Fish health starts with Understanding the basic requirements of a Koi Pond

​To understand the basic requirements of a Koi pond, one need only bear in mind that the Koi grows to at least thirty inches as a mature fish. If the fish cannot grow this large in the pond they’re living in, this will cause stress and strain on the fish – both physically and mentally. Such strain will cause the fish to become vulnerable to environmental pathogens such as bacteria, and this susceptibility to infection will shorten the fishes’ lives.

Don't Overcrowd Your Pond With Fish 

Make sure the fish have enough room. Pond fish need ten gallons of water per inch of their length. So if you had a pond that was one thousand, five hundred gallons large, (1500 gallons) you would keep up to one hundred and fifty inches of fish. At first, this would be met with up to thirty fish of five-inch length. Later, as the fish grow, you would cut the number down through a process known as “culling” removing the least  attractively marked fish, to cause the pond to house fifteen ten inch fish. Eventually, you’d cull the collection again and the fifteen-hundred gallon pond would house ten fifteen inch fish. In the pond’s fifth or sixth year, your thirty fish would have grown, and be “culled” to perfection, you will have removed twenty five “lesser” fish and retained FIVE large, thirty inch specimens of the finest coloration and pattern from your original group.

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Koi and pond fish appreciate some light. The most successful ponds I’ve seen are situated in full sunlight, but there are pluses and minuses to this. First, Koi and pond fish are healthier in sunny pond because the sunlight activates specific vitamins in their skin, adding in the absorption of calcium. Sunlight also enhances the coloration of the skin. Reds are deepened by sunlight.

The pond itself is healthier in full sunlight because the biological process of plants is fueled by sunlight. Plants do several wonderful things for pond water including the production of oxygen by day, the production of agglutinates that clarify water, and the support of microorganisms like Philomena, which actually clarifies water by eating bacteria. Plants also reduce nitrates (a chemical byproduct of filtration) which would otherwise accumulate in the pond.

If the pond is located in relative shade, plants that function in the shade should be chosen to try and capitalize on the above mentioned benefits. Your expectations as to how ferociously these processes occur should be realistically evaluated – your plants just won’t thrive as well without as much of the sun’s energy-fuel. Keeping Koi indoors without natural sunlight is difficult to say the least. Keeping Koi and pond fish indoors mandates that the hobbyist would develop some means of natural or artificial nitrate reduction. 

Halite lighting which is suspended very near the water’s surface can grow some algae on the facilities’ bottom and duckweed can sometimes be grown on the surface of well lit reservoirs that communicate with the main facility (veggie filtration). Fish colors will fade if kept indoors without natural light.

We Suggest Aquascape Fish Food !

Aquascape, Inc. announces its new and improved line of fish foods, ideal for all pond fish including koi and goldfish. Aquascape fish foods are scientifically formulated to provide all pond fish with premium quality nutrition at a great price. Quality ingredients, including multivitamins and stabilized vitamin C, provide superior nutrition and will not pollute pond water.

“Our goal was to create food specifically designed for pond fish that’s high in protein, low in fat, and includes a multivitamin,” states Scott Rhodes, Director of Product Marketing for Aquascape, Inc. “What’s more, our new packaging protects the food from light and moisture, which can quickly degrade the food and cause it to spoil.” Aquascape fish foods are packaged in thick, re-seal able, foil bags.

Aquascape fish foods include Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets, Premium Color Enhancing Fish Food Pellets, Premium Staple Fish Food Pellets, and Premium Flake Fish Food. The new and improved fish foods will not break apart and cloud the water, thereby keeping pond water clean and clear.

Aquascape Pond Detoxifier

Aquascape Pond Detoxifier makes tap water into pond water. Because tap water including well water often contains chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals, that if left untreated can cause damage to the pond ecosystem. Aquascape Pond Detoxifier eliminates chlorine, chloramines, ammonia and chelates heavy metals making them safe for fish and plants and allowing for metals like iron to be used by pond plants as fertilizer. Why buy two separate products when Aquascape Pond Detoxifier can do it all?

Available in two sizes: 250ml/8.5 oz, 500ml/16.9 oz.

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