Posts Tagged ‘Pond Life’

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”.
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Koi Goldfish

Posted in Koi care, Koi pond on 06/10/2010 05:43 am by Karla

Koi & Goldfish – The Same
Or Different?

Have you ever wondered if there is a such thing as a koi goldfish? Is it one kind of fish or two different kinds?

Well, even though they are both descended from carp, they ARE different.

Koi were bred and developed in Japan, and goldfish were bred and developed in China.  Aside from their origins they have other differences (and similarities) as well.

If you aren’t sure whether you should have koi, goldfish, or both, consider the needs of each.

A major consideration is the size of your pond. Koi need much more room than goldfish for a few reasons.

The first, and one of the primary differences, is that koi will grow to be larger than goldfish.  Along with this is the fact that even though they are generally longer-lived than goldfish are, they need better water quality to survive and thrive.

Goldfish can live in a smaller pond with very little care. Koi should have a minimum 1000 gallon pond, and you need to be careful that you don’t overpopulate it at the beginning when the koi are younger and smaller in size! Overpopulation is a primary cause of poor water quality.

koi goldfish

Koi & goldfish can co-exist peacefully

As far as other physical differences, koi have a more tubular shape than goldfish do and they sport a wider variety of colors and patterns. They also can be distinguished from goldfish by the barbels, which look like whiskers, on each side of their mouth.

There are some fancy varieties of goldfish as well, but these varieties don’t usually do well in outdoor ponds. The plainer, slender bodied varieties are hardier and better suited to pond life.

Koi and goldfish can live together very well. So, if you think you’d like both there’s no reason not to have them. They can even interbreed, although their offspring will be sterile.

It is a good idea to gather as much information as you can about koi and pond care since koi are a bit higher maintenance than goldfish. And who knows…maybe you could call their occasional offspring koi goldfish!


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