Koi Pond Heater Or Koi Pond
De Icer…Which Should You Use?

What should you do when the weather gets colder? Use a koi pond heater or a koi pond de icer? The answer is “it depends”.

As long as your pond is deep enough you can keep your koi outdoors through the winter.

Their metabolism will slow down and you’ll need to switch them to a lower protein food in the fall and then stop feeding them altogether once the temperatures drop below 50 degrees fahrenheit.

At that time they will become very sluggish and hang around at the bottom of tthe pond where the water is warmer.

The reason some people like using a
koi pond heater is because they like to feed their koi through the winter. When the fish are not taking in nutrients and are sluggish their immune systems slow down as well.

Then in the spring when they “come back to life”, other things, like bacteria are coming back to life as well. With their suppressed immune systems your koi are more susceptible to bacterial infections.

Many people prefer being able to feed through the winter to having to treat their fish for a bacterial infection.

If your pond freezes over in winter you will need to make sure to keep an opening in the ice for gases to escape. If gases get trapped beneath the ice you will end up with a pond full of dead koi in the spring!

A de icer will keep a small area open on the surface of your pond, allowing it to “breathe”. You should NEVER open a hole in the ice by breaking it with a hammer or other implement as this will send shock waves through the water that can kill your fish.

If you live in a colder climate you need to decide if you prefer to use a koi pond de icer or a koi pond heater.

Alan Deacon

KoiCareBasics.com

Koi pond kits are probably a good choice if you are installing your own Koi pond and if you are new to the Koi keeping hobby.

They should include all the necessary components and instructions that you need to successfully install and maintain your pond.

Koi pond kits can be found online and at most home improvement stores. You can install the kit yourself, or you can hire a landscaper to do it for you.

They come with either pre-formed hard plastic shells, or a more flexible plastic that can be moved into the shape of your choice.

Your koi pond kit should include the filtration and aeration systems. If it doesnt it will be necessary to add these systems in order to keep your fish healthy.

Koi pond kits make setting up your own koi pond so much easier. Most of them come with a liner, filtration equipment, tubing, water treatment chemicals and more.

lf you are new to the Koi pond experience, you will want to make sure that your kit also contains thorough instructions. Buying an additional manual on Koi and Koi pond care is a good idea that will help you in the long run.

Be aware that if you want a more permanent pond you will need to install a concrete lined pond at some point. This is a much more involved and expensive process, which explains the popularity and attraction of Koi pond kits!

In my opinion all Koi ponds should be at least three feet deep and not have any areas of the pond that are less than two feet deep!

All of the sides of the pond should go almost straight down rather than tapering. The pond just won’t be safe for your Koi otherwise. If you have any spots, particularly near the edge of the pond, that are less than two feet deep it is like sending out an open invitation to dinner to all the raccoons and blue heron in the area.

Even if you think you live in a relatively predator-free area you will find out differently if you don’t construct your pond defensively when it comes to depth. You might think your fish are safe if you have built a deep area with a cave for your Koi to hide in, but it will still be no match for the blue heron.

This Koi predator will simply wade out into your pond and wait patiently for the fish to come out of hiding.

It is much more aesthetically pleasing to build your pond properly than to find out later that it’s necessary to cover it with a net. A deep pond with steep sides is the best defense against Koi predators.

Another thing to know about depth is that Koi get the most exercise by swimming up and down in the pond as opposed to back and forth, thus to raise healthy, large Koi three feet deep is just the bare minimum. You might want to include an area up to six feet in depth to provide for plenty of exercise as well as safety.

There is a little room to play with when figuring depths for your Koi pond but make sure you take the forgoing tips seriously when planing your Koi pond design!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

Today I’m posting a letter that I just sent out to my email
list. The content is important so I wanted to make sure that my blog
readers get it too!

“I thought I’d send along an article I came across the other day.

Hopefully you know that you don’t want to place your Koi pond at the
bottom of a slope. That way if there is any pesticide runoff from a
garden or from your lawn it won’t be directed towards your pond.

Koi are fairly hardy but contaminating their water with pesticides
can kill even the hardiest of Koi.

In fact the three most important components of Koi care are:
1. Water Quality
2. Water Quality and
3. Water Quality

It’s that important.

I hope you find the article interesting and that it drives home the
point. You probably won’t ever run into this extreme (hopefully) but
it won’t hurt to keep this in mind.

Here’s the link to the article:
Pesticides Article
More about water quality next time!

Take Care,
Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com