Cycling Koi pond

Biofilters rely on nitrifying bacteria to remove toxins produced by Koi from water and then oxidize them as virtually innocuous by-products. Since all bacterias are living organisms, you require two basic things, food and shelter. Their shelter is your biological filter and their food is ammonia that Koi excretes.

Nitrifying bacteria need time to multiply and colonize your filter. This is known as cycling. It usually takes 4-6 weeks for the nitrifying bacteria to accumulate sufficient numbers to track the fish load in the pond. There are two types of nitrifying bacteria, Nitrosomonas, which take care of Ammonia and Nitrobacter, which takes care of nitrite.

Before putting your Koi in your pond, your biological filter is dead. There are no nitrifying bacteria living on the media. This means that if you put Koi in your pond, the toxins are not oxidized and accumulate. If no action is taken, the toxins will harm your Koi.

Now, as the bacteria grow and colonizes your filter, the level of ammonia will continue to increase until there is an adequate amount of Nitrosomonas. When there is enough in the filter, the ammonia level will reach its peak, or peak, and it will begin to fall. It will be slow at first, but will grow as more and more bacteria grow. Soon you will end up with enough Nitrosomonas bacteria needed to absorb the ammonia, so that the number of them in your filter will drop a little after the peak, unless you continue to add more ammonia. The same thing will happen for Nitrite with the bacterium Nitrobacter.

If you did not know, Nitrobacter turns nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate is not toxic at low concentrations, but high levels may be immunosuppressive. Nitrate is controlled by changes in water and / or large amounts of vegetation.

If you did not run a biological filter, your Koi will have to pass through the ammonia and nitrite Spike.

There are two things you can do to prevent this:

Buy a cheap goldfish and put it in your pond to run the filter.

Put ammonia in your pond to run the filter.

The best option is to put ammonia in the pond. The cheap goldfish can be loaded with parasites and it is not good to pass them through the ammonia / nitrite tips.

How to cycle a filter

Add Some ammonia to the water, enough to bring the level to 5 - 8 ppm. Add more or less ammonia depending on the initial fish load. Remember, it is safer to grow more nitrifying bacteria than necessary. Make sure there are no additives in the ammonia that you use that could harm your Koi. Also make sure there are no fish in the pond. Ammonia is a poison to fish.

Be wary of pond products that claim they can speed up the recycling process.

The cycle is the natural way to clean organic toxins. Nitrifying bacteria are slow-growing bacteria and nothing in a pot or box will grow them faster.

Make sure you have a test kit and frequently check the quality of the water.

You will need to be able to test for:

• Ammonia
• Nitrite
• Nitrate

After a while, you will notice that the nitrite levels will increase and ammonia levels will fall. This means that Nitrosomonas grows in your filters. The level of ammonia will continue to drop until it is gone and you will still have a lot of nitrite in your pond. After a while, you will notice that there will be an accumulation of nitrate in the water. It is Nitrobacter that does its job, it turns Nitrite into nitrate. When all the nitrite is gone, the cycle is complete and your biological filter is ready for the expected fish load.

Before adding fish, make a large change of water to remove nitrate. If you are not able to put Koi in your pond right now, add more ammonia to keep the nitrifying bacteria alive.

(Go back to Koi care)

Koi care in different season

Spring

Spring is one of the worst times of the year for Koi, there are so many things to deal with. There are water temperatures that have more ups and downs than on a roller coaster. Then there are a large number of predators that are probably really hungry and are looking for pleasant fresh food after a long winter. Do not forget Aeromonas Alley, a danger zone of 40 ° F - 50 ° F, when your Koi immune system is closed, but harmful bacteria are still active. Your Koi also must deal with those people who deplete organisms, parasites.
But do not let everything that knocks you down. The best thing you can do for your Koi is to equip them with enough oxygen and make sure that they have as little stress as possible. If you are lucky enough to have a pond heating system, you must pass through this zone 40 ° F - 50 ° F as quickly as possible. You can also use it to check for these temperature fluctuations.
Watch out for your Koi. Look for any signs of a disaster, such as an ulcer, or if your Koi does not swim to the right. If you have emergency care, contact a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about Koi's health.
Begin to feed your Koi when the water temperature is constantly above 50 ° F. A good rule of thumb: if your Koi asks for money on the surface of the water, they are probably hungry and decide it's time to start eating. It is a good idea to use Koi food, which is high in wheat germs, it is easy to digest.

Summer

Summer is the warmest and sunny season. The temperature of warm water increases the metabolism of Koi and their immune system. Summer is a period of growth for Koi, they will be easy to eat 3-5 times a day. You just need to make sure that your filter can handle all of your Koi waste, otherwise they will suffer from the accumulation of ammonia and dissolved solids in the water. In addition, if you do not have a filter of sufficient size, your pond will probably look like a bowl of pea soup!
One thing you should look at in the summer is your DO (dissolved oxygen) level. The warmer your water is, the less oxygen it can hold. Store a sufficient amount of aeration in your pond at any time. It does not matter if it's an air pump and an air stone, or a big waterfall. The minimum level required by Koi is 4 ppm (parts per million). Keep in mind that 4 ppm is the minimum level, the DO level should always be much higher. Your Koi needs oxygen to live.
The ideal temperature for Koi in summer is around 70 ° F - 75 ° F. This is the most convenient temperature range for them. See these dog days. If you have a shallow pond, the water temperature can rise to dangerous levels, and your Koi can suffer. Provide some cover or some shade for your Koi so that they have a place to get out from under direct sunlight.

Koi likes to make mistakes. It's not uncommon to hear them splash on the surface at night, when they try to get insects that are near the surface of the water. The use of beetles, as well as the daily diet and the temperature of warm water will make them grow very quickly.

Autumn

Fall, a season when everything seems to fall: leaves, water temperature and do not forget the worst, immune system. Koi are Poikilothermic, which means cold-blooded. The temperature of their body corresponds to the temperature of the water. You will notice that when the water drops below 60 degrees, your Koi will slow down. This is a critical period of time. Watch your Koi for any signs of distress or any complications with parasites. If you have an indoor over the winter tank, now is the best time to take a Koi for the winter. You do not want to wait until the water temperature becomes too low, otherwise you will damage the Koi with a large temperature change. Make sure that your overly wintering tank is covered, Koi seems to like to jump when they get a new environment.
When the temperature begins to fall, switch to Koi food, which has a high percentage of wheat germ and a low percentage of protein. This mixture will be easy for your Koi to digest and help purify their digestive system. Stop feeding your Koi at all when the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They may look hungry, but if you feed them, the food in the stomach will rot and they will suffer.
Loosen your pond completely clean. I will write again, KEEP CLEAN CLEAN. This means that you immediately remove leaves and other debris from your pond. If you leave this material in your pond all winter, it will start to decompose, and it will release toxic gases. It will also contain anaerobic bacteria, they also produce toxic gas, hydrogen sulphide.

winter

Winter, the coldest season of the year. If you live in the lower regions, then you probably get snow and ice. Koi does not sleep in the winter, so they do not eat or produce any toxins. Do not feed your Koi if the water temperature is below 50 ° F. Food will sit in the koi's stomach and rot.
It's a good idea to save space in your pond for gas exchange. Carbon dioxide must come out of the water, and fresh oxygen must get into the water. This can be done with the electric drive of an aquarium and / or an air navigator. You can also use a heater for gutters, but they are expensive to run. It's also a good idea to put an airstone in your pond to put your Koi with new oxygen. Place the airway near the surface so that you do not mix water from the pond.
You will probably notice that your Koi sits at the bottom of your pond. This is normal, Koi are Poikilothermic (cold-blooded), so their activity level coincides with the water temperature. In winter, Koi will go to the warmest area. As the water is denser at 39.2 ° F, warmer water will be at the bottom of your pond.
Make sure that the water temperature does not drop below 34 ° F. If this happens, ice crystals will begin to form on the gills of Koi. Crystals of ice can kill Koi. Do not add salt to the pond in winter. Salt reduces the freezing point of water, so if you add something to your pond, it can kill your Koi, because the water temperature can drop below 30 ° F.
It's also a good idea to close the waterfall. The only thing that will make a waterfall in winter is to lower the temperature of the water. The waterfall can even freeze, because of what all the water is pumped out of your pond.

(Go back to Koi care)

Koi fish care - Water parameters.

Water quality is a very significant aspect of Koi Keeping. It is all-important that the perfect water quality is maintained for your Koi to thrive. If a pond is under filtered, the Koi and the other fish will suffer. The four most significant water quality parameters are explained below▪

•Ammonia (NH3)

Humans and other animals usually convert ammonia to carbamoyl phosphate from the enzyme carbamoyl phosphate synthase, and then it is either used or expelled in different ways.But Koi and other fish have a lack of this mechanism, so that they are released directly into the water.

•Nitrite (NO2-)

Nitrite is formed in the second stage of the nitrogen cycle. It is not as toxic as ammonia, but long-term exposure can cause problems.

•Nitrate (NO3)

Nitrate is a by-product of the nitrogen cycle, which is the process by which bacteria transform the toxins produced by Koi into non-harmful substances. The bacterium, Nitrobacter, converts toxic nitrite to nitrate.

•pH

PH is the measurement of active and floating hydrogen ions in water. A pH level of 7 is neutral, a pH level below 7 isPHcidic and a pH level above 7 is alkaline.

(Go back to Koi care)

How to acclimatize Koi fish ?

Acclimation is the process of soft introduction of Koi into a new environment.

There are many reasons why you may need to acclimatize Koi fish into a new pond or tank. Perhaps you bought a new Koi and take it home to quarantine. You may need to bring your Koi in the room in the fall. Other reasons include:

Moving patient Koi to a hospital tank
Moving to a new house
Your fish is a Koi show participant
temperature
The most important factor when introducing Koi into a new pond is the equalization of the temperature of water in a bag with water in a pond or quarantine tank. A sudden change in temperature will interfere with the metabolism of Koi and can kill the fish. Slowly acclimating fish, their metabolism will allow for the change in temperature.

Koi fish can withstand temperature fluctuations in Fahrenheit 20 degrees during acclimatization. A greater temperature difference should be avoided. Think about how to adjust the temperature of the new pond, Koi will be within 20 degrees F from the old pond. Koi is easier to adapt to a higher temperature than to adjust the temperature of colder.

Steps of acclimatization

Pond or tank, which includes fish, must have a pristine water quality. Moving and acclimatization of Koi is quite difficult, not dealing with poor water quality. Float the bag or tube in which Koi is located for 1/2 hour (longer if the temperature change exceeds 10 degrees F). Take Koi out of the bag with your hands or a sock net. Do not use a conventional mesh, it will remove the mucus when you lift the fish from the water. Discard the water in the bag. Do not unload it into a pond, it contains fish waste, and water will have an unstable pH level. Cover the tank with a mesh. Koi change when their environment changes. Place one or more (depending on the size of the reservoir or pond) of polystyrene foam, one to two square feet in size. This will provide a place for Koi to hide while they adjust to their new home.

old style

If you think: "Wait a second, should I not slowly introduce Koi into fresh water from the pond?" Then you are partially right.
The old school of thought was:
To swim the bag for 20 minutes, open it, and then add 25 percent water. Repeating until the bag barely swims, and then lets go Koi.

or,

Drop the water and Koi into the tub. Float the tub in a pond and slowly add water for half an hour.

Now the general consensus (see Koi Kichi) is that equalizing the temperature and getting Koi out of the water with a dirty bag as soon as possible is better than equalizing all the water parameters before introducing Koi into your pond. It is believed that a rapid pH change has less harm than Koi, immersed in water with a high content of ammonia and CO2 for a long period of time.

(Go back to Koi care)

Every Koi pond should contain

Bottom drain

The bottom drain is placed in the deepest  portion of the pond. It takes in all heavy and solid waste that is found at the bottom part of the pond.

Pump

This is used to fill your pond water.

Air pump

An air pump and an air stone will supply fresh oxygen to the Koi.

Surface skimmer

The surface skimmer removes all types floating debris such as uneaten food and leaves.

Bead filter

The bead filter performs two types of filtration. The filter media provides a place for growing nitrifying bacteria and captures all types small pieces of waste. Bead filters have a backwash function for easy cleaning.

UV ligh

The UV light sterilizes the algae that makes the water of the pond green.

Optional equipment

Protein skimmer

A protein skimmer removes the waste that dissolves in water. By establishing the water super clean, it allows the Koi fish to grow more because they will not feel that the pond is crowded.

Sieve of Cetus or Vortex chamber

A Cetus sieve or vortex chamber takes the waste that flows from the bottom drain and separates it from the water in the pond. These will cut down a lot of maintenance on the ponds that are near the trees.

Create a safe environment

The easiest way to build a pond for Koi stable in all seasons is to make it deep. A pond which is five feet deep will not experience the same temperature fluctuations as those two feet deep.

Most ponds that have predator problems are built with shallow sloping sides that allow the creatures to wade into the pond. A Koi pond built with steep walls will deter most predators from getting into the pond.

(Go back to Koi care)

What to serve your Koi

There are many factors to consider when feeding your Koi:

• Filter Size
• Size of the pond
• The type of filter and the amount of time that can be cleared

• How many koi in your pond do you have?
• What time of year is it

Most people usually feed their Koi 2-5 times a day. If you feed them 2-3 times a day, they will grow slower or even stay about the same size. If you feed your Koi 3-5 times a day, they will grow quickly and reach their maximum size before.

You need to see how much you feed your Koi; you do not want to overload your biological filter. If this happens, most likely your pond will have an ammonia pin that can damage or kill your Koi. Excessive nutrition of your Koi can harm your Koi. They may be obese, and then suffer from health problems.

The more you feed your Koi, the more waste they will allocate. You will need some way to remove the waste, or it will grow at the bottom of your pond. A good way to remove fish wastes is to install lower drains and feed them into the filter. You will also need time to clean the filters, otherwise they will grow waste, and water will pass through your filter material.

If you have a lot of Koi, you will need a large pond and a large filter if you plan to feed and grow a lot. Most Koi usually grow up to several feet in length, but if you have a Koi with a good pedigree, it can grow to 3 feet in length. Daylight saving time is the period of development of Koi. In a natural environment, Koi will eat as much as it can during the summer to store fat to live in winter, when food is in short supply. You must feed your Koi food high in protein throughout the summer to increase their growth rate.

Koi can also be fed. Koi love watermelons, lemons, grapefruits, oranges, bread, earthworms, larvae and many other useful fruits and vegetables. If you feed them treats once in a while, be sure to cut them into small pieces so that your Koi can easily eat them. Fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, can be reduced by half and thrown into the water.

In the autumn, when the temperature of your pond falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you must start feeding your own food that is high in wheat germs to help clear their digestive system. When the water temperature begins to drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you should stop feeding them altogether. When the water temperature becomes so cold, the Koi digestive system stops, and any food left in them begins to rot their digestive tract.

In winter, Koi does not eat at all. Their metabolism slows down to crawl, so they only need fat to live in the colder months. In the spring, your Koi metabolism will begin, so it's good to feed them with easily digestible food, which is high in wheat germs. You can start feeding them as soon as the water temperature in your pond is constantly above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. A good way to tell when to start feeding your Koi is to look at the sides of the pond to see if they feed on the algae that grow on it. Start by feeding them once a day, and then gradually increase the amount that you will be fed during the summer. When the water temperature constant increases by about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you can start feeding your food with a high protein content of Koi.

A good meal of Koi will have full proteins. Good food, Koi also stabilizes vitamin C. Stabilized vitamin C lasts several months before it breaks down, and normal vitamin C has a maximum shelf life of 90 days.

It is not recommended to feed Koi with cheap zooms, they usually consist of poor proteins and fatten your Koi and do not grow them. Inexpensive chow-chow-chow also tends to the fact that the colours of Koi also disappear.

Good fruit for feeding Koi

Koi eat fruit

Koi are omnivorous, so they can eat a variety of things, including fruits. Fruit is a good thing to feed Koi, because it provides a fresh source of vitamins and minerals. It's also interesting to watch how your Koi digs around the fruit and tries to eat it. Be sure to wash the fruit very well before putting it in the pond, the skin can be pesticides or chemicals. Here are the three best fetuses for feeding your Koi:

oranges

Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. Oranges can be cut in half or quartered, and then put directly into a pond. Koi will swim after the orange, like a group, so that everyone can get a piece of cellulose. Who will eat everything but the skin, it must be later removed from the pond.

lemons

Lemons are also a good source of vitamin C. They can be cut in half or quartered, and then put directly into the pond. Who will eat everything but the skin, it must be later removed from the pond.

Watermelon

Watermelon is a good fruit to feed Koi. It needs to be cut 2 - 3 inches so that it can be easily eaten. Try to remove most, if not all, seeds, because they are not very easy to digest, and they will be difficult to clean from your pond.

Feeding your fresh fruit Koi is very good for them. Vitamins and minerals in ready-made food Koi tend to break down after a couple of months. Feeding your fresh Koi fruit is an excellent guarantee that they get all their nutrients.

(Go back to Koi care)

How to quarantine a Koi fish

Every new Koi that you receive should be quarantined. A Koi can harbor a parasite, bacteria or virus without even showing any symptoms.  If you place an un-quarantined Koi in your pond, you risk the well being of your entire collection.  Performing a quarantine cycle will keep both the new fish and your existing collection safe.  It will also allow you to asses the health condition of the new fish.

• Contents
• Quarantine Tank Setup
• Materials
• Quarantine Procedure
• Examples

Quarantine Tank Setup

The quarantine tank can be a lot smaller than a pond because it will only be a temporary home for the Koi.  Most quarantine tanks are 100 to 500 gallons in size.  Larger size tanks are impractical for any Koi except the large jumbo varieties.  Smaller tanks are also useful for any treatments that could be applied (they are also cheaper to heat).

In addition to the tank, the quarantine setup should also include thefollowing equipment:

• Filter
• Air Pump
• Heater
• Net Tank
• Cover

Filter

The water quality will need to be in pristine condition.  The new Koi will be stressed out enough from the move and poor water quality will further its immune system.  The filter should be able to be bypassed so it won’t interfere with any treatments. A chemical filter that uses activated carbon can be used, since the tank is only used for a limited time.  A biological filter can also be used to clean the water, but the bacteria in it will need to be grown for at least six weeks beforehand in order be able to handle a fish load.

Air Pump

The tank will need a constant supply of fresh oxygen.  The air pump should sit above the tank in case of a power failure (If the air pump is installed below the water level, water can siphon back into the air pump and wreck it). A spray bar can also be used to aerate the water, but it will be noisier.

Heater

An aquarium heater should be installed on the tank.  It should be large enough to keep the water temperature between 74 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

Net

The quarantine tank will need its own net.  You do not want to use the same net for the pond and the quarantine tank because of the risk of cross contamination.  A pond net may also be too large for practical use in a small quarantine tank.

Tank Cover

The tank should have a net that covers the top to keep the Koi from jumping out.  Koi are capricious (jumpy) for up to two weeks when they are introduced into a new environment.  A clear piece of acrylic can also be used.

Materials

The following materials are not required, but will help with the quarantine procedure:

• Salt
• Parasite and fungal Treatments
• Tricide-Neo
• Microscope
• Water Test Kit

Quarantine Procedure

Use the following steps to properly quarantine your fish:

Get the quarantine tank up and running. This includes getting the bacteria colonized in the filter and adding 1% (one pound salt per 100 gallons of water) salt to the water. (Make sure the salt is pure rock salt and has no iodine or any water treatment additives.) The water temperature should be 74 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Acclimate the new Koi fish in the quarantine tank.
Cover the tank with the net.
Place a piece of plastic or a piece of pink Styrofoam insulation over the net so the Koi has some shade. This will allow the Koi to feel safer in its new, temporary home.
Test the water parameters daily for the first week. You should test for: temperature, pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and salinity (if salt is added to the water). If they are stable after the first week, you may switch to testing every few days. Test kits can be found at Koi dealers and pet stores.
Don’t feed the Koi for a few days until it has become used to its new surroundings.
Keep an eye on the Koi. It should swim around the tank without scratching its side (also known as flashing). If the Koi is flashing, it may have a parasite infestation. If you suspect that the Koi has a parasite infestation, you can try to treat it with a broad spectrum parasite treatment or you can have a veterinarian that is knowledgeable in freshwater fish care come and examine the Koi. The veterinarian will perform a scraping of the slime coat with a microscope slide and will possibly take a gill snip. The veterinarian will then examine the slide under the microscope to try and identify the parasite that is afflicting the Koi. Once the parasite is found, the veterinarian will prescribe a parasite treatment regimen that will get rid of the infestation. If left untreated, the damage caused by the parasites could lead to an infection. Only antibiotics will treat an infection that a Koi is experiencing.
If the Koi is alone, it may hang out near the bottom.  This is normal behavior.  If it is sitting on the bottom with its fins clamped, it may had a parasite infection

Perform a 25% water change weekly. This can be done all at once or by changing a a small amount of water every day. If you are comfortable, catch the Koi and examine the entire surface of the body. An ulcer may have popped up on its underside, which is impossible to see when viewing the fish from top down. After three weeks and if the Koi fish is large enough, you may want to have a KHV (Koi herpes vius) ELISA test performed. A KHV ELISA test will let you know if the Koi fish has ever been exposed the the virus or if it has been vaccinated for the virus. (Introducing a Koi that has been exposed to KHV into your pond puts your entire collection at risk. If you experience a KHV outbreak, you can lose almost your entire fish population in your pond in a matter of days.) A blood sample is required to perform an ELISA test, if you don’t know how or are uncomfortable with drawing blood, consult a veterinarian. Wait until the test result is back to move the Koi into the pond. If you did not perform a KHV test, but you feel that the Koi is healthy, you may move the Koi out to the pond if the quarantine period is over. Re-acclimate the Koi if the water parameters for the pond and the quarantine tank are too different.
Remember:

Isolate the Koi in the quarantine tank for at least 3 weeks. Do not introduce a sick Koi into your pond even if the quarantine period is over.  Putting the rest of your collection in danger and needlessly moving a sick Koi is a terrible idea.

Examples

The two following examples show how having the correct procedure will save you time, money and plenty of headaches when the buy a new Koi.

Rohan

Rohan buys his Koi fish from his local pet shop. He thinks that quarantining his Koi is a waste of time and he places them right into his pond with all of his other fish. He can’t stand the thought of missing out of some beautiful summertime Koi viewing. A week after getting his latest Koi, he notices that some of the Koi in his pond are scratching themselves on the rocks. He calls the pet store and asks if they have any problems with the Koi they had last week, but they deny everything. He goes and purchases some parasite treatment, enough for his entire pond because he doesn’t have a hospital tank.



It takes three weeks, and many trips to the pet store, but his fish stop scratching themselves and start to act normal again. Rohan thinks that his problems are over with, but a couple days later he notices a red mark the Koi he bought a few weeks ago. The red mark is an ulcer, an infection that was brought on by the slime coat and scale damage from the scratching. Rohan breaks down and calls the fish vet. The veterinarian comes out to his house, examines the fish and takes a tissue sample for a susceptibility test. Rohan anxiously waits a few days for the vet to contact him when the test results to come back. The vet prescribes an antibiotic injection regimen that will hopefully get rid of the infection and allow the fish to heal.

2 months later

The antibiotics worked and the fish was saved.  It now has a white spot when the skin has covered the wound, but the scales have yet to grow back.  Rohan ended up spending most of his summer trying to keep his Koi healthy instead of enjoying them.

Tina

Tina found a Koi fish that she needed to have at the annual Koi show that was hosted by her Koi club. It was a variety that she didn’t have, but needed in order to get one step closer to completing her collection. She brought the Koi home and put it in her quarantine tank. Tina knows the importance of quarantining, a friend of hers lost her entire collection a few years ago. Halfway during the quarantine period, Tina noticed that the new Koi was sitting on the bottom of the tank. She took out her microscope and took a scraping of the slime coat. She found that a few parasites were on her new Koi. She treated the problem with her well stocked Koi medicine cabinet. The parasites were gone after a couple weeks.



Her new Koi was too small to get a KHV test, but she was confident that it was KHV free since she kept the water temperature above 74 degrees during the quarantine period. After the quarantine period was over, Tina released her new Koi into the pond. It immediately joined the group of Koi fish that were swimming all over her pond and she enjoyed them for the rest of the summer with no problems.

(Go back to Koi care)