Apr 30th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
When it comes to taking care of your Koi, part of it is protecting them from a deadly koi illness known as the KHV (or Koi Herpes Virus). Fact of the matter is that your fish is really susceptible to this kind of disease. So what can you do to protect them from it? The only way you can protect them from this virus is to ensure that they never get exposed to it. Getting the necessary information that you need to know about this koi epidemic will get your pets the best protection that they’re going to need.
The Facts About The Disease:
Since its first outbreak, little has been known about this koi epidemic. Knowing the facts is an essential thing for the protection of your pets. The KHV is a deadly koi epidemic which has just recently appeared in the Koi industry. In the late 1998 and early 1999, the first outbreak has been reported in Israel, then in the following years has been confirmed in places like Europe, Asia and the U.S. This kind of koi epidemic is known to infect the victim throughout their life. Even those who don’t show signs of the virus are considered as carriers if they have been exposed to it for a certain amount of time. The mortality rate for those that have been exposed to the koi epidemic is 60 percent to 80 percent.
There is still no known cure for this koi epidemic. Even if proper treatment has been given to your pets, they will never again go to a new home, because if you put them in a healthy pets population, they will spread the virus to the others. This virus can spread in many ways, like the fish coming into contact with the infected ones, tools used to handle the infected fish, the water in which the infected fish swam, and many more. Stress can increase the mortality rate of the fish. Temperatures around 74 degrees Fahrenheit can be used to track the koi epidemic, and it will allow the necessary testing and quarantining of your pets to observe if they have been exposed or not.
The Preventative Measures: Depopulation and Quarantine
Depopulation is one of the best preventative measures that you can do to eliminate the possibilities of this koi epidemic, and this means the elimination of your whole pet population. Although this may seem cruel to your pets, with this you can really ensure that you don’t infect the other pets in your pond. Another method is by quarantining. If you buy a new fish, quarantine it before mixing it with your current Koi population (for 15 days or more).
In quarantining your pets, they should be totally isolated from anything else. Separate the food, tools and water that you’re going to use for the quarantined pets, and ensure that the tools that you use for them doesn’t leave the area in which they have been used. Procedures for proper hand washing in handling your pets and the essential items should be observed. Following these effective preventative measures can help you avoid your pets from catching the infectious disease.
Apr 29th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Winter is nearly here, and this will be the first time your koi pool will go through such a cold weather. You see, winter is considered as the down period for your koi pool, because during this time, less events happen compared to other seasons. To make sure that your fish and koi pool survive the weather, here are some special precautions that you need to take in your koi plot before winter comes to your doorstep.
First of all, clean up: Take your time as you go over your koi pool, which can take about a weekend. Remove the unwanted bulk material inside and around it. Inside the koi pool, remove all the materials like leaves and slits from the bottom. Remove those plants and flowers that won’t survive the cold. Around your koi pool, clean up those things that can be blown and pushed into it, as you will not see the debris until the end of the cold weather. This will also prevent harmful parasites and bacteria in the near future.
Second, stop feeding your fish: Remember that your fish needs to stop feeding during the winter. Feed your fish only once daily when the fall starts and temperatures goes at 55 degrees to 60 degrees. Stop the feeding completely once the temperature hits below 50 degrees (even if the temperature goes above this level, refrain from feeding your fish). Most take at least 4 days to digest their food completely when they’re healthy and temperature is above 50 degrees. If you forget this one, you will kill your fish! Never mistake it for hunger when your fish open their mouths to you, because it’s only a learned reflex rather than hunger. Don’t worry about you not feeding, because your fish will feed on something else besides the food that you provide them (especially if your koi pool has a great amount of natural plants). If you’re not feeding them and if ever they get hungry, they will feed on this.
Third, check up your equipments: Do a seasonal check up on your equipments, from your filtration system to your array of medications. The majority of the koi pools all over the world lie dormant during the winter time, you’d be able to less likely find the stuff that you’re going to need. Ensure that your emergency kit (including the nets, medications, bags, and water testing kits) is always ready and up to date.
Fourth, prepare for the cold times: Prepare for the cold weather by investing in the items that you’ll need for the summer. The fish can withstand constant temperatures as low as 39 degrees for short periods of time (including those slightly lower than 39 degrees).If you purchase a heater, research first on what size you’d be needing in order to heat your koi pool during the winter rightly. Otherwise, ice will still form, causing danger given by the gas content in the water, as it is trapped under the ice. You can put an emergency tank inside of the koi pool in case of extreme events.
Lastly, turn off all of the sources of water: Your heater will be working harder to maintain the kind of water temperature that’s enough to keep your fish alive in colder weather. If your koi pool has those additional koi field water features such as streams, waterfalls, or those fountains that move constantly, make it a point that you turn them off during the winter time (these will circulate water, constantly bringing new and cold water to your koi pool. Switching these features off will make the standing water in your koi pool the only water that your heater will be responsible for.
Apr 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The Koi have little fear with us humans, and this serves as one of their best features. Once your fish sees you as the one who feeds them and the one who’s not going to harm them, they are likely to eat right out of your hand (provided with the proper training). The reality is that koi nourishing can be one of the most entertaining and funniest experiences that you’re going to get into.
These fish, by nature, are non-aggressive ones. They don’t have teeth, so you don’t have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand. This activity will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the fish’s gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors. Like any other wild animal, they will have that fear of you in the start.
Their instincts are the ones that tell them to fear you, which is what keeps them alive and survive in the wild in the first place. So, what you have to do is to build up trust with your fish, and this will take a certain amount of time and patience in your part. Remember that hand feeding can’t be achieved over night!
Your fish feed on both meat and plants, as they are an omnivorous species. Being omnivorous brings versatility in their diets. They will eat almost everything that you give them, not caring whether it’s good for them or not. Since they don’t have the ability to judge what’s good or bad for them, you, as the owner, should be the one to control their diet.
Overfeeding is another problem, as your fish might get overweight from eating foods that are not nutritious for them. The healthiest treats for your fish are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Also, you can feed them with bread, lettuce, veggies and fruit. Just be careful when feeding your fish with food such as beans, corn and grapes, as they have those outer casings. These outer casings will be harmful for your fish if these are not properly digested by them. So, just make sure that you remove the outer casings before feeding them.
Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your fish. Don’t make any sudden movements, as this will scare away even the most trusting of your fish. What you should do is start hand training your fish right from the moment you get them (which is also applicable for those that are in your current population). You can start by placing few of the snacks or pellets in your hand and then put your hand under the water.
Then slowly allow the food to fall from your hand. Now, it may seem that your fish may not seem to pay any attention, but the reality is that they are aware of your hand (and that your hand is the ones giving them food). You can do this within a period of two days.
Doing this will help you gain the interest of your fish. Then as you have now gotten their interest, let the fish remove the food from your hand. Now, if your pet will refuse to take food from your hand, don’t feed them on that day (you’re not going to stare them in this process). They will have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to feed. If you do this everyday, this will make them comfortable with you.
So once you have the fish feeding out of your hand, you can then start in making them feed from your fingers. And the same thing applies here: if they’re not going to feed from your fingers, don’t feed them on that day. Remember that food will serve as your motivator when it comes to feeding wild animals, and guaranteed, no fish will simply stare itself just because it is not sure of the situation it’s in.
In feeding koi, you have successfully made your fish feed from your hand, you can then alternate the routine between the regular and hand feeding. There’s no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if you’re in such a hurry. And another important thing is that once you get your fish to feed from your hand, always be careful in allowing your visitors to feed your pets. Supervise them (both the kids and the adults) in feeding your fish properly; no sudden movements and give your fish the right foods for them.
Apr 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The Koi Herpes Virus (or KHV) is a deadly koi epidemic which has recently emerged in the industry of Koi. The primary outbreak happened in Israel during the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999. Since then, numerous outbreaks around the world have been reported, especially in places like the United States, Europe and Asia.
Just like most of the Herpes type of viruses all throughout the world, the KHV is believed to remain with the infected pets for life. The pets that have been exposed to the virus at a certain point are immediately considered as carriers! The mortality rate for the pets that have been exposed to this kind of virus would range from 60 to 80 percent.
The reality is these pets are very prone and susceptible to the virus. The only possible way to prevent your pets from getting infected by the koi virus is to make sure that your pets will never get exposed to it. Having the appropriate knowledge of the koi virus would slim the chances of making your pets catch the virus.
Facts about KHV:
Quite a bit of information has been gathered about the koi virus since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the important facts about this virus can really help you in preventing it from spreading into your pond. Once the pets have been exposed to KHV, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its lifespan. Even if proper treatment is applied, these pets should never be transferred to another pond or habitat (you wouldn’t want the infection to spread all over into another pond, right?).
Take note that temperature levels at 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the koi virus (a very helpful information as it allows for testing to see if the pets really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the koi virus, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher rate in mortality. Spreading of the virus will occur if the pets will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected pets; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; etc. Sad to say, there’s no known cure for the KHV.
Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:
If your pets has been diagnosed with the virus, the only effective way to make sure that you don’t infect other pets is by depopulation. This process is the elimination of your entire fish population. As cruel as this may seem, it’s truly the best way so as to ensure that no other fish will ever catch the koi virus.
When buying a fish, it’s advisable to quarantine the new pets separately from your current population in a period not less than 15 days. With the knowledge of the exact temperature level to activate the disease (around 74 degrees Fahrenheit), this will allow you to expose your pets to the right conditions for the koi virus to show itself. Those that live in this conditions for this given period and don’t develop any symptoms have less chance of getting infected.
Quarantining your pets means total isolation; you shouldn’t allow anything to come into contact with the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the current population. Use separate food, tools and water. Make it a point that those tools that you have used for your quarantined pets should just stay always in the area in which they are used.
Follow the proper hand washing procedures when handling both the pets and their items within the same period of time. These steps are sure to prevent the spreading of this koi virus.
Apr 28th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The first thing that you need to always remember is that koi pool is not just a hole in the ground where you can store and keep your koi. To make a koi pond properly work, you should take into consideration different kinds of things in planning for your koi pond assembly. Follow the few simple rules that’ll help you not to end up with an expensive hole filled with nothing but dead fish!
First thing to remember is to have a pro build your koi pond (unless of course you are knowledgeable when it comes to fish keeping, outdoor landscaping and also koi pond construction). You might think that building the koi pond yourself will save you a great deal of cash, but this wouldn’t take your further from the case! If your koi pond is not built properly right from the beginning, you’re going to end up spending a lot of money on fixing the problems that may come up someday. With an improper koi pond set-up, you will not be able to save your fish from potential damages.
A professional will always give you what you want for your koi pond construction. They may give their inputs in decision making, but ultimately they will always do what you want them to do in the end. They are blameless if ever your koi pond fails due to factors such as size, location, etc., as those things depended on your decision. Beware of extremely cheap quotes, as they may cut corners that can really cause you problems someday.
These koi pond are, by no means, water troughs for animals or swimming pools, and that’s why much care should be taken in the construction of your koi pond. It’s true that it may cost you more cash than building those typical swimming pools, but the rewards that you can reap are much greater! Keep all of the children and other pets out of your koi pond, because they can cause problems to it as well. Children can cause a chemical imbalance and problems such as leaks if they go swimming in the koi pond. As for the other pets, although it may be okay to have them around your koi pond, they may mess up with the pond’s filtration system and chase your fish around! This is why it’s best to keep them away from your koi pond.
Like any other pets that people have, other issues may come up that may require your special attention. Take some extra time to clear up those algae infections; if you’re going out for a vacation, make sure that somebody who’s knowledgeable will maintain your koi pond for you to make it available when you return; and also, you can always pay your vet a visit.
Once these koi ponds are built, most of them are permanent, so this means that you can’t decide in 2 or 3 weeks that you want to have the construction of your koi pond in the backyard rather than the front yard. Plan carefully each and every aspect of the koi pond, consider the things such as size requirements and placement. Remember that once it’s built, you can do only a little to alter it. Last is the much needed maintenance of your koi pond. This can demand a lot of work, so make sure that you’ll have enough time to do what needs to be done.
Apr 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
If you like to have a healthy pet Koi, this means that you have to feed them with the right koi food that will keep them in good shape. For this, it should be good for you to know the nature of your koi when it comes to their diet.
Koi are omnivorous fish, eating both plants and meat. They have sharp appetites when the water temperature reaches 61 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer is when they are very active in terms of their appetites, this is why they should be fed with nutritious koi treat that will give them a good quality diet.
Your fish will feed on almost anything; from insects, worms, snails, to the foliage of underwater plants. Some would also feast on those acorn and grasses which they manage to feed upon by pulling themselves partly out of the pond’s water!
Winter is when their digestive system will slow down. In here, there’s no need for you to feed them with koi treat because they will nibble on the algae that can be found at the bottom of the pond (plus those other natural food). Once the temperature falls around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, any food that’s stored in their stomach will become rancid, making them sick.
In giving good and healthy koi treat to your fish, always keep in mind that they need to have the right combination of protein, fats, fiber, minerals and vitamins. You can feed them with pellet foods, which can be made to float on the top of the pond’s water so that they will come out to snatch it. You can also feed your fish with special treats like peas, lettuce and watermelons. Be careful though in feeding them with koi treat such as corn, beans and grapes, because they contain an outer casing, which can be improperly digested if swallowed by your fish. Be sure remove the outer casings first before feeding them. Other koi treat include prawns, bread, lettuce and fruits.
So as their owner, you should make sure that your fish are in good health and also free from injuries. And since they have great appetites, you need not put a lot of stress into how and how much they’re being fed. Feeding your fish with koi treat is when you can take the pleasure of your pet’s willingness to interact with you (and you can also feed them using your hand as well!). Remember also that a healthy diet can give your fish vivid colors, making them even more attractive to you and their other spectators!
Apr 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Today, koi breeding have become quite popular. The first of their kind were produced by breeding Carp, such as the German and the Asian type. For years, they have been selectively bred, which resulted to many kinds of color mutations to show up. 1805 was the year when the first colors were recorded. To date, there are thousands and thousands of variations in color that are available.
The popular ones come in black, red, orange, silver, yellow, green, blue and white. The patterns can be combined, resulting in a countless possibility in the pattern of the pets. Each of the colors have been designated their own names, and it is as unique as the color being referred to.
In places like Japan, Singapore, Israel, and the United States (typically in warmer places like California and Nevada) raise the pets for purchase. The pets can be bought at most of the local pet stores. If ever there’s no stock on hand, you can always order them, wherein you are being presented with more options when ordering since you don’t have to pick right away from the available stock. The only disadvantage here is that you won’t be able to pick the specific pets that you’d like to have.
Keep in mind that your koi pool should be complete first before buying your pets. The size and number of pets that you’re going to purchase should be based with respect to the size of your koi pond. Never overcrowd your pets, as it may cause problems instantly in your koi pond, killing many of your pets and causing you to lose a lot of time and money. Consult your local dealer about the proper setup that you can have, and they will be the ones to advise you on the amount of pets that you should put in your own koi pond. Many fish owners know that most fish will only grow in line with the size of the enclosure that they’re in. Koi, on the other hand, will grow until they have reached their full-growth potential. Make sure that you are able to accommodate the number of pets that you’re going to buy in the future.
Traits And Personality Of The Koi:
The Koi are non-aggressive fish. They don’t have teeth, so you don’t have to worry about getting bitten when you feed them using your hand. This allows you to get smaller children involved in the process, as they are drawn to the fish’s magnificent and eye-catching colors (added with their gentle nature). Like any other wild animal, your pets will be afraid of you in the beginning (as this instinct is what keeps them alive in the wild). Building complete trust with your pets really takes a certain amount of time and patience.
It is omnivorous, eating both meat and plants (which gives them an adaptable diet). They’ll eat whatever you put in the koi pond, regardless if its good for them or not. This makes you responsible in controlling their everyday diet. These pets have personalities, similar to the other animals. They are social by nature, and they can be trained to eat directly from the hands of their owners. You’ll get to see and observe more of their individual traits and characteristics as you spend more time with them.
The Koi is known for its long life span; in general, the average lifespan of a healthy one would reach around 30 years (although it has been known to live up to 200 years at a time). This makes them good choices if you’re someone who’s looking for a long-time pet companion. These facts make generating koi truly one great hobby to do!
Apr 26th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
What do you do with your koi pond after the storm? The first thing that you need to do is relax, take time to breathe, because your pets are probably just fine: they’re just traumatized by what they have experienced (which is normal for any pets who have undergone such an unusual situation). Unless a lot of damage has been done to the koi pond water and the whole koi pond, you needn’t worry about their health. Instead, what you should focus is their home, which may be in need of some repairs.
You may have either prepared very well for the storm or may have been taken into surprise by the event, but whatever your case is, you should take the action needed to make sure that no further damage will be given to it. So here are the things/steps you need to do.
First, you have to undo all of the storm precautions/measures you made to survey possible damages. If you netted your koi pond, remove as much debris off the net as you can and then remove the net itself. Once you have done this, make a survey of the damage and then check out the condition of your pets. If you expect high waters and then your sand has extended outward beyond the normal point in the area of the koi pond, remove all sand bags for you to have an easy access in your koi pond (given that the koi pond water level is normal as well). Now, don’t worry if things seem out of place, as it may not be as bad as the original setup was. Once these things has been removed, take your time to examine the area. If there are any debris, skim over and netting to remove them. If the surrounding plants or other decorations has been uprooted, bring them back to the spot where they have been put originally.
Now, if your koi pond has been damaged quite badly, remove your pets immediately from the koi pond. Even though proper bagging as well as transporting techniques are needed if the damage will really need to take some time to get it fixed, there are some options that you can have if the damage can be fixed immediately. Use a children’s pool as a temporary home for your pets. You can also contact your local zoo or pet store, asking them of any program to help you in housing your pets until the much needed maintenance can be made. But if you only need to do some small repairs, focus on the koi pond water quality. Your pond’s water will be dark or cloudy due to the storm and the extra water from the rainfall. Resolve those ammonia issues if the storm lasted for a longer time. Then test your koi pond water for the presence of Nitrates.
If there are nitrates, add the right amount of salt to the koi pond water, which is about three-fourths to a pound of salt per 100 gallons of water. It’s a good idea to add more salt if your pets got shocked by the storm or if they have injuries (if you have plants lying around in your koi pond, remove them before you add the salt). Your pets should be your priority here.
And if you have KH issues (especially if it falls below 100), you can add baking soda to your koi pond (around 1 cup of unpacked baking soda per 1000 gallons of water). Doing this will protect your koi pond from a pH crash that may happen in a later time.
Apr 26th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
A good filter for koi pond for your pond environment is one of the things you need to have for a healthy koi. A koi pond filter promotes the biological balance needed for your koi pond. A good and working one will be able to perform the task properly without using a pump to force water through it.
So what are the types of koi pond filter that you can use which are necessary for your pets? Well, there are two types of these koi pond filter. These are the mechanical and the biological ones. The biological koi pond filter is the one that depends on the bacteria in the breakdown of the toxic wastes (known as ammonia or pH), converting them into nitrates. These nitrates are substances that are less harmful (they only become harmful to your pets when left untreated at large amounts and high levels).
The mechanical koi pond filter is the one that cleans the particles (solid wastes from your pets) from the koi pond’s water, which are trapped in the filter and then cleaned up when the regular maintenance period of the koi pond comes.
Your koi pond is a big area wherein the strength of the filter isn’t enough to promote the water circulation (and remember that your pets need to have an ongoing supply of oxygen in the water). For this, to increase the strength, you can opt to add additional features to your koi pond such as waterfalls, fountains, and the like. These features can promote aeration, a process that agitates the water, giving more oxygen to the water.
It is necessary for you to keep the chemical mixture of the water at a healthy, normal range for your pets, that’s why you should test your water’s chemical make up on a weekly basis, and this is done by bringing a water sample to your local pet store and have them test it, or if you prefer not to have any hassles in going to the pet store, you can choose to buy a home testing kit to test the water all by yourself.
As a koi pond owner, always take the responsibility, time and effort needed to keep its health in great condition. Getting your koi pond the important equipments it needs (like the koi pond filter) will give you a healthier, long-lasting koi pond!
Apr 25th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
When raising your fish, the important thing that you need to remember is to have the necessary koi pond filter for your pond. The Koi is known for its sensitivity to the water quality than some of the other fishes, that’s why there’s a big need for consideration when it comes to having a filter in your koi pond.
The koi pool filter is an equipment that helps in controlling the biological balance within the koi pool. Its function is to remove the waste produced by the pets. In the wild, the waste that comes from the fish is being removed through the water volume of the area, as well as the current of the water. So, when the fish is being placed in a controlled environment, they need to have this natural function too. There are two types of filtration systems: the biological and the mechanical. The biological filtration uses bacteria to break down the toxic waste (ammonia or pH), into less harmful substances such as nitrates (while it’s just normal to have continuous amounts of pH on a low level, it can also impose harm to the pets in high levels). Nitrates are also harmful to the pets when they come in large amounts.
A good koi pool filter will still be able to work properly without the use of a pump to force the water through to it. As the koi pool is a big area, the filter’s strength isn’t able to circulate the water just on its own. The pump is the one that pushes the water and then circulates it through the koi pool. Also, water devices such as a waterfall or a small fountain can be added, which stirs up water and allows oxygen from the air to be folded into the water (a process known as “aeration”). Keep in mind that it’s very important to have a constant supply of oxygen for your pets.
It’s also necessary to test the water’s chemical make up on a weekly basis, and this can be done in two ways. First option is to bring a sample of the water coming from the koi pool to a local pet store and get it tested for you, while the second option is to buy a home testing kit with which you can test the water all by yourself. Always keep the chemical mixture in the water to a normal and healthy level for your pets.
Remember that maintenance is always needed for your koi pool. It takes minimal time and effort to maintain your koi pool, and having the vital systems like the koi pool filter is one of the responsibilities that pond owners need to have. Having a healthy koi pool and a beautiful Koi garden can make it a rewarding hobby for any pond owner!