Koi Fish Ponds

Koi is an exquisite and ornamental breed of fish, popularly known as 'living jewels' or 'swimming flowers'. Koi are bred in freshwater. They are a sub-species of Cyprinus Carpio, a class of vertebrate fish. The origin of Koi fish can be traced back to Persia and Koi fossils which are 20 million years old have been discovered. Koi fish ponds are distinguished from a common fish pond due to certain limitations. Koi grow to a considerably large size, and a pond of 2000 gallon capacity can accommodate a maximum of 20 fully matured Koi fish. Koi fish feed on the plant life in a pond, and this restricts the plant life that can be included in the pond. Generally, the minimum depth of the pond is advisably 4 feet or more.

Designing
The design procedure generally depends on the owner's budget, the number of fish to be bred, the water treatment design and location available to construct the pond. The major consideration is whether the pond will house Koi fish exclusively or house mixed breeds. The Japanese designs of fish ponds are most famous and most commonly used.

Building
Some ground rules to remember while building your Koi fish pond are given below.

• It is important to have a vision and build a big enough pond well in advance. Consider the size of full-grown Koi, and the number of fish that you would like to accommodate, and choose the size of the pond accordingly.
• A small Koi fish pond can range between 1000 to 2000 gallons.
• While you design a Koi pond, try to keep it exclusive to Koi fish. Breeding other fish like goldfish along with koi will create unnecessary nuisance.
• Protect your fish from threats like raccoons and birds of prey like the great Blue Herons and kingfishers. There are two ways of doing this. One is to make the pond sufficiently deep and the other is to install a protective bird net covering your pond.
• They (Koi) can be badly affected due to direct sunlight. Avoid this by locating your pond away from direct sunrays. Include decorative stuff like hanging plants or creepers to provide the necessary shade.
• Accessories can play a very important role in making your pond a happy home for the fish and lightening your maintenance tasks. A water pump, ultraviolet sterilizer, water heater, Koi fish pond filters are some of the basic accessories you can use for a koi fish pond. You can also go for advanced accessories like protein skimmers that remove organic compounds from water.

Filters for Koi Fish Ponds
Filters installed in the fish pond are of two types; mechanical filters and bio-filtration instruments. Mechanical filters remove the particles which are suspended in water and also the remains at the bottom of the pond. Such debris can cause diseases in fish and can be extremely fatal leading to death of your Koi. The bio-filtration instruments use the process of nitrification wherein an active species of bacteria is utilized to reduce nitrates and ammonia to non-toxic chemicals.

Fish Tanks
Though not advisable, it is possible to keep Koi fish in a tank or aquarium. Generally, Koi grow to a size of three feet in length. Hence a Koi fish tank of comparable size is required. A water filter of appropriate size to suit your Koi fish and match the size of your tank must be installed. Koi fish are hogs, i.e. they eat a lot. In turn, they produce a lot of biological waste. Hence it is mandatory to take special efforts to keep your tank clean.

Indoor Fish Ponds
Indoor fish ponds may also be brought in practice. Koi are hugely affected by cold weather and they lose their appetite in extreme cold conditions. To avoid this, indoor fish ponds is an alternative to be chosen in winters.

We have tried to cover various aspects of Koi fish ponds in this article. The information provided above, should therefore, prove to be useful.