Skip to main content

The Koi Approach

 



One Of The Easiest Fish To Maintain In A Backyard Pond Are Koi.  With Decent Water Volume, Good Filtration, Proper Diet, Algae Control And Oxygenation Can Keep Them Healthy And Lasting 25 To 35 Years Or More. 


Koi fish are perhaps the easiest fish to maintain for backyard or DIY ponds.  Regular maintenance and proper care right from the very beginning will help keep these social creatures happy and healthy.  Koi are pretty hardy fish and, with proper care, can live decades.  They are also intelligent and social creatures that will get along and interact with you.  Your pond needs regular maintenance and so do the fish.

Water Volume - Make sure you have a relatively large volume of water for koi to swim in.  The more water there is, the easier it is to dilute pollutants and keep the water cleaner and more stabilized for the fish.

Proper Diet - Koi happen to be omnivores so they will eat algae, plants, flies, bugs and anything else that might pop into your pond.  They will even help control mosquitoes by eating the larvae.  The main diet will consist of specialized koi flakes and pellets.  A tiny amount of wheat germ, shrimp and plankton will help bring out the beautiful colors of koi and help them grow.  You can even use a little kale, watermelon, squash or peas for nutrients and carbs.  

The MOST IMPORTANT point to remember is that koi are unable to store excess food so you must be careful NOT to overfeed them.  Overfeeding will cause excess nutrients in the water with tampers with water quality and causes overgrowth of algae.

Algae - Speaking of algae, yes, your koi will eat some of it.  Too much algae, however, can overrun your pond turning it green and sucking away precious oxygen.  It's important to eliminate algae overgrowth as soon and as diligently as possible.

Oxygenation - Koi are used to high oxygen content in their water.  It's crucial that you keep the water well oxygenated, especially in the summer when warm water doesn't hold that much oxygen.  Increase the amount of agitation for your water by adding features such as waterfalls, fountains, bubblers or aeration machines.  This agitation will help oxygenate the water.

Maintenance - It isn't enough to simply maintain your koi, and so, you will need to target your pond as well.  You will need seasonal maintenance which includes checking pond, filter, pipes, etc. as well as routine maintenance for cleaning, chemical balance, upkeep and preventing issues from occurring.  You can perform these yourself or hire a pond maintenance company like Laughing Waters to handle it all for you.

Watching your koi swim happily and interacting with them is sure to be entertaining for you and your loved ones!


For more information on our maintenance services, please contact Laughing Waters at 708.586.2393 today!
Labels:
Location: Bridgeview, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Kind Of Pond Do You Want?

You may not realize it but a pond isn't simply a pond. In fact, there are so many unique characteristics and features that can be constructed to bring your vision to life.  When you decide that a pond is perfect for your backyard oasis, the next step is to decide WHICH type of pond you're looking for.  Here are some different ponds you can design and build... Koi Pond - The most popular fish from Japan, koi are beautiful additions to any outdoor landscape.  These ponds need to be maintained and inspected regularly and built with the necessities for proper aeration and hibernation needs. Wildlife Pond - Wildlife pond are completely managed by nature.  They are typically built with no liner, pump, filter or chemicals.  They rely on rich and diverse plants to attract animals and keep the water high in oxygen.  Some creatures you can expect are frogs, insects and even salamanders.   Swimming Pond - You may be less about the wildlife and more about ...
Post a Comment
Read more

So You've Bought A New Home With A Pond...

Ponds, waterfalls and other water features can take a static landscape and make it into a stunning paradise.  When it comes to moving into a new home, that might have been one of the very pros that led you to choose this particular property.  Unlike most stationary appliances in a home, a pond is an active, living ecosystem that needs care and maintenance.  That may not have been in your mind when you chose the house, went through closing and managed a hectic move.  The question then becomes... now what? If you've chosen to keep the water feature on your property, the very first thing you must decide is if you will maintain it yourself or hire someone to handle it for you.  Understand that pond maintenance can be a very time-consuming and eye-opening experience.  It isn't like upkeep on a clean pool - you must deal with the delicate chemical balance between aquatic life, plants and the water itself.  Everything interacts with each other and can...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Complete Pond Service

  Laughing Waters Inc. isn't your typical local pond service. As for maintenance, our technicians handle clean outs, winterization, repairs for water feature and pond components and pump/filter systems, chemical balances, fish and plant care and much more.  With flexible scheduling and swift, courteous service, we are able to keep ponds healthy and clean while preventing serious issues before they have a chance to take root.  Running a stable, balanced ecosystem is no easy feat but our pond care experts have the experience, equipment and patience to keep your features looking gorgeous for years to come. Yet, care and careful upkeep are not the only services Laughing Waters Inc. has to offer.  We are an award-winning design and build firm as well that has been serving both domestic and international clients since 2002.  While this may sound intriguing, what does this mean exactly? As a design and installation firm, our engineers and building professionals can cre...
Post a Comment
Read more