|
|
A Few Hints And Tips On Keeping Your Koi Healthy
Koi health is very important if you want to appreciate your fish for a long time. Koi fish are known to live for decades although the average life span is 20 to 30 years. Koi are hardy and durable; but, they can get sick. Their longevity depends largely on genetics and living conditions.
The modern day koi are resilient but they have lost much of the toughness of their ancestor, the magoi carp. They can flourish in the poorest water conditions and remain unaffected by the presence of parasites. This is because of the inbreeding practice that started long ago when nishikigoi was first being developed. Breeders have had to pair koi with parents and siblings to get the ideal body shape, intense colors and beautiful patterns that make the present koi so admirable.
Nevertheless, the koi of today hardly ever get sick and if they get sick or die, you can trace the root cause to water quality problems. Similar threats to koi health are parasites, ulcer disease, predators, medicine overdose, leaping out of the water, virus infections, toxic pesticides, and tumor.
Water Quality
Poor water quality is the main cause of koi death. You will have to watch out for the pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate as well as oxygen levels in your pond. Even small changes in their levels can adversely affect koi health. PH refers to the acid and alkaline levels of your water. Koi need a pH of 7.0 through 9.0. Ammonia is produced by your koi in the form of waste. It can be extracted properly by using biological filter system that makes use of the nitrification cycle.
Bacteria will transform ammonia into nitrites. However, nitrites are still toxic to the koi and must also be changed by other bacteria into nitrates that are relatively harmless to the koi. Nitrates, in turn, are consumed by the plants and also algae in the pond. You already know how oxygen is required to support life. As your koi grow larger, they will need more dissolved oxygen. To Make sure that there is plenty of oxygen in the pond water set up a waterfall, jets or air pump, or place air stones to add oxygen to the water.
Parasites, Ulcer Disease and also Bacterial Infections
If the koi fish perish or exhibit abnormal behavior despite the good quality of your water, you could suspect the reason to be either parasites or bacterial infections. Parasites like anchor worms and fish lice can be harmful to your fish. The early signs are red or white pimples that rapidly change into sores. The ulcer can reach into the muscles of the fish so you need to catch the disease while still in its early stages.
You will need to keep you koi clear of parasites. Hold the infected fish in salted water and supply with medicated food. You can swab the sores using betadine to help them heal. Consult with a veterinarian on how best to treat your koi.
Quarantine
You will have to quarantine any new fish for at least three weeks before adding them to the pond. Throughout this period, you will have to treat the fish for parasites. If you do not have a separate quarantine tank, make sure to purchase your koi only from reliable dealers that guarantee their fish to be parasite-free. Also carefully choose the plants for addition to the pond which also has to be parasite-free.
Overcrowding
If you keep on having koi health troubles (such as stunted growth or erratic behavior) even if your water is of top quality and you purchased only parasite-free fish, you may want to evaluate your koi population. Your fish may be suffering from stress due to overcrowding.
Planning A Koi Garden
If you want to experience Mother Nature's beauty everyday right in your own backyard, you can do this by creating a koi garden. If there is already an existing pond in your property, why not add koi?
Things You Should Know For You To Properly Feed Koi Fish
If you have a koi pond, you know that feeding koi can be fun. Koi are highly interactive fish; they are known to feed right out of their owner's hand. Many koi owners find pleasure in feeding koi because these fish actually learn to recognize the person who feeds them.
Koi Breeding: Everything You Need To Know About It
Koi breeding is not easy if what you aim for is to produce high-quality fish for competition purposes. Before you can obtain a prize-winning koi fish, you will have to cull and discard several thousand fry. The koi breeding process is long and difficult but it is all worth it.
Salt Water Fish Tanks - A Wide Range Of Shapes And Forms
Salt Water Aquariums come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. The number of fish you can keep will depend on the size of the tank that you buy.
The Diverse Characteristics Of Salt Water Sea Life For Your Brand New Aquarium
If you are interested in buying salt water fish tanks, it goes without saying that you are fascinated by fish.
Different Traits Of Salt-Water Fish
If you are interested in buying salt water fish tanks, it goes without saying that you are fascinated by fish. With so many different species of fish, have you ever thought about how a fish is classified as such? Fish have certain common characteristics being:
How Can You Decide What Fish To Buy For Marine Aquariums
The obvious answer to the decision on what to buy for salt water aquariums will be those fish suitable for marine conditions .
What Are The Different Options Of Rock To Use In Personalized Aquariums
When it comes to decorating your custom fish tanks you may want to consider some different types of rock, coral and other hard decor.
Tropical Fish Guides Should Certainly Help You Steer Clear Of Fundamental Blunders
Tropical fish guides can help you avoid the most common mistakes people make when they first start owning fish. Setting up your aquarium correctly will take time and money so you should always read first before heading out to buy anything.
|
More Articles
Blogroll
|
