soil and the larger Koi fish have even been known to knock plants over, creating a real mess in the pond, which can lead to real problems for you, the pond owner!

You can use pea gravel with larger stones or netting placed over them to easily eliminate “digging” by your Koi fish and anchoring your pots will prevent them from being tipped over. There’s not a lot you can do, however, to keep your Koi from chewing on some of the foliage as they sometimes consider it as a tasty treat!

Lilies provide an excellent environment and are a quality choice as a plant to be used in your Koi garden. Some lilies thrive in a shallow pond and other varieties like deeper water. Lilies will not help oxygenate the water but the shade and shelter they provide will be enjoyed by the fish.

Beware: even a small amount of lawn chemicals can destroy your Koi fish. This is why placement of your garde is so vital!

The depth and size of the pond must be well thought out. Koi fish thrive in a pond that is at least 4 feet deep. In climates where there are cold winters they need to be able to have unfrozen water to hibernate in at the bottom of the pond.

They also need depth for protection from such predators as fox, racoons and cats. Additionally, if you make the pond large enough you can add more fish as you become more comfortable with your Koi-keeping skills. Koi also can reach a large size and require more room than they did when you first put in your pond so be sure to keep this in mind as well when you are still in the planning stages.

Placing your pond out of direct sunlight is ideal. Using a shade tree also keeps flying predators from eating all your beautiful koi. Not much is more appealing to some birds than a colorful and tasty fish! Netting should be used as protection from leaves, debris and predators.

A carefully thought out “Koi Pond Plan” will provide you with years of enjoyment in your Koi garden!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com