Koi keeping is extremely popular hobby among water garden enthusiasts. They are a cute and vividly colorful addition to the outdoor water space and soon become everyone’s heartthrob owing to their lively and often comedic personalities.
The history behind these majestic finny friends is quite a tale. In the same historical records, we find a small happenstance that led to a phenomenal breeding cycle. The rapid demand and desire of the Japanese locals, as well as that of the international savants, eventually caused the evolution of the original koi fish breeds such as Kohaku koi into several varieties. Today, koi breeding practices have produced numerous patterns, colors, and HI markings, of which we know 22 major koi types that make up the upper echelons of choices when it comes to fish keeping.
Koi is a normally a sustainable breed of fish and they can withstand almost all types of climatic conditions, but there’s no reason to think that they do not need any care. If you’ve found a great deal of koi fish for sale, and bought home a few of them, first ask yourself if you are willing to commit on a long term relationship of love and care for your cute pets. Once you and the other members of your family are ready to welcome those water buddies, your next step should be to know how you can ensure proper care for your koi.
Keeping the water quality in check: Your koi will endure almost everything other than ignorance. This is the first thing that you must bear in your mind and every step you take to give them a better living should reflect that you do care for them. The first thing that comes to the mind for keeping any kind of fish is water. The quality of the water will determine how long the fish shall live. You must conduct water test regularly and install a cartridge or bio filter at the base of the aquarium. Silica sand filters are not a wise choice for koi and you should always keep water test kits handy.
Know if your fish have parasitic infections: Experts suggest to always quarantine the koi upon purchase as even the healthiest looking koi may have parasitic infections on it. When you quarantine the new member in your fish family, you will be able to find out whether it has parasites on it. If it seems to behave normally for ten to fourteen days, you can introduce it with other fishes. Always keep the water quality of the quarantine system in check and otherwise, a fish who was initially healthy can develop a new infection upon coming to your home. Therefore, as a hobbyist, it is your duty to give them all the basic care that these little innocent creatures deserve.
See if they have developed ulcers: This is the most common problem during colder months as they tend to settle at the bottom of the water space when its cold. Because of this, their soft and tender bellies are kept in continuous contact with the substrate and in case there are gravels or rocks at the bottom, it can potentially cause an injury which becomes ulcerous later. Due to this reason, many experts suggest to have smooth bottom lining but even if you can’t afford that, you should avoid keeping small gravels, rocks or any hard substance at the bottom of the water space.
Ensure optimum oxygen supply: If you are new to keeping koi fish, you will face a constant problem of oxygen deficiency in your koi aquarium. The primary reason for lack of oxygen is competition for resources. Balancing the total area with the right number of fishes, supplying with green plants as well as installing artificial oxygen sources can help you combat this problem. As the koi starts growing with its size doubling with the progress of each season, the problem takes an even serious form. If you do not add artificial oxygen supplier or remove some of your koi fish, then you may lose the whole lot owing to oxygen deprivation. The most apt way of combatting this issue is to plan ahead and contemplate your aquaria’s ability to support fish and stock accordingly.