Proper koi fish care is an ongoing process (like many things in life). There will certainly be a lot of differing opinions on the best water conditions for koi but one thing remains constant: poor water quality leads to a host of other health problems that are certainly avoidable with proper care. Because stress originates from poor water quality, follow these guidelines for healthy water and healthy koi. As a preview this article will cover topics like:
- Proper Pond Salt Levels
- Proper Koi Fish Care
- Ideal Koi Water Temperatures for the Pond
- Best Acid/Base Balance
- etc.
Dissolved Oxygen
Oxygen levels should be at a minimum of 5.0 mg/L for koi. In the fish world, there is some variation with the tolerable level of dissolved oxygen in the water but 5.0 is a good baseline. As a reference, 5.0 mg/L is the minimum for koi and 18 mg/L is the physical maximum that water can hold.
Just as a reminder though, cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warmer water so higher summer temperatures (and overcrowded ponds) will lead to lower dissolved oxygen, which is really when you will want to pay attention to it the most.
Oxygen becomes dissolved into your koi pond in several ways. At the very surface there is limited diffusion occurring between the atmosphere and the water and that accounts for only a small amount of dissolved oxygen.
Turbulence will also agitate the water enough to generate dissolved oxygen in your pond and this often comes in the form of falling water as from a small water fall. A tried and true and popular way to increase the dissolved oxygen in a koi pond is by an air stone on the bottom of the pond or by spout or fountain shooting water up into the air.
Pond pH (acids & bases)
Okay, back to chemistry class everyone because its time to discuss pH. As you may recall pH has something to do with acids. Its all about acidity and alkalinity. The pH scale is a logarithmic one meaning when your pond jumps from 7 (neutral) to 6, its not simply getting a little bit more acidic, its getting 10 times more acidic.
Conversely, when your pond tests at 7.5 and then gets increasingly alkaline by jumping to 9.5, then your pond just got 100 times more alkaline (10 times 10). So it’s a big deal when your pH changes and can definitely affect your koi in negative ways. pH, or power of Hydrogen, should range in your pond somewhere between 6.8 and 8.2 but do your best to keep it as stable as possible.
If you were to test your pond multiple times a day you should notice a daily fluctuation in pH. So what’s going on? As part of the natural process of photosynthesis and respiration of aquatic plants and algae they use up dissolved carbon dioxide (that’s a good thing) but, at night, they release it as well (not good).
The common denominator here is carbon dioxide because of its power to increase the acidity of the water. Of course, your fish are respiring as well which also adds to the carbon dioxide load in your pond. A good way to add a long-term pH buffer to your pond and protect your fish from pH swings is to add some calcium carbonate material to your pond.
This comes in gravel form or rocks and may be sold under the name “agricultural limestone”. PH buffering capacity (better described as “KH”) is also why its nice to have concrete-lined ponds -the concrete tends to buffer against pH swings.
Pond KH (carbonate hardness)
No discussion of pH is complete without also talking about KH (or carbonate hardness or alkalinity). Your pond’s KH level will affect how susceptible your pond is to pH fluctuations. If, for example, your KH reading is particularly low then anything you do to get your pH back to an acceptable range may be short lived as your pond lacks the ability to buffer future pH swings.
KH should be around 105 ppm with a possible deviation of plus or minus 15 ppm (up or down from 105). Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) will increase your pH making it more basic. Conversely, you can add white vinegar to lower, or make more acidic, your pond water.
Pond GH (General Hardness)
GH is really a measurement of the total quantity of dissolved minerals in your water. Typically, magnesium and calcium are the primary minerals referred to when discussing this parameter. Of all the water parameters to test GH may be the least critical but a good range to shoot for is 60 to 160 ppm though some pond owners will have higher GH readings than that with no issues seen in their fish.
Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates
As you may recall, the general cycle of waste in your pond starts with ammonia excreted by your fish then bacteria and oxygen break it down to nitrites which later get broken into nitrates then free nitrogen. Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates all have the ability to cause health problems for your koi if their levels are not kept in check.
Along with other health problems, ammonia can essentially burn your fish’s gills and reduce its ability to extract dissolved oxygen from the water. High nitrites can damage your koi’s kidneys and nervous system and high nitrates, for extended periods, can cause your fish’s immune system to be compromised. Ammonia and nitrites and the most troublesome when it comes to health problems for your koi but don’t underestimate the power of nitrates over long periods of time. Here is a guideline for these three water chemistry measurements.
–ammonia: levels should be zero. Depending on your pH, you can get away with 0.5ppm (parts per million) or 1 ppm for a short period of time but keep in mind that above a pH of 8.0 ammonia becomes more toxic.
–nitrites should be less than 0.25 ppm but ideally you should have a reading of zero.
–nitrates: a reading of 20 to 60 ppm is acceptable.
Koi Pond Salt Levels
The use of salt in koi ponds has, for long time, been a tried and true method to deal with various water quality and health problems that arise. Some of the benefits of salt is that its a cheap way to keep some disease at bay, control algae and may also lower nitrite toxicity.
Additionally, salt plays a part in the osmotic pressure between the fish and the outside aquatic environment. There is a differential between the solute concentration of the fish’s blood and the fresh water that it swims in so the addition of salt actually lowers that concentration differential and makes it easier on the fish by reducing the amount of work its body has to do.
A salinity of up to 5 ppt (parts per thousand) or 0.5 % is acceptable. Testing your pond’s salinity is commonly done with a simple tool called a refractometer.
Proper Koi Pond Water Temperatures
Temperature obviously plays a big role in the overall health of your pond and it warrants your attention. Temperature can exacerbate existing problems, especially higher temperatures. For example, warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen and ammonia can be more toxic. Although koi can handle temperatures of between 35 and 85 F degrees its best to keep your fish in water that ranges between 65 and 75 F degrees. And as with pH, try to avoid large temperature swings.
In Conclusion
For first time pond owners its easy to get overwhelmed with all the moving parts of maintaining the best water conditions for your koi pond but like with any complex problem the best way to tackle it is one piece at a time. Start with a few goldfish or something small and work on dialing in your water chemistry. Buffers will go a long way to controlling pH fluctuations and a little salt can be a little osmotic relief for your fish (and create an unfriendly environment for parasites). By volume, freshwater fish are the most popular pet in America so it must not be THAT hard! Good luck!
We have just installed a koi pond and currently have two koi. We have lost three. One of the remaining Koi has some thread-like trailers from his gills. There are no lesions on his body, but he is very lethargic (so is the other Koi). The koi with the trailers eats, but very little. I’ve never seen the other koi eat at the surface. The water tests are fine. We have been adding additional amounts of beneficial bacteria to build the ecosystem of the pond. We are so new at this that we don’t know what to do. I suspect, though, that this is fungal. We love the fish and the pond. Please give us your expert advice as soon as possible. Thanks!
Yes, it sounds like cotton wool disease. Here is an excerpt from my site about it:
Cotton Wool Disease
Another disease Koi sometimes suffer is called Columnaris, which is sometimes also called Cotton Wool Disease. White threads in the fish’s mouth and a dry skin appearance are the main characteristics of this disease. Sometimes the color of the Koi becomes darker and white sores can appear on its skin. It is not always easy however to determine if the fish has the fungus in its gills. However, if the Koi stays near the surface of the pond, gulping for air, it is a good indication that the fungus is, in fact, in the gills. The Koi can also develop a soggy belly and a slimy coating over its skin.
Treatment: You can put potassium permanganate in the water to help clear up the condition. Additionally, injecting antibiotics and treating the wound directly will help care for the disease. You should separate the infected Koi from the population and treat the water so the other fish do not become infected.
Good luck
How much is to much water movement
Well, these fish aren’t really built to swim against huge currents like a salmon would be so you want enough water movement to move oxygenated water around the pond in a more subtle way. You don’t necessarily want to create a situation where they are swimming against a current.
Turn over should be 4 to 6 times an hour the volume of the inclosure
More then that will cause stress
We have moved into a new house with a pond three weeks ago and have killed three coy carp already they look fine when when you look at the deadfish. What are we doing wrong
could be a lot going on there. Think back and analyze what you have done to/with the pond so far. What kind of food have you given them? Have you put city water into the pond? Is your pump still working? Obviously, whatever the previous owners did worked and something you are doing is different from that routine. Usually the culprit is water chemistry -you may want to check that. For information on what your water chemistry should look like see my page here (//koi-care.com/ideal-water-conditions-healthy-koi/)
We have had 9 koi for over ten years without any problems. Recently we have had a large blue heron remove 3 koi (right next to the plastic decoy) and had problems with our auto water fill. One month later after the heron and three months after the auto fill problems the six remaining koi got ill with flukes and other diseases which I am having a difficult time identifying and eradicating. Have these diseases been caused because of the heron or water problems? Any suggestions?
Water quality issues are usually at the root of most koi and pond health problems so that is always where I advise people to start. The heron could have certainly caused some stress but that really would have been temporary (stress can cause your fish to be more prone to disease). Most likely you are having an issue with water quality that is allowing things like harmful bacteria or fungi to thrive and affect your fish. High ammonia can be common and that usually leads to high nitrites & nitrates. If you think you have flukes you will need to treat the whole pond -here is an excerpt from my site about the topic:
There are two main classes of flukes; 1) gill flukes and 2) skin flukes. Both kinds are microscopic so if you suspect your fish are suffering from flukes you will need a microscope to verify it. Dactylogyrus or gill flukes will attach to the gills and, as the name suggests, body flukes or gyrodactylus attach to the body. Having hitch hikers is usually not a problem…except if you’re a koi and they are parasitic! Flukes tend to eat away at the protective “slime” coating of your fish thereby exposing them to harmful bacterial infections and causing ulcers. They also are an irritant and cause your fish to itch and subsequently rub themselves on the bottom or side of the pond in an attempt to itch and rid themselves of the parasite. Gill flukes can eat away at your koi’s gills so much that the koi will not be able to assimilate oxygen from the water. If you suspect a fluke infection be sure to look out for this behavior.
Treatment: You can quarantine but it is likely that your entire pond is afflicted with the flukes or their eggs so you can treat with medications like Aqua Prazzi, potassium permanganate or Fluke Solve (both AquaPrazzi and Fluke Solve have the same active ingredient; “praziquantel”).
Another thing you can do is regular water changes (not too drastic) and you will also want to boost your beneficial bacteria by using something called Microbe-lift PL. If you have deaths in the future you can always take the carcass to someone that specializes in fish or perhaps a nearby university where they can look under a microscope for certain parasites. You may also want to think about cleaning out the built-up muck at the bottom of your pond if you don’t do that on a regular basis. How do these dead fish look when you pull them out? ulcers? raised scales? anything obvious that would indicate what caused their death?
I have built a pond 16ft x 8ft x 4.5ft two years ago . I have had disease after disease loosing many of my koi carp. My most common disease are sores. Each time I test the water quality or take my water samples to my local aquatic centre I/they always find that the water quality is perfect. I have also took the aquatic s advice on treatments but find that all the treatments I have use seem not to work. Can anyone out there (carp expert )advise me. Or better still come and view my pond
Well, sores are signs of bacterial infections and bacteria are always going to be present in any pond. If the fish are already compromised in some way then the existing bacteria will move in and affect your fish and cause ulcers and sores. Is it possilble that you have animals trying to get at your fish and stressing them out or perhaps injuring them and causing the injuries to become ulcerous? I don’t know what treatments were recommended to you but if it was the wrong treatment for the problem then no good would come of it. For example, Mela-Fix is an antibacterial/antimicrobial and that doesn’t mean its going to do anything for viruses. My suggestion is start by bringing the salt concentration up to 0.5% for a few days as well as using the appropriate dosage of Mela-Fix. You will need to do water changes after that to reduce the salt level but do it gradually.
Another thing you may want to think about is seepage of pesticides or other unwanted chemicals from sources that may not be obvious. Maybe the ground that you built your pond in has something leeching out of the soil that doesn’t show up on water tests that are only looking for ammonia, nitrites etc.?
Helo, I pulled up your site on google, I have a fresh water tank koi, he is about 5 inches long, and he a a problem with his mouth. It is awollen and redish pink, he is not eating and he goes to the top for a gulp of air accasionally and he just lays on the bottom of the tank. Please help me figure out what wrong with him and what to do, he is in the tank with two small sword tail goldfish and one large goldfish, i have them in a 40 gal tank, thank you very much.
Mouth rot is a symptom of something larger and that is usually poor water quality that is causing your fish’s health to be compromised and open to infection. You’re going to want to stop feeding for the time being and start improving your water quality by doing a 30% water change. Next thing would be a light salt bath treatment and perhaps a treatment of Mela-Fix. You will also want to monitor your water quality by testing it regularly. You can also remove the fish and treat the sores with hydrogen peroxide or iodine.
-grant
We moved into a home with a koi pond, but had no fish. We got 3 small koi and have had them for 3 months now, they loved to eat ( they are growing fast ), swim around and they have never been social with us. They seem scared. Anyhow about 3 weeks ago they started hiding under the waterfall, never come out anymore during the day. They do swim around at night. They also don’t eat much. The temp has changed. It was a very hot summer and now its much cooler especially at night? Git any suggestions. They don’t look diseased.
One thing that koi in an unprotected outdoor pond may have issues with is predators such as large wading birds. They may be trying to get at your koi and thereby scaring the koi, making them not want to come out. Not eating as much is associated with falling water temps and slower metabolisms. See my latest infographic on my site for feeding charts based on temp.
-grant
I have a 3 koi/3 goldfish 2 pleco tank in my kitchen, they are doing wonderful in there water is clear. We also have a few small real plants. One of the koi is a white/ silver color and one goldfish is white/ orange and black. My question is, why do they have a green tint devoloping on the white parts only? They do nip the greens often and are fed “API Goldfish Pellets” which say they “promote digestion and color” the greenish color on the gold fish is primarily the mouth and fins. (both fish tints starting from the body out to the mid fin area, and from the mouth to the between the eyes)
Thank you
I can’t say that I’ve ever come across that before. Usually if you have color modifications occur they become more muted. Green tints are usually associated with algal growth.
Hi Everyone,I am new in keeping kois.Plz can you
suggest me the ideal water parameters in keeping kois.
My water out here has a TDS of below 100,PH-7.5.Can kois be
kept in these conditions.
pH could be a bit higher and as far as temperature goes koi can over-winter under ice. What people will often do is shut down their filtration and keep aeration going in the pond throughout the winter. In terms of food there are lots of floating pellet style foods to choose from but here is a chart with some other foods they like.
(//koi-care.com/feeding-koi-water-temperatures-change/)
Hi. Please advise me as to which plants or reeds are acceptable to the koi invoiroument. My mate has so many intruders in his pond. The reeds have taken over. There is not much sun. The depth and width, Im not too sure of, but it seems large and ideal. He had 45 koi of note. Stunning colors, large in size, massive energy, jumping out the water, so very spectacular in every way. John lost them all as he had a four day power failure. He was given eight lovely little ones. He was also given many gold fish. They swim together in the reeds, the debris from huge trees, such as, yellow stink wood, syringas, jacarandas plus a host of other alien creepers.
I would dearly lve your input as we love our few little ones.
Thank you so much for your advice.
Lisa.
Lisa, sounds like you are writing from Australia-I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the aquatic vegetation down under. If it helps I did write an article on pond vegetation in north america-maybe there is some species overlap?
(//koi-care.com/importance-aquatic-plants-koi-pond-choose/)
I have my first koi pond which was opened about 2 months ago. I purchased a TDS-3 meter to check the salt level. I have the readings but have no clue what they mean. It is 107 x 10 ppm. Is this bad or good? My master test kit show every I know to measure is good. My pond now gas algae.
I’m afraid I’ve not used that testing device before. If you have algae then you most likely have a build up of algae food like ammonia and nitrites. You need to make sure that your filters are doing their job and what helps is seeding them with beneficial bacteria like Microbe-Lift PL. You can also plant some aquatic cover to provide shade and less sun to fuel the algae.
Help. I’m a newbie to koi keeping. If anyone can help me answer some question, I super duper highly appreciate it. I have a 89g pond with 6 (3inch) koi. My questions are:
My water quality is great, but koi fish keep flashing. If they’re is chemical toxin in pond, what should I do?
One of my koi fishhas blurry color skin, what is that? Doesn’t look like infection or fungus. Its skin looks burry only.
What is the best Pond Bateria product that I should use?
Why do koi rip each others fin? There is so much room to swim around.
How do I know when koi are ich and fungus free?
hi peter, welcome to the world of koi.
flashing usually means some sort of external parasite that they are trying to rid themselves of. Go to my article on diseases-you’ll see lots of parasites discussed(//koi-care.com/koi-diseases-treatments/).
blurry skin-I’m not familiar with that.
pond bacteria? microbe-lift PL
ripped fins could come from abrasions against the side and butterfly koi are prone to fin splitting.
ich and fungus free: you wont see any white growths on their skin.
-grant
My koi are in an aquaponics system in southern UT where we are experiencing triple digit weather. Any suggestions on how to cool the water? We’ve been putting ice blocks in and managing to keep it around 85.
Shade and chillers. I’ve never had temps where I had to employ chillers but they should do the trick.
My 3 month old koi pond has green stringey stuff (I guess it’s algae) hanging from rocks/waterfall. The pond is located in a corner where garage meets the house and gets little sun. I need a primer on water testing as this is all new to me. I read in one of your posts some of the readings I should strive for but I haven’t even purchased the water testing kit (brand suggestions?) much less I don’t know what to add to attain optimal levels as suggested. Get me started in the right direction before my koi start having problems like I’ve read about. I live in the mid-west and have raccoons not birds to worry about. Thanks ever so much.
Okay, so you’ve got string algae and I cover that in detail here (//koi-care.com/getting-rid-of-algae/). There’s really only two main types of pond algae that you need to be concerned with and that’s one of them. If you want to know more about the nuances of your water chemistry I also have a good article that explains it in layman’s terms here (//koi-care.com/understanding-biological-cycle-koi-pond/). You mentioned that you already found my article on the ideal water conditions and as far as test kits there isn’t one that does it all but there is one I can recommend that is easy to use by API and its called “API Pondcare 5-in-1 Pond Test Strips” -you just dip the strip in the water and get the reading. Lastly, if you are just starting out I also recommend a book (around $20) that goes through everything from beginning to end -if you end up not finding it useful you can always get a refund (//koi-care.com/koi-resources/). Good luck!
hello recently i have noticed bumps on my koi carp, so i netted some today and 2 fish have similar symptoms, one fish bumps look white and waxy and others is more pink looking, there is not many bumps on the fish just one or two. im wondering what the best way for me to try and treat the problem? please get back to me asap
thanks
Sounds like carp pox but its not usually a summer time thing. You could gradually heat the water and that will help combat the virus but its not typically a fatal disease. See my article for more: //koi-care.com/koi-diseases-treatments/
thanks for the quick reply, i think it is carp pox, do you have any suggestions on how to heat the water? and what temp should it be? i have not ever tested my water and would like to begin, i have a ph tester and its 7ph, what would you suggest as the next test to buy as money constraints mean i cant purchase a full test kit.. ammonia, nitrite or nitrate?? are any more fatal to health than others??
i look forward to hearing from you and thanks for the help its grately appreciated
you don’t want to exceed 85 deg. F and don’t want to raise the temp. more than 10 deg. F in a span of 18 hours. There’s not a whole lot you can do about it, its just around in ponds. You could certainly install a UV Clarifier in your system but they are pricey and if you have money contraints then that won’t be an option. Carp pox will go away on its own. About testing kits, they are all important but ammonia has the potential to do the most damage.
-Grant
Have high ph level. What a good way to bring the high level down to a manageable level.
White vinegar will bring it down.
Hello, I have a 60g fish tank, 4 koi and one algae eater. I feed my koi 3 times a day and it’s a very small pinch. My problem is my water has become cloudy and looks tinted. When I dip a ph strip in it the results show its too acidic. What is the best way to fix this issue?
6.8 to 8.2 is a good range to shoot for. As far as your acidic situation:
Short term solution= add some sodium bicarbonate (Arm&hammer Baking soda) to increase alkalinity. There is also a product called “Seachem Oasis Pond pH buffer” that will do the same.
Long term solution= add some calcium carbonate gravel or small rocks of the same material to give you long term buffering capability. This gravel or rock might be sold under the name “Agricultural limestone”
-Grant
Hi, I have pond 7′ long, 5′ wide and 2′ tall.. It has 1 koi, 2 oranda goldfish and 5 regular gold fish.. All of a sudden it has algae, the rocks turned green, I really don’t know if it is normal.. But my fishes are dying day by day. I gave it an armonia treatment and algae treatment also, the filter I have to wash it everyday because it gets so dirty.. please help!
the ammonia treatment is only a temporary cover up for the more important issue of water quality issues. If you have high ammonia and nitrites you will surely have algal growth and it sounds like you have enough to cause fish death too. You need to do water changes and boost the beneficial bacterial colonies on your filter media.
-Grant
Hi, I have a 1500 gal. pond for the last eleven years. Have not had any problems until this spring when we drained and clean the pond. Filled with fresh water and added the dechlorinator. A few hours later we found the koi very slow moving and one was on it side. The next day they were moving more but they will not eat. It has been six days since they have eaten. I bought a water test kit and everything looks normal. Any help would be appreciated, Thank you
what can happen with big water changes is a sizable flux in pH. How is your pH reading now compared to before?
-grant
Hello. I just moved to a new place. The water is terrible for anything living, but its all I have… the PH reads below 6, the KH reads at 0, and the GH is at 0… Ive put in crushed coral, that just raised the KH to 80, GH is still low. I put in a PH buffer and it will get to 8.0+ then drop. I have a 75 gallon tank with 1 Koi, 2 Comet, and a bunch of plants.
Unfortunately with all this stress my Koi isnt doing good. he looks like he is gasping for air and his left eye is cloudy. My Comet is turning red and is nipping at my koi. My Koi is small right now, but I dont want to loose him.
The pH needs to come up to at least 6.8 but be careful of big pH swings. As you probably already know, pH is on a logarithmic scale so seemingly little changes in pH are actually a big deal to a fish. Consistently high or low pH is actually better than big shifts in pH. Your crushed coral will do a good job at getting you to a better KH reading and if you are concerned about GH koi clay is great for that and koi love it. No matter what you are going to have to have a filtration system with active beneficial bacteria if your system is going to thrive. How is your ammonia and nitrite? Cloudy eye is usually bacterial. You may want to look into Mela-fix-its great and works pretty fast. Gasping for air can mean low dissolved o2 or burned gills from high ammonia.
Will koi fish survive in the desert like Palm Springs, CA ? Temperatures in the four summer months are triple digits and as high as a 114 degrees.
Have a waterfall and filtered system . Understand I need to change the filter for the fish.
Jack, I will on occassion get questions from koi owners in India where they some intense heat but often their koi issues are related to warm water. You dont really want to have your fish in anything much over 85f so the short answer is you could probably pull it off however you would def. Want to have a deeper than average pond as shallow water gets hot fast. Hot water means a decreased ability for water to hold dissolved oxygen and increased risk of disease (bacteria and parasites like it warm). You would need significant shade over your pond and possibly chillers for those extreme days.
Hi am Ashley n live in England me n my gf have just moved in to a new house n there is big dish tank in the back garden with 4 kio carp 3 big ish 1s n 1 small 1 and a large gold fish pond is about 5 ft long 4 ft wide and about 4 ft deep the pond has lost of algi on the sides and bottom do u ever need to empty the full pond and clean it all off and put clean fresh water in or should we just leave it we have a water hover to get all the crap off the bottom tht they don’t eat is tht enough or should u clean the pond completely now and again thanks for the advice ashley
Ashley, not all algae is bad necessarily. If you have short cropped algae say 1/2 inch that type is fine. If your water is green or you have long “horse hair” type that will not be fine in the long run. Is your water clear right now? Do you have any kind of filtration? Waterfall? Extra aeration?
-Grant
I need your advise I am inheriting a whole pond, it has very large fish maybe as many as 50 or even more I am going to set up a 17’x33’x5′ pool it will hold 22,440 gallons of water. The pond that is being broken down has poor water quality at this time. My question is, what can I do to keep from shocking these fish? How should I prepare my water to receive these fish? I need to know when it will be safe for them to be moved? My Water is from a personal well. I had the water tested professionally and it tested pretty good (Well he said it was as good as Sparklets water (he was trying to sell me a water purifying system). I will be setting up the pool today and tomorrow and I would like to move the fish in about 2 weeks will that be enough time to make the water safe?
Dana, sorry for the delay. This is the busy season for ponding. So number issue with transfers like the one in question is pH. As you may know pH is logarhithmic so any small change in pH translates into a big change. For example, going from pH 8 to 9 is actually a 10x change. The other thing is thermal. Be sure to get your temps close which, after two weeks, they should both match. In general you want to get your parameters as close as possible but those are the two big ones. One thing that you may want to consider is adding koi clay- it adds needed minerals to the water and koi love it.
Hey, my uncle has about 4 koi fish that he raised for about 3 years. Coming home, he went immediately went to his pond to feed his fish. When he feed the fish, one of his koi fish was not at the pond. He suspected that the fish jumped so he checked around the house (searched for 1 hour) but still couldn’t find it. We all think someone stole the fish. Are there any other possibilities that could have happend?(pond is not underground)
this is often attributed to wading birds or raccoons.
-Grant
Hi. Newbie to the koi hobby here and so far in having terrible luck. The ponds are two 370 gallon steel ponds connected by two 1 ft. Diameter under-water pipes. My set up consists of one 1000 gph pump to a bio-mechanical filter that feeds the opposite pond combined with a 800 gph pump that runs from the pond the filter feeds to the opposite pond to create a circular system, also an aerator with a stone in each pond. The ponds are 4.5 ft deep. I have a liquid pond water test kit and also test strips. All levels come out on point with the exception of GH which comes in low at 60 ppm. But I still have fish dying…. like all of them. Goldfish and koi alike. I’m buying then from petsmart as they are the only place around my area for live animals. I’m at a loss please help.
How fast are they dying once you put them in your pond? Whats the pH of the water they are coming from and the pH of your pond water? Anything noticeable on the fish? Lesions, sores, bloating, lifted scales etc?
-Grant
I have a 1200 gal pond. Some Koi have spawned but others not. (Belly’s are very full)…. Wondering what I can do to assist. What is an ideal enviroment for them?
Isolate the females that havent in a spawning tank with two males.
Grant
Help me please
My father brought coy fish last monday lately the coy fish died 2 days ago then why the fish are gasping in the corner can the waterliliy help them to have oxygen and is it bad to have different fish with them?
how warm is your water? Two things that can cause gasping: 1) low dissolved oxygen and 2) high ammonia. Warm water holds less oxygen. If that is the case you can easily get an air pump and some air stones.
-Grant
I have a Koi fish with a wite body, however his skin is now pinkish in color. What is going on as he appears to be quite sickly with algae actively growing on one of his sides.
Newbies need help please! We bought a house with a Koi pond, have been reading and asking questions. We had issue with flashing that seems to have resolved. Current issue is high ammonia though all other measurements are fine. We tried water changes, adding bacteria. Fish are not lethargic, acting normal, don’t see any sores or gasping for air/gill issues. We are feeding every other day now to see if that helps. What else can we do? What else, besides fish poop and hot weather (we live in Atlanta, GA) what else can cause high ammonia (currently 1)? Any help is appreciated – thanks!
I’d like to give a piece of info something i learned from my goldfish moo-moo. I live in the Northeast US so we don’t have hard water.
Our city adds a buffer i think phosphate. Anyway, i found it hard to stabilize my PH.
I had one fish he was the size of a piece of bread basically, in a 10 gal. I over fed then over cleaned i messed with it too much. I kept buying products to fix it. It was killing me the work i put into it.
Moo moo’s mate died so i promised him I’d not let him die. I never owned a fish before. He lived like 8 yrs not bad considering. He died because i had to me into housing and their water is just a sin!
I was so frustrated doing his tank.
Mainly because i knew way too many fish neglectors that were WAY more successful keeping fish healthy. Their fish lived forever they never cleaned the tank or added anything to the water nor did they feed much.
That was the key i know it. At least for a place with neutral to slightly acidic water. I hope that wasn’t too lengthy and hope it helps and i hope the board owner agrees.
thanks for the info!