One of your most important concerns as a Koi pond keeper is ensuring that the pond is clean for your fish. Living in a clean pond can mean a big difference between your pet Koi living a serene life, free of stress and the potential suffering until they eventually succumb to death. The Koi in your pond eat, sleep, feed and use the bathroom while inhabiting it. If you do not clean your pond properly and regularly, this is nearly the same as your fish living in the bathroom toilet.
Pond water should be nearly completely clear. There should not be anything floating in it and your Koi should appear to be floating on air. If you cannot see the bottom of your pond, more than likely it needs a good cleaning.
You will be proud of your pond while you are constructing the wonderful landscaping surrounding it, choosing plants that provide beautifully colorful blossoms that offer you a wonderful scent to enhance the atmosphere. However, a pond is no success at all when you cannot sustain your lovely Koi fish in the water, no matter how lovely your landscaping may be. Of course, you need to build your pond similar to natural ponds; however, it is vital to consider that your Koi pond be just an oversized outdoor fish tank and that you must treat it as such.
Fish tanks require a great deal of care, unlike the water systems of nature. You will require the use of filtration systems to maintain the quality of the water and a pump system to keep the water moving along.
In the wild, Koi fish do not eat nearly as much as they do in controlled ponds. It is not surprising that pond owners may feed several pounds of food weekly to their Koi. Doing so, naturally produces a great deal of waste, whether it is from the digestion system of the Koi or the amount of waste in unconsumed foods that eventually settle on the bottom of the pond and begin to ruin. It is essential that all the drainage systems are clear and working properly and that you vacuum the bottom as often as is feasible.
It is your responsibility to clean the pond, whether you attribute the indelicacy to nature, yourself or your Koi. If you do not, you put the health of your pet Koi at risk. Even with clear, clean pond water, any large amount of debris will cause your Koi undue stress. Stress on your fish endangers them by causing them to become more susceptible to viruses and disease.
Preventing Cleanliness Issues
Other than regularly cleaning your pond, you will need to take preventative measure that can increase the cleanliness of your Koi pond.
You can keep your water quality up by keeping the pond moving. Doing so will increase the oxygen in the water and discourage floating debris from collecting in your pond. There are various means of achieving moving water such as fountains, waterfalls and pump filtration systems with a design for moving water.
Keeping the number of fish down is another means of reducing natural waste in the pond. Begin buying smaller numbers of fish, since spawning will naturally cause offspring in the near future. When you have less fish, you will have less waste to deal with when considering the cleaning of your pond.
