Posts Tagged ‘Air Stones’

Koi Pond Algae

Posted in Koi care, Koi Garden, Koi pond on 07/11/2010 06:53 pm by Karla

Get Rid Of Koi Pond Algae!

With all the hot weather coming so early this year lots of us are experiencing some problems with algae in our ponds.

The best thing to do is to not let things get out of control. Like most problems, nipping koi pond algae in the bud is much easier than trying to deal with it when it starts to take over your pond!
Koi Pond Algae

String Algae

The biggest causes of algae are too many koi (thus producing too much fish waste…algae’s favorite food) and overfeeding your koi (once again producing too much fish waste, as well as decomposing organic matter, another favorite food for algae).

Some of the best ways to minimize algae, since a little algae is actually beneficial to your pond are:
  • Keep your pond well aerated, especially down near the bottom where debris tends to collect, by using some air stones.
  • Make sure the size of your filter is adequate for the size of your pond and that it offers both mechanical and biological filtration.
  • Using a UV light during the warmer months helps to keep your pond water clear and control algae.
  • Pond plants, a big favorite of mine, can provide shade (many experts recommend 50-75% of your pond being covered with floating plants such as water hyacinth, water lilies or water lettuce) and submerged plants help oxygenate the pond as well as competing with the algae for nutrients.
  • Adding beneficial bacteria to your pond also helps keep algae at bay. Most suppliers sell microbial bacteria that you can add to your pond.
One thing I recommend staying away from are algaecides (chemical algae killers) unless you don’t have fish or plants in your pond….these products can kill off your beautiful pond life!
You can learn more about proper koi pond care in my manual “Koi Care Basics”.
Share
 

Koi Fry: How To Raise Koi Fry

Posted in Koi care, Types of Koi on 05/17/2009 04:13 am by Karla

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.

Koi Fry

Koi Fry

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

Share