Basic Rules Of Koi Care

KOI CARE RULES -- Most critical factors of Koi care are pond water quality and proper nutrition for koi fish. But there are some basic rules and  important requirements to adhere to for your koi to remain healthy. There is no wonder that many aquarists prefer to keep koi fish, as it is so interesting to watch them swimming. Koi fish are extremely hardy and have been known to survive for a long time in conditions far from perfect, this does not mean you can just ignore they fish and hope for the best, they still require a responsible owner to ensure their needs, little as they may be, to be me However, taking care of koi fish requires understanding about their basic requirements.

Basic Koi Care

Not all Ponds are the same , the Water will be different from town to town and County to County and certainly from Country to Country .Almost every Pond is likely to be different, and because of the nature of the hobby almost every Pond Keeper will have different needs and ideas. But there are some basic rules that are essential to maintaining koi by koi keepers.

 1.  Do not overstock your pond-- 10gal for each 1 in. of fish, less if you do not have a filter or pump. If you wish to exceed this level then you Must have a Top Line Filter similar to The Nexus or our Vortex Systems.

  2. Do not overfeed your fish-cut the manufacturers recommendation by up to 50%  and only feed as much as the fish will take within a few minutes,  feed little and often.

  3. Do not stop your pump and filter-except for cleaning, as you will lose aeration and may also loose that beneficial bacteria.

   4. Do not place gravel or small rocks on the bottom of the pond-they will trap all manner of debris which could cause an aromonas build-up which could eventually lead to the death of your fish.

   5. Do change 10% of the pond water monthly-this will flush out some of the harmful nitrates, ammonia, salt etc.. this is not the same as topping off your pond, this way you are actually exchanging water gallon for gallon. An even better idea if it is possible and if you have built in an Overflow into your system (which is always a very good idea) is especially during the start up process of your new pond, is to trickle water constantly into your pond 24 hours per day - allowing the excess water to simply overflow to waste ...

  6.  Do test your water once a week--this will alert you to the first sign of problems, there are many good and reliable water tests on the market and of course we can recommend the ones that we have generally found to be the best around.

Most  critical aspect of koi care is pond water quality, koi can go on for weeks without being given food, but they can all perish overnight in poor water.  It is therefore necessary for any koi keeper to give serious thought to how water quality will be sustained, and how much he's willing to spend for it,  even before the pond is built.

Another aspect is koi food,proper koi nutrition is also an important aspect of koi care.  Providing your koi with good nutrition will protect them from diseases and ensure that they'll attain maximum size and develop good body conformation.