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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!

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Location: Bridgeview, IL, USA

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