What is healthy Koi water? This is an extremely important question because the water quality in your Koi pond is the most important factor affecting the health of your fish.
You can determine if the quality of your pond water is sufficient for your koi if the following criteria are met:
1) The water in your pond is free of chlorine and other chemicals such as pesticides, heavy metals, organophosphates, etc.
2) There are undetectable levels of ammonia and nitrite in your pond.
3) Water hardness, pH level, and temperature are correct.
4) There are low levels of particulate organic compounds (POC) and dissolved organic compounds (DOC) in your pond and…
5) Your Koi water stays consistent in it’s stability.
If you use tap water in your pond it has probably been treated with chlorine. Chlorine can be fatal to your Koi. One way to make it safe is by “aging” chlorinated water before placing your Koi in it. How long is long enough? Make sure you wait AT LEAST 24 hours before placing your Koi in tap water.
If you use subsequent additions of tap water in your pond make sure that the amount is a small percentage of the total volume of pond water. Also be sure to test for chlorine levels after each addition.
The next deadliest contaminant in your Koi water would be ammonia. You always have to be careful of ammonia because the main source of the ammonia in your pond is your Koi themselves! Fortunately ammonia can be broken down into it’s less harmful components through the process of biological filtration.
Since certain types of beneficial bacteria break down the ammonia, the highest risk for ammonia contamination is in newer ponds. This is due to the fact that they haven’t yet developed large enough colonies to neutralize the ammonia.
Since the danger from ammonia in new ponds is so serious I recommend that you check ammonia levels every day until they stabilize and make frequent Koi water changes, even daily if necessary. Once your ammonia readings stabilize you will be able to relax a bit!
An acceptable level of ammonia in your pond is actually ZERO!
Even very low ammonia levels (<.1mg./liter) are extremely irritating to Koi fish, especially to their gills, and higher levels can lead to skin and gill hyperplasia. In gill hyperplasia the secondary gill lamellae become swollen leading to breathing difficulties. Serious gill disease and death occur when high levels of ammonia contamination are reached.
As you can see, even in the case of just these two factors of water quality it is essential that you monitor and maintain your pond so that your fish have healthy Koi water!
Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com
