Choosing The Right Koi Pond Filters

There are a wide variety of commercially available koi pond filters to choose from. Some of them are very basic and only provide one means of filtration.

Others combine more than one or even all three. These are the ideal koi pond filter.

The three types of filtration are mechanical, biological and chemical.

Mechanical filters remove debris and organic waste particles from your pond. The water passes through a sponge or floss type medium which filters out the particles and then passes back into the pond.

Biological filters are the most important of the three and consist of a colony of beneficial bacteria grown on a medium, since it must live on a surface.

Materials that are porous, like sponge or lava rock contain lots of surface area, making them an ideal medium for maximizing the size of your beneficial bacteria colony.

These beneficial bacteria work by breaking down some of the toxic organic waste into less harmful substances.

A chemical filter won’t remove all the pollutants in your koi pond and should always be used in conjunction with another method of filtration.

Carbon is frequently used, and sometimes so are resins. They can remove some of the specific pollutants like phosphate or ammonia.

You want a filter that can keep up with the large amount of waste that koi produce. Additionally, the filter should be easy enough to maintain that you will be willing to do it on a regular basis.

Choosing the right system for your pond can be a difficult decision, especially if you’re on a limited budget.

Just remember that this is the single most important purchase you’re likely to make when building your pond. Any mistake could be quite costly in the long run.

Be sure to research possible koi pond filters thoroughly before deciding which system is best for you!

Alan Deacon
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.

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