How to Buy Koi for Your Fish Pond

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Chris, from Aquatic Central, here in San Francisco, and on the web at: aquatic-central.com, and I'd like to tell you how to buy koi fish for your pond. Number one, is make sure that your pond is suitable for koi, and your water is ready, that is it's cycled, and you're ready to place koi into your pond. The next thing is, find a source for your koi. When you've found a place that has koi, go and inspect the koi. Make sure that they're healthy. Look for signs of sickness. Look for normal swimming, and breathing patterns. Look for vibrant color, and finnage. What temperature are they being kept under? Is salt currently being added to the water? What's the PH? Koi definitely prefer a PH a little bit higher, a little bit alkaline, approximately 7.2, 7.4. They like the addition of a little bit of aquarium salt, that is non-iodized salt. Generally, most koi sold in stores, are generic koi. If you are curious, you might inquire where they come from, and make sure that they're healthy, or from a reputable source. Koi do require sufficient filtration, and oftentimes, koi are kept outdoor in ponds. However, they do still require, a heated environment, approximately seventy degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature drops below that, their metabolism slows down, and their immune system drops, so be sure to keep a heated environment for your koi. Those advanced hobbyists who are looking for the more expensive koi fish. Koi fish are quite popular in some cultures, and can fetch easily two thousand dollars, for a beginner koi. That's when you start getting a specific kohaku, and tanchoed species. Koi are generally viewed from top down, and they each have a distinct pattern, which will distinguish them. Be sure before getting ready to make such a purchase, to really do your homework, and make sure, that you are getting a top quality koi, and this is how to buy a koi for your koi fish pond. Again, my name is Chris, from Aquatic Central in San Francisco, and on the web at: aquatic-central.com."