koi pond

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Koi ponds are the king of fish ponds. What exactly is a koi pond and what are koi? A koi pond is a pond that is built strictly for koi, which are Japanese hybridized carp. Some people mistakenly think that koi are oversized goldfish, but that is not the case at all. Though both koi and goldfish are from the carp family, koi are identified by their whiskers, which goldfish do not have. Koi can also get much larger than goldfish.

Breeds of Koi

There are many different breeds of koi and all koi breeds come in all sorts of different colors. Some of the most common and favorite breeds of koi include the following:

1. The butterfly koi which is more popular in the United States and Europe than in Japan. The butterfly koi is actually a cross breed between the traditional Japanese koi with the Indonesian long fin carp. The common characteristics of the butterfly koi include the long trailing tail fins and side fins. Butterfly koi come in many colors ranging from yellows, oranges, and reds to blacks and different calico colors.

2. The doitsu is another unique breed of koi. Like the butterfly koi, this koi is also a cross breed, but with the German leather skinned carp. The German leather skinned carp was originally bred for eating purposes, not as an ornamental fish, but when mixed with koi, you get a koi with some blues and silvers. The doitsu is different from other koi because the doitsu does not have scales, like other koi do. The doitsu has instead the leathery skin of the German leather-skinned carp.

3. The asagi is the breed for those who like the traditional Japanese koi. The asagi koi are usually blue-grey and some have a red underbelly.

a. The tancho is a hybrid of the asagi breed of koi. The characteristic of the tancho koi is the bright head patch on a white or silver fish.

b. The kohaku is the typical koi breed. These koi can be either red or red and white.

Other koi can be of all different kinds of colors. Some of the most beautiful koi are the ones that have the metallic look to them.

Building your koi pond

Building a koi pond is just like building any other pond. The only difference is that the koi pond has to be rather large. Koi are large fish. Though the koi that you can buy at your pond supply store for $20 to $30 might be about 14 to 16 inches, you need to keep in mind that these fish will grow and they will grow fast given the right environment. Koi can get to two or three feet in length. Sometimes koi have been known to outgrow their pond.

Typically, a koi pond should be more than three feet deep and more than ten feet wide and long. The rule for a koi pond is the bigger, the better. Koi get big and need room to swim. Furthermore, many people think that koi need special attention, but that is not the case. Because koi are carps, they can coexist in the same pond with other goldfish also. What is needed, however, is good filtration.

Filtration

Filtration is very important, not only for koi, but also for other pond fish as well. What you need for a fish pond in general is a moving water feature such as a water fall or some type of fountain that is powered by a pump. The motion of the water aerates the water. This is very important, because the fish need oxygen, otherwise they will suffocate. Attached to the intake of your pump, you should have a good filtration system. The most common filtration system is in a box that is known as a skimmer. A skimmer works by having a box with a weir window being two-thirds out of the water. Behind the weir window is a basket that catches any kind of floating debris such as leaves, tree pollens, etc. Beneath the basket is the filter media. Filter media is a porous fibrous material that traps the fish's excrement.

Biological Solutions

Biological solutions can also play an integral part to keeping your koi pond healthy. When you have a koi pond or a fish pond of any kind, you are creating an echo system and you want this echo system just right for the fish to survive. The biological solutions are usually different bacteria that are found in natural ponds and bodies of water. These bacteria are harmless to the fish, other animals and humans. These bacteria have a range of functions in the pond which include dissolving the muck that accumulates in the filters, keeping the water clear and dissolving decaying matter. Bacteria also help in denitrifying the water of nitrogen that forms nitrates which are highly toxic to the fish.

Aerating Systems

Aerating systems are important as well. There are a large variety of plants that are underwater plants which help aerate the water. Furthermore, when you have koi in your pond, you will learn quickly that koi are beautiful colorful vandals that chew all the plants in the pond and therefore the need for mechanical aeration arises. All you need is a simple aerator which is an air pump that is connected to a transparent flexible pipe and attached to a porous stone that dangles under the water. The stone should be about halfway under the water and is usually suspended by a Styrofoam floater.

Winterization

Koi, like other carp, are cold, hardy and with the proper equipment your koi can survive all winter outside. Clearly, in the colder climates you probably will not have the water features running so there is no filtration. That is also no problem, because the fish are cold-blooded and as the temperature drops below 47 degrees Fahrenheit, the fish will usually stay at the bottom of the pond and move very less, therefore use less oxygen. For the winter, several things are needed to keep your fish alive.

1. A floating heater is needed to keep a small hole in the ice. It is very imperative that your pond does not freeze over. Ice can cut off the oxygen into the pond and the carbon dioxide that the fish exhale will not be able to escape out of the water.

2. A mechanical aerator keeps a steady flow of oxygen in the water and allows the fish to breath. Just because the fish are hibernating does not mean that they are not consuming oxygen. They don't consume as much as in the summer months, but if deprived of oxygen, even in the winter, they will suffocate and perish.

Feeding koi

Feeding your koi, like goldfish, is seasonal. There are special diets for koi, but many of the so-called high nutrient koi pellets should be used sparingly. If you put too much fish food in the pond, you will end up with an algae boom. This will cause your pond to become murky and sometimes even smelly. The best food for koi and goldfish is the Tetra Pond Sticks. This is a common brand found in most of your local stores and has the right amount of nutrients needed in the summer. These foods as well as the specialized koi pellets should only be fed to the fish from late spring to early fall when the water temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In the early spring and late fall, when the water temperature in your pond is below 70 degrees Fahrenheit and above 47 degrees Fahrenheit, you should feed your fish a special fall/spring blend. In these times of the year, the water is yet too cold for the fish to properly metabolize and will produce more excrement than necessary, poisoning the pond. In the winter, your fish do not need to be fed.

A koi pond can be a lot of work for someone who does not have the time to take care of the pond, but for those who enjoy these gorgeous fish, a koi pond can bring years of fun for the whole family.