Tropical Fish Inforamation – Your Fish Tank Guru

Koi is one of the most colorful and beautiful fish that owners can have in their koi pool, but keeping them in good health and great condition will require at the basic knowledge about outdoor koi pool and fish, and a few necessary koi stock as well.

First off, you need to have filtration system that will maintain the water quality of your koi pool. There are two types of filters, the biological and the mechanical ones. The function of the filter is to remove those unwanted pollutants which will decrease illnesses that may affect your fish.

Now, the only way for the filtration system to work in processing the water is when the water will move, that’s why there’s a need for you to install a pump, which is another important factor that will promote the health of your koi pool. Although you can have a waterfall or fountain in the pond to aid water movement, they should not completely replace the pump, as they don’t have the necessary strength to help with the filtration of the koi pool.

The advantage of having a fountain in your koi pool is that it will give you feeling of tranquility, which will drown those unwanted noise, stir the water, and provide oxygen to the koi pool.

Other koi pool supplies, although they’re not needed on a daily basis, should still be kept available when the need for it arises. The dechlorinator is a device used to replenish the water level of your koi pool with tap water (but you need to eliminate and remove the harmful chemicals of the tap water first).

The nitrate and pH levels of the water should be checked weekly with the use of test kits available in local pet stores. Pond salt and baking soda can be added to the water in regulating the nitrate and pH levels of the water when the test will show that the levels of chemicals are off.

Food is perhaps the most important koi supplies. Although they eat a variety of natural foods, it is still necessary for you to keep a basic food source ready at all times. The fish can eat out of their owner’s hand, so treats and snacks can also be offered to your fish.

Also, watch out for those predators. These are the herons, kingfishers, cats, foxes, badgers and raccoons. A good koi pool design can keep them in safety. Pond waters should be deep enough to prevent heron attacks. You can also create overhangs on the side of the pond to prevent these predators from reaching the water.

Another way to do this is by placing the koi pool under a tree, to cover the aerial view of the birds. Nets can also be placed entirely over the koi pool, and this will work two-fold: protection from predators and prevention for debris like leaves from falling into the water (which will really mess up your pond if left to fall).

Remember that your fish will take a little effort on your part in taking care of them when setting up your pond and considering all of the koi supplies that you’ll be needing for it. But rest assured that these are beautiful and magnificent fish that are truly worth your time and effort!

When it comes to taking care of your Koi, part of it is protecting them from a deadly koi ailment known as the KHV (or Koi Herpes Virus). Fact of the matter is that your pets is really susceptible to this kind of disease. So what can you do to protect them from it? The only way you can protect them from this virus is to ensure that they never get exposed to it. Getting the necessary information that you need to know about this koi ailment will get your koi the best protection that they’re going to need.

The Facts About The Disease:

Since its first outbreak, little has been known about this koi ailment. Knowing the facts is an essential thing for the protection of your koi. The KHV is a deadly koi ailment which has just recently appeared in the Koi industry. In the late 1998 and early 1999, the first outbreak has been reported in Israel, then in the following years has been confirmed in places like Europe, Asia and the U.S. This kind of koi ailment is known to infect the victim throughout their life. Even those who don’t show signs of the virus are considered as carriers if they have been exposed to it for a certain amount of time. The mortality rate for those that have been exposed to the koi ailment is 60 percent to 80 percent.

There is still no known cure for this koi ailment. Even if proper treatment has been given to your koi, they will never again go to a new home, because if you put them in a healthy koi population, they will spread the virus to the others. This virus can spread in many ways, like the fish coming into contact with the infected ones, tools used to handle the infected fish, the water in which the infected fish swam, and many more. Stress can increase the mortality rate of the fish. Temperatures around 74 degrees Fahrenheit can be used to track the koi ailment, and it will allow the necessary testing and quarantining of your koi to observe if they have been exposed or not.

The Preventative Measures: Depopulation and Quarantine

Depopulation is one of the best preventative measures that you can do to eliminate the possibilities of this koi ailment, and this means the elimination of your whole pet population. Although this may seem cruel to your koi, 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, quarantine it before mixing it with your current Koi population (for 15 days or more).

In quarantining your koi, they should be totally isolated from anything else. Separate the food, tools and water that you’re going to use for the quarantined koi, and ensure 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 the infectious disease.

What are the things that you need to do with your koi pond after the storm? What you do first is just relax and take time to breathe, because your koi are just doing fine. Their condition right now is that they’re just traumatized by the experience (just a normal reaction for any fish who have undergone an unusual and extreme situation). Unless there’s a big damage done to the koi pool water and the whole koi pond, you don’t have to worry about their health. Now, what you should think about is their home, which need some repairs to be done.

Now, you may have either prepared completely for the storm or may have been taken by surprise by it… but whatever your case is, take the necessary action so as to make sure that no further damage will be done to it.

So here are the things that you need to do. First, undo all of the storm precautions that you have made to survey possible damages that have occurred. If you put a net over your koi pond, you have to remove as much debris off the net as you can and then remove it. Once removed, you’ll be able to make a survey of the damage and then check the condition of your fish.

If you were expecting high waters and then your sand has extended outward beyond the usual point in the area around the koi pond, you should remove all of the sand bags for you to have an easy access in your koi pond (given that the koi pool water level is normal too). Now, don’t fret or get discouraged if things seem out of their place, and it may not be as bad as its original setup.

Once all of the netting and the other precautions has been removed, what you need to do now is take your time to look and examine the area. If you see any debris, remove these by skimming over and netting. If the surrounding plants or other decorations has been uprooted or put out of their places, just bring them back to their original spot where they have been put.

Now, if your koi pond has undergone a major damage, make it a point to remove your fish as soon as you can from the koi pond. Although proper bagging as well as transporting techniques are needed if the damage will take some time to get fixed, there are some transitory options that you can have if the damage can be fixed fast. You can always use a children’s pool as a temporary place for your fish. You can also contact your local zoo or pet store and ask them of an available program to help you in housing your fish until the necessary maintenance can be made.

If only small repairs are required, what you should focus on is the koi pool water quality. Your pond’s water may now seem dark or cloudy because of the storm and the extra water given by the rainfall. You should be worrying about ammonia issues if the storm lasted for a longer period. Then test your koi pool water for Nitrates. If these are present, what you do is you add the right amount of salt to the koi pool water (about three-fourths to a pound of salt per 100 gallons of water).

It may be a good idea to add more salt if your fish got shocked by the storm or if they got any type of injuries (if you have plants lying around in your koi pond, remove them first before adding the salt). Just keep in mind that your fish should be of primary importance compared to your plants.

If you have any KH issues (especially those that fall below 100), just add baking soda to your koi pond (1 cup of unpacked baking soda per 1000 gallons of water). This will be able to protect your koi pond from a pH crash that may take place in the future.

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 koi care, 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 koi care, 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 caring for koi, there are important precautions and measures that you can do when faced with small and large-scale storms. No matter where you live, it’s quite inevitable that you’ll encounter at least one extreme weather condition throughout the year. We have seen the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, showing us that having an emergency plan is the way to avoid the total destruction of your fish and your koi pond as well.

Small-Scale Storms:

Preparing your koi pool for such small-scale storms is much easier compared to those of the large ones. These few simple steps will guide your koi pool through such storms.

1) Stop feeding your pets. Truth of the matter is that your koi pool has enough natural sources for food for the pets to feed on so that they won’t starve for a long period of time. If your filtration system are undamaged, not feeding your pets will reduce the risk of ammonia problems in the future.

2) Make big water changes to your koi pool. If the time comes that something goes really wrong and you’re unable to take care of the koi pool immediately, your pets will have the privilege of getting the freshest water that’s available to them. Leave out several inches of water so as to make up for the coming rainfall so that there will be lesser chances of overflowing.

If you got a drainage system, just be sure to clear it of any kind of debris to make it work very well. Now, if your koi pool is at ground level and you’d expect high waters to occur, you can add some protection through sand bagging around the area, which will keep your pets confined within the area if the time comes that flooding will occur.

3) Place a net over your koi pool to ensure its protection from flying debris. The same net that you have used for the fall to keep out the leaves will do, so long as you will secure it down very well.

4) Remove any object that can blow over, away or fall into the koi pool. Remember this: if you can push it over, so can the wind as well! The items that can be blown away by the wind should be removed completely and then placed inside your house.

Large-Scale Storms:

Large-scale storms prevent any type of preventative measures from being successful and effective. In koi watch, the only way to completely save your koi pool from such storms is by removing completely your pets from the pond itself.

In koi watch, it’s good to have all the equipment that you need to transport your pets readily. The equipment that’s needed to bag and transport your pets is small and can be stored easily when they’re not in use.

You must have the proper bags ready to transport your pets. Never try to use trash bags or regular plastic bags for this, as these materials aren’t designed for the task, and may even damage your pets. Make sure to get bags that are big enough to hold and store your pets.

You’ll also need rubber bands for each of the bag that you buy. Choose those that have good quality, so as not to let the pressure of the water pop the rubber band out as you’re transporting your pets.

You need to have a net that’s big enough to compete with your pets. Although you won’t need the net to pull the fish out of the water, you’ll need it to direct your pets to the place that you want them to go. Just take proper precaution in handling the net, as they can cause potential damage to your pets, especially the larger ones.

To give the best care possible, use a paint bucket to catch your pets, as the bucket will not hurt your pets like nets can. Make sure that your bucket is just big enough to contain your pets.

Herons, by nature, are majestic and beautiful birds, but they only have one big flaw: they are one of the predators that love to feast on the Koi. That’s why for pond owners, taking care of their koi means they must be on guard all the time by never leaving their pond unattended! This is one of the most important rules of koi watch .

Herons are really deceptive birds: when you first notice them walking around your Koi garden, they may seem harmless. Standing around 2 to 3 feet in height, they have very wide wingspan, coupled with a very graceful appearance. But don’t get bamboozled by these looks, for what you’re looking at are cunning predators, getting ready to snatch up and eat your pets!

When you look at your Koi pond and you notice that you are lacking some pets, chances are that the heron is responsible for it. If you notice some large gaping holes seen at the sides of your pets, this tells you that a heron have attempted to catch your pets, but it didn’t have the grip to get it successfully. Other cases of heron attacks include pets lying on the lawn just a few feet away from the pond, and this is because the heron dropped the fish after it has scooped it up from the pond.

Here are some necessary measures that you can take in order to avoid these incidents. These kind of “detours” will only work for a small amount of time.

Plastic herons - Place a fake (plastic) heron in your Koi garden. This is to detour another heron from landing on that certain spot. This will work for parts of the season, but will be ineffective when mating season starts, as they may land near the fake heron as they are looking for their mate.

Making noise - If you catch a heron about to snatch your pets, make noises and physically frighten it. What you can do is shout, throw things at it, or whatever means there is to scare it. The more frightened it is, the lesser chance there is for it to return at a later time.

Changing your routine - Constantly change your routine. Herons are smart enough to know that you’re around. Make frequent visits to your pond to increase your chance of catching the herons in the act of stealing your pets. If you can’t, ask or enlist someone to visit your pond for you. Give permission to older and trustworthy children to visit your pond, as they can add presence to it.

Create a place for hiding in the pond for your koi - You can create a hiding place for your pets in the pond. You’ll observe that after a heron attacks a pond, it may seem that the bird has successfully gotten its prey, but the reality is that your pets will start to appear from strange hiding places once the attack stops.

As you provide a hiding place for your pets to protect them from heron attacks, you will be able to reduce significantly the amount of pets that the herons will catch (and do not worry if your pets may seem like they are hiding from you, as they will know and trust you that you will not give them harm!).

Don’t restock your pond immediately – In koi watch, another thing that you can do for your pets is by not restocking your pond right away in the event of an attack from a heron. Taking a little bit of time before restocking your pond will force the heron to search for new feeding grounds in the process.

To have a healthy pet Koi, you have to feed them with the proper koi treat that will keep them in great shape. For this, you should know the nature of your pets when it comes to their diet and feeding patterns.

Generally, Koi are omnivorous fish, which means that they eat both plants and meat alike. They are known to have sharp appetites when the water temperature falls on 61 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. The summertime is when they are most active in their appetites, this is why they should be fed with koi fish treat that will give them a good quality diet (those nutritious koi fish treat).

Your pets eat almost anything that comes in their way, ranging from insects, worms, snails, to the foliage of underwater plants (which could sometimes give their owners quite a bit of a headache!). Some of them would also feast on those acorn and grasses which they manage to eat by pulling themselves part of the way out of the water!

Wintertime, however, is when their digestive system slows down, almost to a stop. Now, this is the time when there’s no need for you to feed them with koi fish treat. Why? It’s because they may take the liberty of nibbling on the algae that can be found at the bottom of the pond (or any available natural food there is). But there’s one thing that you must always remember: once the temperature will fall to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, any food that will be left and stored in their stomach will become bad, that it may cause them to fall ill.

So, what are the good and healthy koi fish treat that you can give to your pets? You must always keep in mind that they need to have the right and proper combination of fats, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. To get these, you can feed them with pellet foods, which can be made to float on the top of the water so that they’ll come out of the water’s surface to snatch it.

In addition to this, you can also feed your pets with special treats like watermelons, peas and lettuce. Be careful though in feeding them with koi fish treat such as corn, beans and grapes, as they contain an outer casing, which can’t be properly digested if swallowed by your pets. So make sure that you remove the outer casings before feeding them with it.

Other koi fish treat include prawns (edible crustaceans which has similarities to shrimp, only that they are bigger), bread (which can be broken down, rolled into small balls and thrown into the pond), lettuce (high in essential vitamins and minerals) and fruits (but should only be fed occasionally, as most of them have high amounts of natural sugar).

You should ensure that your pets are in great health and also free from injuries. As they have great appetites, you needn’t put a lot of stress into how and how much they’re being fed. Feeding your pets with koi fish treat is when you can take the pleasure of your pet’s eagerness to interact with you. A healthy diet can give your pets bright colors, making them even more attractive to you and others!

The Koi come in a wide variety of patterns and colors. The black koi family are distinguished from the other varieties due to their coloring and pattern, and not much else. They can grow up to about 36 inches in length, that is why there’s also a need for them to be kept in large ponds like all of the other fish. It has the same lifespan as the others, around 25 to 35 years of age. They are seen regularly in outdoor ponds anywhere in the globe.

Types Of black koi variety:

There are many types of the black koi variety. The Kumonryu koi is the most popular of the species. It first appeared in the 1980’s. The word “Kumonryu” means “dragon fish” in Japanese. It has been coined as such due to its body is nostalgic of the bodies of dragons drawn in ancient paintings. Others think that these fish look like dragons rising up through the clouds. It can also change its color and pattern.

The Magoi koi is one of the first all black mutation that can grow very long. Seemingly black in color when viewed from above, their actual color is deep bronze. Because of their great possibilities in size, their blood is being reintroduced to other koi so as to hasten and maximize the growth potential of the others.

The Matsukawabake koi has areas or white on its body. They can change color, and because of the environmental effects and their diet, their color changes from a duller or brighter shade of color. The temperature can completely change their color, turning completely white or completely black. It will only return to its original color once there’s a change in temperature. The Karasu koi (meaning “crow” in Japanese) is another of those very old species. This koi is known by its black-colored body and fins. Others can also have an white or orange belly.

The wide array of colors of the black koi variety is one of the factors that makes them an attraction to people. What’s even more exciting is that you have the ability to own a koi that can amazingly change its color in an instant just like some of the species of the black koi variety can!

The hobby of reproducing 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 pets 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 pets 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 pets 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 pets 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 pets 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 pets 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 pets 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 pets if eaten by them. The outer casings should be completely removed before feeding those to your pets.

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.

The Koi Herpes Virus (or KHV) is a deadly koi virus which has recently emerged in the industry of Koi. The primary outbreak happened in Israel during the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999. Since then, numerous outbreaks around the world have been reported, especially in places like the United States, Europe and Asia.

Just like most of the Herpes type of viruses all throughout the world, the KHV is believed to remain with the infected koi for life. The fish that have been exposed to the virus at a certain point are immediately considered as carriers! The mortality rate for the fish that have been exposed to this kind of virus would range from 60 to 80 percent.

The reality is these fish are very prone and susceptible to the virus. The only possible way to prevent your fish from getting infected by the koi ailment is to make sure that your fish will never get exposed to it. Having the appropriate knowledge of the koi ailment would slim the chances of making your fish catch the virus.

Facts about KHV:

Quite a bit of information has been gathered about the koi ailment since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the important facts about this virus can really help you in preventing it from spreading into your pond. Once the fish have been exposed to KHV, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its lifespan. Even if proper treatment is applied, these fish should never be transferred to another pond or habitat (you wouldn’t want the infection to spread all over into another pond, right?).

Take note that temperature levels at 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the koi ailment (a very helpful information as it allows for testing to see if the fish really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the koi ailment, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher rate in mortality. Spreading of the virus will occur if the fish will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected fish ; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; etc. Sad to say, there’s no known cure for the KHV.

Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:

If your fish has been diagnosed with the virus, the only effective way to make sure that you don’t infect other fish is by depopulation. This process is the elimination of your entire fish population. As cruel as this may seem, it’s truly the best way so as to ensure that no other fish will ever catch the koi ailment.

When buying a fish, it’s advisable to quarantine the new fish 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 fish to the right conditions for the koi ailment 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 fish means total isolation; you shouldn’t allow anything to come into contact with the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the current population. Use separate food, tools and water. Make it a point that those tools that you have used for your quarantined fish should just stay always in the area in which they are used.

Follow the proper hand washing procedures when handling both the fish and their items within the same period of time. These steps are sure to prevent the spreading of this koi ailment.