Keeping Your Koi And Other Pond Fish Healthy

You know, there are days when I envy a fish. I never have been that good of a swimmer and it must be nice to just cruise around under water and enjoy your life. I have to admit though, I wouldn’t want to live in some ponds. They just aren’t very accomidating.

I’m not talking about a small pond with little bit of green water or a spiff of string algae in a few spots. It’s the things you can’t usually see that will kill you. As a pond owner, and a fish care giver (sorry I can’t think of a better description at the moment) it’s important to know how to keep your fish healthy, and in simple terms, that often comes down to keeping their home, i.e. water in a healthy condition as well.

Let me say that again…healthy water usually equals healthy fish.

So let me leave you with a few fish friendly tips for healthy pond management.

1. Be sure to take regular readings of your water to make sure things are looking good. 5 and 1 test strips are good for this. They measure pH (which should be around 7.0 to 8.5 ideally), alkalinity, hardness, nitrites, and nitrates. The latter two indicate nutrient levels and nitrites in particular, as well as ammonia can be toxic to fish, so these readings should be non-existent if all is well.

2. Check your temperature. Well not your temperature but the water temperature of the pond. Very warm water will not hold as much oxygen (over 78* F.) and really warm water (over 85* F.) is a killer on fish…keep them cool and their stress level down.

3. For summer assistance it’s always a good idea to use a small pond aerator to help keep the water well oxygenated. If you see fish gulping near the surface, it’s a prime indicator of low oxygen in the water. The fish actually aren’t trying to suck in air above the water, but they are trying to get some dissolved oxygen that’s likely at the very top or just below the surface of the pond.

4. Be sure to do partial water changes just to keep things freshened up. Sometimes, a 10% water change per week will help keep green water problems in check as well as other unwanted readings like ammonia. If you’re on city water, be sure to dechlorinate any water you put in the pond. A dechlorinating filter works great for this.

5. Keep an eye out for any odd behavior, signs of stress, or injuries. If you see anything like skin ulcers or parasites you can add uniodized water softener salt at a level of 0.3% and this may help. If things don’t improve it’s a good idea to contact an experience vet that has a background in koi care. We suggest visiting KoiVet.com.