It has been your dream. Now you are ready to start with your first Koi. At this moment this is the time to make a dream a reality and you really want to learn what you have to do to make this dream come true? There are many questions in your mind. How do I get into Koi Care? What is involved? What is important to realise is that looking after Koi need not be a difficult thing to do if you get a few things right at the very beginning. But start off on the wrong foot and your Koi adventure could turn your dream into a nightmare. So if this is your starting point this is great because together we can get a few things right even before you start. Let’s look at the broad picture and get down to basics.

Your First Lesson.
Do not go out and buy an aquarium and put a few young Koi in it. You must face facts, Koi fully grown are a big fish and they need a lot of room. If room is a problem you would be better off with Goldfish. If you do not have room for a pond you will need room for a large tank. The tank’s minimum size would need to be larger than 500 gallons, or 2000 litres. Your circumstances will provide your best answer but a well setup garden pond is most likely your best option to learning Koi care.

Building a Koi Garden Pond.
The key to easy Koi care lies in the design of your pond. Get the design right and keeping Koi can be a delight and a very rewarding hobby. If your pond can be part of a natural stream of running water you have it made. If there is enough running water nature will do its work. But for most people this will not be possible and the design of your pool will need to achieve what would happen in nature. The size and depth of the pond water needs to be able to cope with both winter and summer temperatures. Pumps and filters need to be large enough to move a sufficient body of water for filtration and aeration. Aquatic plant life needs to be present to assist filtration and yet protected enough from the Koi who can be very destructive of aquatic plants. The design of the pond can make or break Koi care. Get the science correct and you are well on your way. Research your design needs and cover every detail in full.

Introducing Your Koi to Your Pond.
With your pond completed it time to introduce your Koi. Don’t be in a hurry. Get your pond running for a period of time. Give the plants time to become established. Let the good bacteria levels in your filter build to a working level. Learn to check the chemistry levels with a good test set. Only then should you buy your Koi, and make certain the Koi are from a reputable and trusted supplier. Koi care starts with the choice of your first purchase. It can be a very discouraging start if you happen to buy Koi that are diseased or carrying a strain of bacteria. If you can arrange for a holding tank for new purchases this can act like a quarantine before placing Koi into your pond along with their diseases.

Don’t overstock. Koi make huge demands on your filters and plant life. Koi grow and their output of waste is significant. Only add new stock when you are absolutely sure your filter and pond system can cope with the additional fish. You are a beginner in Koi care. Take it easy to start with. Remember your aim is to keep everything in balance. To start with use your test kit often and learn the trends of your pond chemistry. Keep a written record. Watch your pH, ammonia and nitrite levels closely until you are sure you have established a good balance.

Feeding Your Koi.
Koi are active fish and voracious feeders. Feeding time can be a lot of fun. In a sense you can’t overfeed Koi but do take it easy, remember you are looking for a balance. Beware of rotting food that has been left uneaten. This can destroy your pool balance very quickly. Remember the more you feed Koi the more waste they produce, waste that your system has to remove.

The easy starting point for Koi care in the food line are pellets designed especially for Koi. They float which make it easy to remove uneaten food. They should contain a balanced diet for Koi but many Koi keepers will use a number of different pellets made by different manufacturers to make certain that Koi are getting all the nutrients they need. Keeping Koi healthy with the right food will keep them active, disease free and brightly coloured.

Koi can be fed some foods like peas, lettuce and worms. Over time you can teach your Koi to feed from your hands and this too can a lot of fun. As your pond becomes come established Koi will nibble on plants, algae, worms and snails found in any pond.

A Watchful Eye.
Unfortunately the old enemy disease can attack your pond. You will often see this first during feeding time. Remove the sick Koi and if possible place the fish in a holding tank. Until you learn about the various diseases seek expert help. If you have a small holding tank you will be able to medicate your sick Koi. Drugs can be expensive but these costs can be better controlled if you only have to treat a much smaller body of water in a holding tank.

Remember Koi make a good feed for many predators. Birds and cats are probably your worst enemies. Guarding against these threats can go back to your original pond design. If your initial design has taken these issues into account you have already built in your defenses.

Run off from garden fertilizers and chemicals can also play havoc with your pond. Again your initial design should ensure that rainwater which carry these chemicals does not drain into your pond. Ensure that heavy rain does not flood into your pond.

Enjoy your Koi. Learn good Koi care habits. To learn more visit my website http://www.koihowto.com where I deal with many other aspects of this fascinating hobby.

Author Bio: Frank Rogers started keeping fish in his teens. Since those early days he has kept fish whenever it was possible to do so. While living in the tropics he tried his hand at keeping salt water fish and learnt from his mistakes. He now shares with you the challenge of keeping Koi – perhaps the fish that are the most fun to keep in either a pond or large tank. Pay a visit to
http://www.koihowto.com
and learn more about these amazing fish.

Category: Pets
Keywords: koi care