How to Care for Japanese Koi

The Japanese Koi is part of the family Cyprinidae. This fish comes from the ranges of Japan and has over the years been disseminated around the world. Japanese Koi are omnivorous and can grow up to 36 inches. They can live for a number of years, but their typical life span is 25 to 35 years. Read on to learn how to care for your Japanese Koi in a pond.

Things You'll Need

• Pond plants
• Filters
• Vegetable and animal material
• Test kits

Instructions

Setting Up Your Pond

1. Start caring for your Japanese Koi by providing them with a big pond of about 650 to 1,000 gallons. Koi experts recommend a pond that is between 4.5 and 6 feet deep. Locate the Koi pond in an area that provides both sun and shade.

2. Slope the pond floor to aid with drainage. Layer the bottom of the tank with gravel and some rock.

3. Plant some pond plants, such as water lilies, in your Koi pond. Plants help to provide shady areas for the Koi fish and prevent sunburn. They lower pond temperature and evaporation, as well as regulating the pond's day-night temperature differential. They are also excellent cover for small fry. Place some rocks around the base of each plant to protect its roots, because your Koi will dig at them and try to eat them.

4. 

   Provide your Japanese Koi with some tank mates. Some good choices are Comets, Fancy Goldfish, goldfish and other varieties of Koi.

Providing Proper Filtration

1. Provide your Koi fish with an efficient pond filtration system. This will consist of two primary components: a mechanical filter and a biological filter.

2. Know that mechanical filtration will remove suspended particles and debris, keeping the pond water clear. This prevents the accumulation of harmful chemicals and organisms that may threaten the health of your Japanese Koi.

3. Understand that bio-filtration is necessary for nitrification. It converts the harmful ammonia and nitrites into helpful or harmless chemicals like oxygen and nitrogen. If you are feeding your Koi more often to get them to grow faster, your bio-filter should be heavy-duty.

4. Clean out your filters at least once a week.

5. Use an ammonia test kit to track ammonia levels in the water. If they increase to unhealthy amounts, it is possible that you are over-feeding the Koi. Nitrite readings tend to follow the ammonia readings.

Providing Your Japanese Koi With Proper Nutrition

1. Offer your Koi lettuce, peas and watermelons. Halve lemons, oranges and grapefruit and toss them into the water. Also offer earthworms, prawn, fresh lettuce, grub, Triscuit crackers and bread, which you cut into little pieces.

2. Feed your Japanese Koi two to five times a day. If you want them to grow relatively slower, feed them two to three times a day. If you want them to grow fast and reach their maximum size sooner, feed them four to five times a day.

3. Avoid overfeeding your Koi. It is all too common for owners to do so. This increases the amount of waste material the Koi produce, which in turn forms more nitrite and ammonia, which rise to dangerously toxic levels that can kill the Koi. It also results in algal blooms, which are the cause of green pond water. Uneaten food will decompose, adding to the toxicity of the pond water.

4. Vary your Koi fish's diet based on the seasons.Feed them protein-rich food in summer. This is their "growing" period, and they eat as much as possible at this time to build up body fat to help them survive the winter. In the fall, feed them food that is high in wheat germ, to help clean out their digestive system. Koi don't eat in the winter, living off their body fat instead. In spring, feed them easily digestible food once the water temperature rises to 50 degrees F. Begin feeding them once a day, then gradually increase the amount.

5. Anticipate one benefit of cutting back the amount of food you feed your Koi: They will begin to recognize you and anticipate your feeding them. They will even begin to eat from your hand.

Tips & Warnings

• If you or your neighbor have small children, a Koi pond may not be safe to have in your yard.