The Koi is considered to be one of the most popular fresh-water pond fish today, and they can be found gracing their way to the waters of millions of outdoor ponds throughout the world. They are well-loved for their variation in colors and patterns, as well as their long life (the oldest of which was recorded to have reached around 226 years!). In caring for koi, they are the perfect choice for pets to be taken care of in an outdoor pond.

These fish are domesticated types of carp (the word “Koi” comes from the Japanese word which means “carp”). They come in different patterns and colors, including black, yellow, red, orange, blue, silver and green. Outside elements (such as the environment where they live) and their diet affect the pets’s color. With this, you can see the amount of skill and patience it actually took the first Japanese breeders to produce such a magnificent fish!

These pets can mingle with other breeds of fish (as long as their size isn’t small enough to be eaten by the larger fish that are opportunistic predators). They tend to school together in smaller areas, but divide into smaller numbers in larger ones.

They can grow very long, so you’ll need, at the very least, 500 gallons of pond water in order to contain them. If you decide to put them in small ponds, just look at how big your pets can grow. If there’s overcrowding, change the size of the pond and make it bigger, or you can choose to give your larger pets away so that you can get smaller ones. Keep the number of pets with respect to the amount of water that the pond holds (you see, space is quite important for the health of your pets). They can be hard to replace with because they are expensive.

These pets live in cold water, doing well in temperatures between 61 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. These are amazing fish that live in colder temperatures, and they can be kept outside in the winter. In koi care, ensure that the pond is no less than 3 feet deep. As winter comes, they will begin hibernating. Their digestive system will slow down. The food stored in their stomach may turn rancid and make them sick, making it very important not to feed your pets in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The pond can be soothing and relaxing when you get to hear its rippling water flows in your yard, but to make it complete, it should have a magnificent and ornamental fish like the Koi. Owners of the pets consider themselves as lucky to have this kind of pet that they take good care of, as it really touches their lives and gives them happiness!

Summer is the best and most lively season for your koi pool. During this time, the temperatures are favorable, which lets you enjoy your koi pool more. But you should continue to maintain your koi pool during this time. In caring for koi, remembering those few important things during the summer months will help you keep the beauty and liveliness of your koi pool.

Higher level of temperatures can cause less amount of oxygen:

During summer, the level of oxygen in your koi pool will decrease. Therefore, necessary measures should be taken, especially if you live in places where warm temperatures are experienced most of the time. A good indication that your pond doesn’t have high enough concentration of oxygen is when you see your fish hanging out towards the top of the surface of the pond, seemingly gasping for air. You can put extra water features in your koi pool like fountains and waterfalls to keep the oxygen moving.

Remember this: the more motion the water has, the more available oxygen there is for your koi. Also, if these features are not available, you can always change the koi pool’s water frequently to give your koi the necessary amount of oxygen that they need.

Watch out for evaporation:

Higher amounts of heat can cause the water to evaporate quickly. What you should do for this is to pay close attention to your koi pool’s water levels, and then do the necessary adjustments. It is important to remove all of the chlorine from the water that you’re going to add.

Summertime is the time for parasites:

Heat brings on those parasites and illnesses, and as most of these parasites are invisible to the naked eye, it is important for you to watch your koi for those signs of illness. Symptoms such as scratching, rubbing against objects, shaking or shivering could indicate different types of illnesses.

Pay attention to your koi if they start to develop visible spots or changes on their body (they may also knock off their fins!). If you see any of these changes, contact your local pet store, vet, or your dealer as soon as you can. Some parasites may cause only minimal damage, but illnesses like the KHV (or Koi herpes virus) can cause real serious problems to your koi, that’s why it should be treated immediately.

Feeding your koi:

To ensure the health of your koi throughout the summertime, feed them with nutritious foods. In koi watch, give them food that are low in protein at least one to three times daily. If your koi seem to be still hungry after you have fed them, you can slightly increase the feeding amount. Take note that feeding your koi with only small amounts of food will prevent the spoiling of food. Feeding them with larger amounts will give way to uneaten foods that will spoil quickly (which can cause issues in water quality).

Your koi will only eat what’s necessary for their survival, and will leave those extra ones. Feeding your koi will also cause less oxygen content in the koi pool’s water, and this can be an issue during the summertime, as oxygen gets depleted in high levels of temperatures. This can be resolved by feeding your koi in the cooler times of the day.

In koi watch, summer is the best season to feed your koi through your hand. Feeding them like this will let you to get to know your koi better, and they in turn get to familiarize you as someone who takes care of them. You can even get your kids involved in feeding them (which would be an unforgettable experience for them!).

The hobby of propagating koi (also known as “Nishikigoi” in Japan) is rapidly becoming popular in the United States. However, few people know where and how they came to be. The first of the species were produced by breeding the Asian and German carp. They have been selectively bred for years, after which different kinds of color mutations started to show up. The earliest recorded color patterns was around 1805. To date, there are many (by the thousands) of color variations available.

Among the popular colors of the koi are white, yellow, black, silver, orange, blue, red and green. There are countless possibilities of pattern combinations. Each Koi are named based on their color and pattern. Among the people, their favorite types of Koi may differ, depending on the location and country.

These koi are raised and bred for sale in many countries, like Japan, Israel, Singapore, and in warmer states in the U.S. like California and Nevada. The koi can be purchased at many local pet stores. They can also be ordered if they don’t have the stock readily available. The advantage of ordering is that the purchaser will have more options, for they do not have to pick from the stock on hand. The only disadvantage here is that the purchaser won’t be able to pick the specific koi they like.

The unique quality of the Koi is that they will continually grow until they have reached the maximum size of their breed, no matter what habitat they’re in. The babies are in lengths of 3 inches, while the biggest koi can reach around 3 feet long, or even more! The most common size is around 2 feet. They have been known to live up to 30 years under the right conditions, and the oldest of which have lived up to 233 years, around 2 centuries!

The Koi are omnivorous animals, feeding on both meat and plants alike. This means that they have a versatile diet. Your koi will eat almost anything that you give them, no matter if it’s good for them or not. In reproducing koi, the owner should be the ones to control their diet, for they don’t know what’s good or not for their diet, and the amount of food that they should be taking everyday. The best treats for your koi are the natural food, like earthworms and tadpoles, and other food like lettuce, bread, fruit and veggies.

Owners should be careful when feeding them with treats like corns, grapes and beans, because these food have an outer casing, which can be improperly digested by your koi if eaten by them. The outer casings should be completely removed before feeding those to your koi.

The Koi are known to be non-aggressive fish, suitable of living and mingling with other fish like the goldfish and comet. The only problem here is that if they will find smaller fish in their path, probability is that they may eat them (for they are quick eaters!). This kind of fish don’t have teeth, which is why they can be fed out of their owners hand as well (a great past time for their owners!). For this, reproducing koi is a truly a fun hobby for lovers of this fish.

When we have taken an initiative that we will care for the dog which we have bought in our house, then it is our responsibility that we give all the ease which he/she needs from us. There are several dog accessories which are available these days in the market and that too very easily either in the leading dog stores or even in the leading websites of the town. Dog lovers are indeed very happy with the variety they get for their dogs. Once we go in the dog stores then we can have an opportunity to look at the numerous various products which they have to sell. The exquisite dog beds not only give an well-designed look but are designed flawlessly with a variety of expensive and inexpensive brands. The pet strollers are durable and are structured to give the maximum ease to the dog when he/she is put in it. The blankets are affectionate and snug and definitely the furry pet would feel pleasant in it in winters. There are different types of dog belts, collars and Designer Dog Harness which are necessary for the dogs to equip with because especially the Attractive dog harness are designed to give maximum comfort. One cannot move eyes around once he/she enters the dog costumes’ section. There are gorgeous attires which are not only colorful but also designed according to the changing climatic conditions. The caps, the sunglasses are attractive and colorful and finally one can say that there are varieties of dog accessories these days.

I wanted a Fancy Dog Harness for my puppy because I was instructed that it is very important to equip a small dog with a comfortable harness. I have two children and both of them are very fond of their puppy and they just love to play with her and I was afraid that excessive pulling could lead her to illness. Generally if the dog is not outfitted with aSmall dog harness it can harm the dog in many ways. He/she might become a victim of trachea or throat problem which can further become a dangerous disease. So it is always wise to buy a comfortable harness and equip our dog and save him/her from the disease . When a dog is equipped with a harness he/she is 100% safe and it can be easily taken in a car or even on a bicycle for a drive. If equipped with a harness it can also help to improve the walking style of the dog.

There are varieties of dog harnesses and one can purchase according to the preference and budget. Some of the harness are designed stylishly which can easily match with the collars as well as leads. When I wanted to buy a harness for my puppy I bought the Bella Designer Harness for her. I even bought a matching hat along with the Bella Harness Vest. This was made with 100% cotton fabric which means she would comfortable in this hot summer season.

Spring is the time when your koi pond will literally come to life. From hibernating, the living things in your koi pool are ready to spring to life at the first signs of the hot weather. In koi care, this is the best time to maintain your koi pool before your fish, plant, and other biological components in your koi pool will come back to live from their winter slumber. Changes can be seen as the days get hotter. Look for temperatures around 50 degrees, because this is the best time to maintain your pond.

The maintenance required for your koi pool will depend on what has happened during the winter season. A hard ones calls for a need for you to perform more changes, and this makes it a good idea to start as soon as you observe changes in the weather. Always keep in mind that maintenance in the spring should be completed on a yearly basis, and it doesn’t matter how mild or harsh the previous winter has been.

Check for the water quality of your koi pool. You’ll notice that your koi pool’s water is very clear when the seasons shift from winter to spring. Don’t let this one fool you, because there will be factors that will cause real problems once summertime will come if you don’t resolve these issues as soon as possible.

During the fall and winter seasons, leafs and other plant material may have found its way to the koi pool. Although the water seems clear, these materials have placed large amounts of nutrients in the water, causing rapid algae growth once the spring will arrive. Plus, large amount of organic material in the koi pool will start to undergo decomposition, which in turn reduces the oxygen in the water.

Now, since the water in your koi pool is really clear, this is the perfect opportunity to clear all of those unwanted slit and debris. And you can do this by:

1) Hiring a koi pool professional from your local pet store or dealer. These people have the right equipment needed to vacuum most of those slit and debris out of your pond. This could be an option that will cost you more money, but you are guaranteed that the majority of those problem-causing materials will be removed from your koi pool.

2) Using a fine mesh net to scoop out much of those debris as possible. Now, the only problem here is that most nets will only cause more slit in your koi pool rather than removing them from it. After you have removed those unwanted debris and slits, test out your water. The winter will cause changes in the pH levels of the pond. Now, at the beginning of the spring season, the pH level of the water should be 8. This can be attained by putting treated tap water (buffered slightly to be alkaline by your water company) into your koi pool.

Most of all, never forget to maintain and take care of your koi. Keep in mind that spring is a very weak time for your koi as they have not eaten for months and they have been living on a relatively low level of energy. This can cause your koi to be more prone to attacks by parasites, bacteria, fungi and viruses. In koi watch, this would be a good time to take all of the necessary preventative measures for your koi and your koi pool.

You can add a wide array of treatment solutions to your koi pool to lessen the dangerous pests and materials. And once the weather heats up, another dose of such treatment solutions will serve as a protection for your koi as they redevelop their immune systems to protect themselves from diseases once the temperature rises up.

Breeding koi is quickly becoming a famous hobby among fish enthusiasts today. The nature of this hobby makes it almost essential in communicating with other people who breed the fish. The network of enthusiasts will be very helpful when you run into problems and then your Koi dealer, vet or local pet store is unavailable. They provide you with complete entertainment and fun. This is a place to discuss your hobby with others who equally interested in it as you are!

Many Koi communities online are accessible 24/7, and they’re free to use as well. What you need to do is just go through the sign up process, then begin reading, posting stuff, and then responding to the posts of the other members. This is how you can share helpful information to others in breeding koi, with which you can benefit from it as well. Joining an online community is quite easy to do, and it is truly rewarding too. Here are the few steps that you need to follow:

1) Find an active community. Just be careful not to join those old, outdated and unvisited pet communities (as the most of them are). You can look for the stats of the message boards on their main page. These stats include the number of posts done for a specific day and month, total number of users (members), and also the total number of members that are signed in currently in the message board.

The larger the number, the better. If you see high amount of members online, this will be a great opportunity for you to post and respond to messages, as well as talk to the other members right then and there.

2) After finding the suitable community, you must then become a member of it. Some will not require any sign ups to be done, which is a good idea if you’re not planning to post more than a couple of times. But if you plan to visit the board more often, it’s good to have an “identity” by obtaining your own member name and password. So once this is done, you can create your member profile. Just add and share the info that you want the people to see.

3) Now that you’re already a member, you can now see various topic boards online. These boards will break different topics into divisions, such as koi breeding, which will allow the users to find and discuss what interests them the most easily. Topics can cover breeding koi for newbies, advanced Koi keeping, pet behavior and the various health issues, and much more.

4) After you find the board that you like, you can now read and post messages. Make it a point that you only post messages on the topic listed so as not to confuse others and prevent the deletion and removal of your post. Follow the necessary etiquette and procedures when posting your messages: don’t post in all caps, never argue with others, make sure to spell out each word and don’t use catharsis (or abreactions), etc.

5) Lastly, lend a hand to others. The newbies, as well as the other Koi enthusiasts, will find your opinion quite helpful to them. Providing the knowledge you have about breeding koi, feeding, taking care of the fish, etc., will help others make their own ponds a better place for their pet.

Season 1: Spring

Springtime is the time when your koi pool really comes to life. The life in your koi pool has been hibernating during the winter, and now as the warm weather comes, they’re now ready to come back to life! In caring for koi, this season is the best time to start maintaining your koi pool before the life in it (the fish, plants, etc.) come back to live from their cold, winter break. Your koi pool will start to change extremely as days gets hotter.

Be very careful so as not to miss this opportunity to do the necessary maintenance. What you do is you watch for temperatures that falls around 50 degrees (this will be the perfect time).

This season is considered as the very weak time for your koi, and that’s because they haven’t eaten for months, which have put them on a low energy level. Due to this, your koi is prone to attacks by different kinds of organisms, such as parasites, fungi, bacteria and viruses…. and this makes it the best time to take all of the possible preventative measures. To significantly reduce the amount of pests and materials that could cause diseases, you can add a wide array of treatment solutions.

Once the temperature gets warmer, you can give your koi pool another dosage of this treatment to get your koi well-protected as they are again developing their own immune systems (which will be effective enough to serve as a protection from various kinds of diseases that can affect them).

Season 2: Fall

The fall will bring a significant change to your koi pool, because this is the time when most of the plant life will begin to change. In this time, what you should do is to move all of your plants that has the inability to withstand lower levels of temperatures indoors (or you can put them in a green house). Another thing that you have to focus on in this season are the leaves, which has to be cleared as well. Doing this will give you a clearer and healthier koi pool. You can also buy a pond cover too as an alternative for this.

Season 3: Winter

Let’s say that this will be the first winter season that your koi pool will go through. Now, this is the time when your koi pool will undergo a down period, due to the fact that less events are happening in this season compared to any of the other seasons. There are necessary steps/precautions that you need to take before winter arrives, so as to ensure the survival of your koi pool as well as your koi. You’ll have to feed your koi lesser during this time (for tips on how often you should feed your koi, you can always talk with your local pet store).

Summertime is the season wherein you can invest for the stuff that you’re going to need to prepare for the winter. Your koi can withstand constant temperatures that fall as low as 39 degrees (and those that are slightly lower than 39 degrees) for a short period of time.

If you buy a heater for your koi pool, just make sure to make a research first on what size you’re going to need to sufficiently heat your koi pool during the winter time, otherwise ice will still continue to form, and this can cause very dangerous amounts of gas in the water (as it is being trapped under the ice). You can opt to have an emergency tank inside your koi pool to prepare for extreme kind of events.

Season 4: Summer

Summertime is one of the best and more lively times for your koi pool. In this season, temperatures are beautiful, and this is the time that can help you enjoy your koi pool more. But as beautiful as things are during this season, never forget to keep up your maintenance, so as to keep your koi pool staying lively and beautiful as well.

This is the time when the oxygen level in your koi pool decreases and proper and necessary precautions and steps are to be taken (especially if you’re located in a place wherein the temperatures stay on a high level for most of the year). A good indication that your koi pool needs oxygen is when you see your koi hanging out towards the surface of the water, seemingly gasping for air.

The heat that the summer paves way for potential parasites and illness into your koi pool. You must watch and observe your koi for signs of illness, as most of the parasites are invisible to the naked eye. Symptoms like your koi rubbing against objects, shaking, scratching, or shivering could indicate different types of illnesses, so it is of utmost importance to watch your koi closely.

In caring for koi, you should look out for illnesses like the Koi Herpes Virus, which have high mortality rate, and this needs immediate treatment. If you observe any kind of changes with your koi, contact your Koi dealer, local vet or pet store as soon as possible.

In koi care , it is inevitable that your pet needs to be moved from time to time. Like all domesticated pets, your fish will have its own medical issues in its lifetime (especially since it can live up to 30 years old!) And when you do not have a veterenarian that does house calls, chances are they’re going to tell you to “bring your fish in”.

Aside from medical issues, there’s also the pond issues, which can arise as an emergency move because your pond is being placed into harms by natural events, or it is due to a planned move for a new construction. You see, no matter what amount of planning and precaution you take in construction your pond, there’s always the possibility that you still need to move your fish whenever the occasion calls for it.

Recent tragedies such as that of the Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina, and those common everyday illnesses, shows you that you need to have a plan of action when it comes to your fish. Whether an emergency or not, you should know how to bag and transport your fish properly so as to ensure their safety.

So in caring for koi, what are the equipments that you need for bagging and transporting your fish? Now, these equipments are relatively small and can easily be stored when they’re not in use.

1) Bags – Always have the proper and sizable bags to transport the fish. Never use those trash bags or regular plastic bags, which can cause damage to your fish. You may need to take a trip to your local pet store to buy them if you don’t have any bags at hand.

2) Net – You’ll need a net that’s big enough to compete with your fish. You can use it to lead and direct them to the place that you want them to go. Just be careful when using the larger nets, as they have the potential to damage your fish.

3) Rubber Bands – You’re going to need a number of rubber bands for each of the bags you purchase. Buy those that are of good quality, so as to make sure that they won’t pop up due to the pressure from the water when you transport your fish.

4) Paint Bucket – This is a better option for catching your fish, as it will not harm your pet like the net can. Just make sure they’re big enough to hold them.

Now, the process of catching and bagging your fish is really a simple task, provided that you have the proper equipments at hand. With a large pond, you can have your friends help you in bagging your fish. Use the net in guiding the fish into the paint bucket, and once they’re in there, remove the excess water, and then start bagging it. Check the bag for leaks, and once it is secured, place the bag over the fish from head to tail. Make it a point that there’s enough amount of water that will cover the gills completely.

Leave a lot of room for air so that the bag will not be very heavy to carry. After this, place the rubber bands around each ends of the bag to double it until the bag is fully secured. Place the bag in a horizontally in your container as you transport it. Be careful not to bend your fish as you lift it. Make sure that the bag won’t move with bumps and turns that you’ll encounter along the way, and cover the fish so that only a little amount of heat from the sun can penetrate in it.

Herons are majestic and beautiful birds, but have one big flaw: they are predators that love to eat the Koi. So that’s why for Koi owners, taking care of their koi means they must be on alert at all times… never leaving their pond unattended! Keep in mind that caring for koi involves protecting your pets from all its enemies/predators.

These are deceptive birds: when you first notice them lurking around your garden, they might seem harmless. Standing around 2 to 3 feet tall, they have very large wingspan, with a graceful appearance. But don’t get fooled by those looks, for what you’re looking at are predators on the prowl, ready to snatch up your pets!

When you look at your pond and you’ve noticed that you’re lacking some pets, big chance is that the heron is the culprit. When you notice some large gaping holes in the sides of your pets, this is an indicator that a heron have attempted to catch your pets, but just didn’t have the necessary grip to get it successfully. Other cases include pets lying on the lawn located a few feet away from the pond, and this is a result of the heron dropping the fish after it has scooped it out of the pond.

So, given these facts, there are some necessary precautions/measures that you can do to avoid these unwanted incidents. These “detours”, however, will only work for a small amount of time.

1) Plastic herons – You can place a fake, plastic heron in your garden. The purpose of this is to detour another heron from landing on the spot. This may work for parts of the season, but may prove ineffective when the mating season begins, as they may land near the plastic heron when they’re looking for their mate.

2) Making noise – If you catch a heron about to go for your pets, make as much noise as you can and physically frighten it the best you can. You can shout, throw things at it, or whatever it is that can scare it. Remember: the more frightened it is, the lesser chance there is for its return any time soon.

3) Changing your routine – You can constantly change your routine. These birds are smart enough to know you’re presence. Visit your pond as frequent as you can so as to increase your chance of catching the herons in the act of stealing your pets. If you’re unable to do it, you can ask or enlist someone to visit your pond instead. Giving permission to older and trustworthy children to visit your pond is another good idea, which can add presence to your pond.

4) Creating a hiding place in the pond for your koi – Another great idea is by creating a hiding place for your pets in the pond. You may notice that after a heron attacks a pond, it may seem that the bird has gotten all its prey, but you’ll see that your pets will start to appear from strange hiding places once the scare stops.

By providing a hiding place for your pets to protect them from attacks, you’ll reduce significantly the amount of pets that the heron will catch (and don’t worry if your pets are hiding from you, as they’ll know and trust you that you will not do them any kind of harm!).

5) Do not restock your pond immediately – In koi care, do not restock your pond right away after a heron attack. Take a little time before restocking your pond, and this will force the heron to search for new grounds for feeding.