A koi fish pond is one of the most beautiful additions you can add to your home. There are many ways to build this aquatic wonderland, but there’s one thing that every beginner should know before starting to construct their pool!
Just like with any other type of plant life, koi require special care for growth and health. More advanced tips will show how to ensure your koi’s survival in a situation where there isn’t enough oxygen in the water.
But first, let’s talk about some important things related to building your own koi aquarium. We will go over different types of pools, what size they need to be, and how to maintain them!
General Tips For Keeping Koi
Keep an eye on your koi for any changes or abnormalities. If you notice signs of trouble such as slow movement, poor feeding behavior, or weight loss, take action quickly by looking into possible causes and solutions.
You don’t want to wait too long though, as death from lack of oxygen is usually very rapid. Luckily, there are several symptoms you can watch out for which indicate low oxygen levels.
By being aware of these warning signs, you’ll have time to act and hopefully save your beloved koi.
Make a plan based on the size of the pond
The first thing you will want to do is determine how big your koi fish pond is going to be! This can play an important role in deciding what kind of fish you wanted to add to it.
If your budget allows, try keeping it small. Starting off with a smaller-sized pond helps you save money for additional equipment and supplies.
You also get more chances to control your koi fish as they need larger areas to swim around in. Having a large pool takes time to keep up so make sure you have enough resources to manage that.
However, if you would like to start breeding then a bigger tank is needed.
Research the types of fish you want
The next important step in creating your koi pond is deciding what kind of fish you would like to add to it. There are several different types of fish that can be added to a new pond or an existing one, depending on whether they require a more structured environment or not.
Koi need a moderate amount of space to swim around in which makes them unsuitable for a totally submerged aquarium-style tank. They also love moving water so a large pool or stream-style setting is needed.
Fish that thrive in conditions similar to this usually do so because there are many other aquatic animals around them. Your koi will need to feel comfortable exploring his/her surroundings as well as eating and interacting with others.
Another essential part of a koi’s survival is finding adequate amounts of food to eat. As such, a hungry koi may decide to move to another area looking for something to consume.
Buy the right type of fish habitat
When it comes to choosing whether or not to add koi to your pond, there are two main factors-fish species and aquarium types.
The first is determining what kind of fish you want to get! There are many different kinds that require different environments and conditions for survival.
This includes how large the water area in the tank is as well as temperature and humidity. These things all play an important part in ensuring the health and growth of the fish.
The second factor is figuring out which style of the aquarium is best for your koi. This will depend on if you’re looking to keep them in their natural setting, in a more contained space, or even if they need some extra room to swim around.
There are several sizes and styles of tanks available at most stores so picking one isn’t too difficult.
Build the pond
Now that you have your pool or lake, the next step is to determine if you want to build your own koi fish pond or look into buying a pre-built one. Either way, it’s important to know what types of materials you will need before jumping in!
As mentioned earlier, choosing whether to make your own pond depends mostly on how much money you are willing to spend and what kind of design you would like. If you are very artistic, then designing your own pond can be fun!
But beware, creating your own koi pond can get expensive! You will probably need at least six months to a year to gather all the supplies so start spending some money now!
Luckily, there are many great resources online and through word of mouth for anyone who wants to create their own koi pond.
Install the filtration system
The next step in creating your fish pond is to install your water filter or collection device. This will keep the water you add to your aquarium clean, and therefore ideal for your koi or other aquatic life.
Most importantly it will prevent the internal organs of your koi from being exposed to poor-quality water!
There are several types of filters that can be used for this purpose. Some use gravity to pull fluid through while others use pump action. It really does not matter which one you pick as long as they are effective.
Connect the pond to a drainage system
Once you have your koi pond, the next step is to connect it to your water drainage system. This can be done by either installing new pipes or replacing existing ones.
Installing new pipes means adding onto an already established pipe network that takes waste away from your house and yard. For example, if your grass gets watered and needs to drain, there are usually pipes located underneath the ground where water drains off. These pipes are connected to lidded pools called ponds.
By having this connection, rainwater and melted snow will go into the pool instead of flooding the surrounding area. This also helps prevent erosion since some of the water goes somewhere else rather than draining down hills or washing away!
Your local home improvement store may offer professional services for laying these new pipes so look up their website reviews before picking a company.
Know the laws regarding your pond
The last thing you want is to invest in a koi fish tank and find out that you are not allowed to have it or need to be licensed for it! Before diving into the process of building your aquarium, make sure you know the regulations related to having an aquarium as well as how to care for one.
Most municipalities require that you get a license to own a freshwater aquarium (which can include ponds) and a license to keep animals as pets. These licenses vary from state to state and even city to city, so do some research before investing in anything beyond a few dollars.
Making sure your water source is safe and healthy is also important. Many health departments will not allow fresh water with high levels of nitrates to enter their system. A good test for this is called a “Kappa” value. You can find information about this here.
Keep it clean
Keeping your aquarium or koi pond as clear as possible is one of the most important things you can do. This will help your fish look their best and show off all of its features.
Grass, plants, decorations, and dirt that have accumulated in the water are factors that could prevent your koi from swimming or interacting with other koi.
These things also could get stuck in between the scales of your koi which would hurt them. Your koi may even swallow some of these items which could lead to internal bleeding or choking.
Making sure there are no large pieces of trash in the tank is another good way to keep it clean. A frequent source of this trash is leaving leftover food at the end of the meal.
Another major factor in keeping the pool free of particulate matter is changing the type of filter you use. Most filters need to be rinsed out every few weeks depending on how much activity there is in the tank!
This removes biological particles as well as waste products such as nitrogen and phosphorus. If leftover time is, these three elements can build up and potentially poison the koi.