Today, generating koi have become quite popular. The first of their kind were produced by breeding Carp, such as the German and the Asian type. For years, they have been selectively bred, which resulted to many kinds of color mutations to show up. 1805 was the year when the first colors were recorded. To date, there are thousands and thousands of variations in color that are available.

The popular ones come in black, red, orange, silver, yellow, green, blue and white. The patterns can be combined, resulting in a countless possibility in the pattern of the fish. Each of the colors have been designated their own names, and it is as unique as the color being referred to.

In places like Japan, Singapore, Israel, and the United States (typically in warmer places like California and Nevada) raise the koi for purchase. The koi can be bought at most of the local pet stores. If ever there’s no stock on hand, you can always order them, wherein you are being presented with more options when ordering since you don’t have to pick right away from the available stock. The only disadvantage here is that you won’t be able to pick the specific koi that you’d like to have.

Keep in mind that your koi pool should be complete first before buying your koi. The size and number of koi that you’re going to purchase should be based with respect to the size of your koi pond. Never overcrowd your koi, as it may cause problems instantly in your koi pond, killing many of your koi and causing you to lose a lot of time and money. Consult your local dealer about the proper setup that you can have, and they will be the ones to advise you on the amount of koi that you should put in your own koi pond. Many fish owners know that most fish will only grow in line with the size of the enclosure that they’re in. Koi, on the other hand, will grow until they have reached their full-growth potential. Make sure that you are able to accommodate the number of koi that you’re going to buy in the future.

Traits And Personality Of The Koi:

The Koi are non-aggressive fish. They don’t have teeth, so you don’t have to worry about getting bitten when you feed them using your hand. This allows you to get smaller children involved in the process, as they are drawn to the fish’s magnificent and eye-catching colors (added with their gentle nature). Like any other wild animal, your koi will be afraid of you in the beginning (as this instinct is what keeps them alive in the wild). Building complete trust with your koi really takes a certain amount of time and patience.

It is omnivorous, eating both meat and plants (which gives them an adaptable diet). They’ll eat whatever you put in the koi pond, regardless if its good for them or not. This makes you responsible in controlling their everyday diet. These koi have personalities, similar to the other animals. They are social by nature, and they can be trained to eat directly from the hands of their owners. You’ll get to see and observe more of their individual traits and characteristics as you spend more time with them.

The Koi is known for its long life span; in general, the average lifespan of a healthy one would reach around 30 years (although it has been known to live up to 200 years at a time). This makes them good choices if you’re someone who’s looking for a long-time pet companion. These facts make koi breeding truly one great hobby to do!

What do you do with your koi pool after the storm? The first thing that you need to do is relax, take time to breathe, because your koi are probably just fine: they’re just traumatized by what they have experienced (which is normal for any pets who have undergone such an unusual situation). Unless a lot of damage has been done to the koi pool water and the whole koi pond, you needn’t worry about their health. Instead, what you should focus is their home, which may be in need of some repairs.

You may have either prepared very well for the storm or may have been taken into surprise by the event, but whatever your case is, you should take the action needed to make sure that no further damage will be given to it. So here are the things/steps you need to do.

First, you have to undo all of the storm precautions/measures you made to survey possible damages. If you netted your koi pond, remove as much debris off the net as you can and then remove the net itself. Once you have done this, make a survey of the damage and then check out the condition of your pets. If you expect high waters and then your sand has extended outward beyond the normal point in the area of the koi pond, remove all sand bags for you to have an easy access in your koi pond (given that the koi pool water level is normal as well). Now, don’t worry if things seem out of place, as it may not be as bad as the original setup was. Once these things has been removed, take your time to examine the area. If there are any debris, skim over and netting to remove them. If the surrounding plants or other decorations has been uprooted, bring them back to the spot where they have been put originally.

Now, if your koi pond has been damaged quite badly, remove your pets immediately from the koi pond. Even though proper bagging as well as transporting techniques are needed if the damage will really need to take some time to get it fixed, there are some options that you can have if the damage can be fixed immediately. Use a children’s pool as a temporary home for your pets. You can also contact your local zoo or pet store, asking them of any program to help you in housing your pets until the much needed maintenance can be made. But if you only need to do some small repairs, focus on the koi pool water quality. Your pond’s water will be dark or cloudy due to the storm and the extra water from the rainfall. Resolve those ammonia issues if the storm lasted for a longer time. Then test your koi pool water for the presence of Nitrates.

If there are nitrates, add the right amount of salt to the koi pool water, which is about three-fourths to a pound of salt per 100 gallons of water. It’s a good idea to add more salt if your pets got shocked by the storm or if they have injuries (if you have plants lying around in your koi pond, remove them before you add the salt). Your pets should be your priority here.

And if you have KH issues (especially if it falls below 100), you can add baking soda to your koi pond (around 1 cup of unpacked baking soda per 1000 gallons of water). Doing this will protect your koi pond from a pH crash that may happen in a later time.

In koi pool, overpopulation of the pet is one of the hardest problems that pond owners have to deal with. This can cause big problems to your koi pool, which can even cause death to your koi. To avoid these dilemmas, here are a few ways to help prevent overpopulation in your koi pond water.

Don’t Overstock:

Overstocking is one of the common problems among new koi pool owners. When you first start purchasing your koi, decide between a number of koi that are equally playful and beautiful so as to save your own koi pool from overstocking. You can always talk with your pet store professional or dealer about your koi pool’s specs.

Tell them the total size of your koi pool, the type of filtration systems you use, and where you’re planning to place your koi pool. These helpful information can help them to successfully predict the right amount of koi that you can have in your koi pool. Don’t worry if the number may seem small, because keep in mind that this species grow rather fast and get large quickly!

One of the problems that people or owners run into is not able to turn down offers from others. When you are being offered with a koi by other pond owners, always look at the reasons as to why they’re giving you their koi (this might be due to overpopulation issues as well). Turning down offers such as this doesn’t mean you’re causing damage to the koi, but it’s just that the owner may have to find a different individual to take the offer.

Steps To Take Once Overpopulation Has Occurred:

If the time comes that your koi pool has reached overpopulation, here are some steps to remove the babies from it. A good way is to stop feeding your koi once you realize that spawning has actually occurred. Stop feeding your koi for no less than 3 weeks. Don’t worry about your koi starving, as they’ll focus more on the natural food that they can get if you’re not feeding them everyday. Their natural diet includes their young.

Although they aren’t one of those cannibalistic animals, it’s natural for them to eat their young when they’re still eggs or if they’re small, resembling insects. Once the babies looks like real fish, the adult ones will recognize this, and they’ll no longer see them as food.

It’s quite important to start this process as soon as you’ll observe spawning or babies in the koi pond water. Though cruel as this may seem, it’s only a natural process. Another way to do this is by giving those unwanted babies away. You can first check with your local pet store, as many of them have programs wherein they’ll accept those unwanted animals and provide shelter for them (some may also pay a certain amount of money for each koi since they sell them). You can also go to local zoos, local Koi societies and online forums.

A good filter for koi pond for your pond environment is one of the things you need to have for a healthy pets. A koi pond filter promotes the biological balance needed for your koi pool. A good and working one will be able to perform the task properly without using a pump to force water through it.

So what are the types of koi pond filter that you can use which are necessary for your pets? Well, there are two types of these koi pond filter. These are the mechanical and the biological ones. The biological koi pond filter is the one that depends on the bacteria in the breakdown of the toxic wastes (known as ammonia or pH), converting them into nitrates. These nitrates are substances that are less harmful (they only become harmful to your pets when left untreated at large amounts and high levels).

The mechanical koi pond filter is the one that cleans the particles (solid wastes from your pets) from the koi pool’s water, which are trapped in the filter and then cleaned up when the regular maintenance period of the koi pool comes.

Your koi pool is a big area wherein the strength of the filter isn’t enough to promote the water circulation (and remember that your pets need to have an ongoing supply of oxygen in the water). For this, to increase the strength, you can opt to add additional features to your koi pool such as waterfalls, fountains, and the like. These features can promote aeration, a process that agitates the water, giving more oxygen to the water.

It is necessary for you to keep the chemical mixture of the water at a healthy, normal range for your pets, that’s why you should test your water’s chemical make up on a weekly basis, and this is done by bringing a water sample to your local pet store and have them test it, or if you prefer not to have any hassles in going to the pet store, you can choose to buy a home testing kit to test the water all by yourself.

As a koi pool owner, always take the responsibility, time and effort needed to keep its health in great condition. Getting your koi pool the important equipments it needs (like the koi pond filter) will give you a healthier, long-lasting koi pool!

In taking care of your Koi, protecting them from a deadly koi disease known as the KHV (or Koi Herpes Virus) is very important. Your fish are really susceptible to this kind of disease, and the only way you can protect them from this koi epidemic is to make sure that they never get exposed to it. Getting the much needed information about this koi epidemic will get your koi the best protection that they’re going to need.

The Facts About KHV:

So what is KHV? Since its first outbreak, a little has only been learned about the koi epidemic . Knowing the facts is an essential thing for the protection and survival of your koi . The KHV is a deadly disease which has just recently popped up in the industry. In the late 1998 and early 1999, the first outbreak has been reported and confirmed in Israel, then in the following years has been confirmed in places like Europe, Asia and the United States.

This koi epidemic is known to infect the victim throughout their full lifespan. Even those who do not show any signs of the virus, they are considered as carriers if they have been exposed to it. The mortality rate for those koi epidemic that have been exposed is around 60 percent to 80 percent.

There is no known cure for this koi epidemic . Even if proper treatment has been given to your koi , never again will they be able to go to a new home, and this is because if you put them in a healthy population, they will be able to spread the koi epidemic to the others (this can cause a potentially higher rate in terms of mortality). Remember that this koi epidemic can spread in various ways, like the koi epidemic coming into contact with the infected ones, tools used to handle the infected fish, the water in which the infected fish swam, etc.

Stress can increase the mortality rate of the koi , although it does not directly cause the disease itself. Temperatures around 74 degrees Fahrenheit can be used to track the disease, and it will allow the necessary testing and quarantining of your koi to observe if they have been exposed or not.

Preventative Measures: Depopulation and Quarantine

Depopulation is one of the best preventative measures that you can do, which means the elimination of your whole pet population. Although it may seem as a harsh method if you look at it, with this you can really ensure that you don’t infect the other koi in your pond. Another method is by quarantining. If you buy a new fish, make it a point that you quarantine it before mixing it with your current population (for a period of no less than 15 days).

In quarantining your koi , they should be totally shunned and isolated from anything else. Separate the food, tools and water that you’ll use for the quarantined koi , and make sure that the tools that you use for them doesn’t leave the area in which they have been used. Procedures for proper hand washing in handling your koi and the essential items should be observed. Following these effective preventative measures can help you avoid your koi from catching this infectious koi epidemic.

The Koi Herpes Virus (abbreviated as KHV) is a deadly koi ailment which has recently emerged in the Koi industry. Its first outbreak was confirmed in the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999 in Israel. Since its emergence, outbreaks have been reported all throughout the globe, especially in Europe, Asia and the United States.

The KHV is believed to remain with the infected pets for the rest of its life. The koi that have been exposed to the virus immediately become carriers! The mortality rate for the koi that have been exposed to this kind of virus would fall around 60 to 80 percent. These koi are susceptible to the virus. The only way to prevent your koi from getting infected by the koi virus is by making sure that your koi will never get exposed to it. Being knowledgeable about the koi virus would really slim the chances of making your koi get infected by the virus.

The Facts About The Virus:

A little has been gathered about the koi virus since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the facts about this virus can prevent it from spreading into your pond. Once the koi have been exposed to virus, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its life. Even with the proper treatment, these koi should never be transferred to another pond to prevent the spreading of the infection. Temperature levels around 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the koi virus (a valuable information for testing to see if the koi really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the koi virus, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher mortality rate. Spreading of the virus will occur if the koi will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected koi; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; and others. There’s no known cure for the KHV.

Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:

If your koi has been diagnosed with the virus, the only way to make sure that you don’t infect other koi is by depopulation. In here you eliminate your entire fish population. This is the best way so as to make sure that no other fish will ever catch the koi virus. When purchasing a fish, quarantine the new koi separately from your current population in a period not less than 15 days. With the knowledge of the exact temperature level to activate the disease (around 74 degrees Fahrenheit), this will allow you to expose your koi to the right conditions for the koi virus to show itself. Those that live in this conditions for this given period and don’t develop any symptoms have less chance of getting infected.

Quarantining your koi means totally isolating them; don’t allow anything to come near the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the present population. Use separate food, tools and water for this one. Ensure that those tools you have used for your quarantined koi should just stay always in the area in which they were used. Proper hand washing procedures should also be observed when handling both the koi and their items within the same period of time. These steps can really help in the prevention of the spreading of this koi virus.

The Koi lack fear when it comes to humans, and this serves as one of their best features. Once your koi sees you as the one who gives and feeds them food and the one who’s not going to harm them in anyway, they are likely to eat right out of your hand (provided with the proper training). The reality is that nourishing koi can be one of the most entertaining and funniest experiences that you’re going to get into.

These koi are non-aggressive by nature. You don’t have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand as they have no teeth. This activity of nourishing koi will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors of your koi . Like any wild animal out there, they will initially fear you. Now, their own instincts tell them to fear you, and this is what keeps them alive in the wild. Build up trust with your koi , and this will take a certain amount of patience in your part. Keep in mind that nourishing koi with your hand can’t be achieved over night!

Being an omnivorous species, they eat both meat and plants. This brings versatility in their diets. They’ll eat almost everything that you give them, whether it’s good for them or not. And since they can’t judge what’s good or bad for them, you should be the one to control their diet. Overfeeding is another problem that should be taken care of, as your koi might get overweight from eating non-nutritious food. The healthiest treats for them there is are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Bread, lettuce, veggies and fruit are also great for them. Be careful when feeding them with beans, corn and grapes, because they have outer casings which will be harmful for your koi if not properly digested. Remove the outer casings before feeding them.

Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your pet. Don’t make any sudden movements, as this will scare them away. Start hand training your koi right from the moment you get them. You can start by placing few of the snacks or pellets in your hand and then put your hand under the pond’s water. Slowly allow the food to fall from your hand. Now, what you’ll observe is that it may look like your koi may not seem to pay any attention, but they are really aware of your hand (which gives them food). You can do this within two days.This will help you gain the interest of your koi . Then let the koi remove the food from your hand. Now, if your koi will refuse to take food from your hand, don’t feed them on that day. They’ll have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to eat. Doing this on a daily basis will make them comfortable with you.

So once you have the koi feeding out of your hand, you can then start feeding them from your fingers. Also, if they’re not going to feed from your fingers, don’t feed them on that day. Remember that food will be your motivator when it comes to feeding, and no fish will simply stare itself just because it is not sure of the situation. In nourishing koi, once you have successfully made your koi feed from your hand, you can then alternate the routine between the regular and hand feeding. There’s no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if you’re in such a hurry. And another important thing is that once you get your Koi to feed from your hand, always be careful in allowing your visitors to feed your pets. Supervise them (both the kids and the adults) in feeding your fish properly; no sudden movements and give your koi the right foods for them.

Koi pond owners always aim for a perfect koi pond construction, and in order to achieve a perfect one, it should start with the pond itself. The koi pond construction should be made in a way that not only would it be pleasing to the eye, but it should also sustain your koi quite well. Here are the 5 steps you need to take in order to have a perfect koi pool.

Step 1: Setting Up The Best Environment For Your koi pond

The proper size, placement, and type of the koi pond is quite necessary for your koi pond construction. As for the size, bigger is always better. Your koi will quickly grow fast, so what you have to keep in mind are the koi pond size and also the number of koi that you’re going to place into your koi pond.

Hire a professional to build your koi pond (unless you are knowledgeable enough in fish keeping, outdoor landscaping and koi pond construction). You might think that building the koi pond yourself may save you a great deal of cash, but the reality is that this could not be the case. If you haven’t built your koi pond properly right from the start, chances are you’ll be spending a lot of money on solutions to problems that might come up in the near future. You might not also be able to ensure the survival of your koi with an improper koi pond setup.

The professionals will always give you what you really want. They will give you their own input in decision-making, but your decision will be the one that they’re going to do. So, you can’t blame them if your koi pond will fail due to size, location, etc. Watch out for those very cheap quotes, because they may cut corners that could cause potential problems later.

Step 2: Learning About Koi Keeping

When it comes to the topic of Koi Keeping, it’s a great advantage for you if you have a lot of knowledge regarding the matter. Learn as much as you can about this kind of hobby before you start. Learn the important information yourself instead of getting inputs from others, like your pond builder and product dealer ( for they have limited knowledge, and could be bias as they are selling their products too!). These people won’t be available to help you at home when you’re going to experience some problems with your koi.

Step 3: Buying Your koi

Having the perfect environment for your koi, what you’re going to do next is to buy your koi. Never buy too much as they will grow very long (2 to 3 feet long), and they breed almost every year. Overpopulation will cause catastrophic problems for both your koi pond and koi.

Step 4: Preventing Those Common Problems For Your koi pond

In preventing those koi pond problems, get your new koi quarantined before putting them into your current population. Watch out for illnesses like the KHV (Koi herpes virus), as they show little or no symptoms at all. Quarantining will help reduce the risk of exposing your current population to harm. Do a weekly water testing so that you will be able to observe the differences in the test results before your koi pond will show symptoms of stress (saving both your koi and your koi pond).

Step 5: Feeding Your koi

Feeding your koi is one of the pleasing things as you have a perfect koi pond construction. Consult your dealer or local pet store about the amount of food that you should give and feed your koi. Feeding patterns will change as temperature and seasons change. Treats such as veggies, fruit, bread, and others that you can buy from the store are good for them. The good thing about Koi is that it can be trained to feed from their owner’s hand (this, however, might take a certain amount of time and patience). This, coupled with a good and beautiful koi pond construction, is sure to provide quite an entertainment for both you and your visitors.

In koi watch , there are necessary precautions that you can take when faced with small and large-scale storms.It is a fact that no matter where you live in, it’s inevitable that you’d be bound to come into contact with at least a single extreme weather condition throughout the year. We’ve seen the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, and this have shown us that having an emergency plan is the best way to avoid the results of total destruction for your koi and your koi pool .

The Small-Scale Storms:

The reality is that preparing your koi pond for small-scale storms is quite easier compared to preparing for the larger ones. These steps will guide your koi pond to get through such storms.

Stop feeding your fish with food: Your koi pond has enough natural sources for food for the fish to eat so that they will not starve for a long time. If your filters have not been damaged, giving no food to your fish will reduce the risk of ammonia problems in the days to come.

You should make big water changes for the koi pond: If something goes wrong and you’re not able to take care of the koi pond immediately, your fish will get the freshest water available to them. What you do is you leave out several inches of water to make up for the coming rainfall to have lesser chances of overflowing problems. If you have drainage system, clear it of any debris to make it work properly. If your koi pond is at ground level and you expect that high waters will occur, add some protection by placing sand bags around the area (this will keep your fish confined within the area if flooding happens).

Place a net over your koi pond to protect it from flying debris: You can use the same net that you have used for the fall to keep out the leaves, and secure it down properly.

Remove any object that can blow over, away or fall into the koi pond: Remember that if you can push a thing over, so can the wind as well! The things that can be blown away by the wind should be removed and then placed inside your house for safety.

Large-Scale Storms:

Large-scale storms prevent preventative measures from being effective. In caring for koi, the only way to completely save your koi pond from large storms is by removing your fish completely from the pond. In caring for koi, it’s good to have all the equipment and materials that you need to transport your fish readily. The equipment/materials needed to bag and transport your fish is small and can be stored easily when they’re not used.

You must have the appropriate bags to transport your fish. Never use trash bags or regular plastic bags, as these aren’t designed for the task, and may even damage your fish. Get bags that are big enough to hold your fish. You’re going to need rubber bands for each bag that you purchase. Choose those that have great quality, so as not to let the pressure of the water pop the rubber band out as you are transporting your fish.

Get a net that’s big enough to compete with your fish. Although you won’t need the net to pull the fish out of the pond, you’re going to need it to direct your fish to the place you want them to go. Take the necessary precaution in handling the net, as they can damage your fish, especially the big ones. Also, if you want to give it the best care possible, using a paint bucket is a better way to catch your fish, because these can’t hurt your fish like those nets can. Just make sure that your bucket is big enough to accommodate your fish.