Koi Care: What You Need To Do To Keep Your Pond In Good Condition
Posted on 19. May, 2009 by admin in Aquariums, Fishtanks
As an owner of a Koi pond, your priority should be to keep your pond in good condition. Keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure: so once your pond starts to have some problems, it'll take more time and money to fix these.
Never overfeed:
Overfeeding can damage your water quality. Your fish wouldn't nearly eat the amount of food that they do in a controlled environment. Feeding them with too much food will promote larger amount of wastes in your pond. What you should do is to vacuum the bottom out as much as you can, and ensure that the drainage systems are clear and properly working.
Keeping the water quality:
Your pond needs a filtration system. There are two types of this system. The mechanical filtration system relieves the pond of dead algae, insects and wastes (this is very necessary to sustain the size of your pond and the size and number of your pets). The biological filtration system is the one that provides the nitrogen cycle in your pond, removing those dissolved wastes (without this, ammonia will build up which is not good for your fish).
You should always keep your pond clean all the time so that your fish will live a beautiful and stress-free life. The water in your pond is where they will sleep, feed and eat, so it's quite important to keep it as clean as possible. Your pond's water should be almost completely clear. It should contain no debris, and your fish should appear like they're floating in the air. Also, you should be able to see the bottom of your pond clearly.
Keeping supplies on hand:
There are a lot of supplies that you need to properly maintain your pond, and many of these items are very important. You should know the function of each item in order to understand as to why they are needed. There are also items that you need to have on hand always. As you have an outdoor pond, you should expect emergency situations to occur. We all know that nature itself is at times unpredictable, so never get into a position where an item is needed and you have no access to get it!
Preventing the common illnesses:
If you have a fish that's newly bought, it is very important to quarantine them from your current population. Do this for no less than a timeframe of fifteen days. Knowing that Koi Herpes Virus is activated within temperatures at 74 degrees Fahrenheit will let you expose your pet to the right conditions for the disease to reveal itself. Those fish that live in these kinds of conditions for a longer time span and don't show any of the symptoms will tell you that they have little chances of contracting the illness.
In quarantining your fish, isolate it completely away from the current population that you have. Separate the food, water and tools you use in taking care of your new Koi. Proper procedures in hand washing should be observed too in handling both Koi and Koi items within the same period of time. Quarantining will surely reduce the chances of exposing your fish to diseases and viruses.
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