Oxygen Depletion

Oxygen depletion can happen for various reasons from shutting off the pump to fish over-population to something as simple as a hot summer’s day. Why doesn’t matter nearly as much as how you can fix the problem or avoid it completely. Low oxygen levels can result in the sudden death of fish and ruin the effectiveness of bio-filters. If a problem arises, additional aeration should be provided immediately. A simple aquarium air pump with an air stone will work just fine for small ponds while a larger pond may require an electric air compressor.

 

If the pond has become over-populated with fish, be sure to relocate the extra fish and keep in mind that the recommended stocking rate is one inch of fish per every square foot of water surface area. The more fish, the more oxygen is required to digest food. During hot weather, feed fish during the cool of the morning or evening.

 

Hot weather, continuous cloudy days, strong winds and heavy rains can all lead to oxygen depletion or “turning” of the water. Because one of these scenarios is likely to be happening at any given time, it is a good idea to have some sort of aeration running at all times. Water fountains or a built-in water fall is an aesthetically pleasing option for any pond.

 

Be aware that chemical treatments for things such as algae can also seriously deplete oxygen levels so be extra careful in reading directions and moving plants and fish as needed while treating your pond.

Over Stocking the Water Garden

Beginner water gardeners often will overstock fish in the water garden when the use of how much water is in the pond is not compared to how much water a fish really needs to thrive. Water gardeners who stock their pond with fish that are replicating and not removing any additional fish can also find their pond overstocked in just a matter of a few years, causing fish to become sickly, die, water that is ‘yucky’ looking, and water that is hard to clean.

What can you do if you find that your pond is overstocked with fish? Depending on how overstocked your water garden really is there are long term and short term tasks you can perform to control how fast the population in your pond is growing.

If you have too many fish in your water garden, change the water to control how much the nitrates and debris in the water is affecting the fish in the water.   

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Temperatures– Koi and Goldfish

You have been constructing and building your water garden for days or weeks, now detailing your water garden and controlling the environment for both your koi fish and your gold fish will be the next most important things on your mind.

Temperatures, light, oxygen levels and even bacteria can affect your fish and without a little bit of research you could lose your entire fish crop without much notice. Always be on the look out for problems, even if you only visit the water garden once a week, at least watching the water and the fish will be a great start in prevention.   the rest of koi and goldfish temperatures

Choosing Koi

When shopping for koi for your pond, it’s important to have an idea of what you’re looking for, how much you want to spend and more importantly, to go to shops and suppliers who know their stuff. Not only will properly trained and knowledgeable staff be able to answer any questions you have, but you can be confident the koi they sell are taken care of and in good condition.

 

Koi personnel will be able to help you choose the kind of fish you have in mind for your pond. They can help you to save yourself from making mistakes that will hinder you in the long run. One thing you will need to have somewhat of an idea of is how much money you’re willing to spend, and when you’re being ripped off. 

 

When scanning over tanks of koi to choose from, first notice if there is a proper filtration system flowing. Then you can change your focus onto the fish. You’ll obviously want the best looking and healthiest koi. The healthy koi will be swimming all around the tank, have even healthy skin, clear eyes and flowy fins.

 

Once you pick out your favorites, you can usually ask the staff to isolate each koi, one at a time, to get a better look. This is the time to look carefully at the quality of fish you’re dealing with. Be sure to take advantage of the staff at this time so you can get as much information as possible to make a good choice.  

Koi Overstocking

Most all water gardeners feel that they always need more for their garden to be complete, to be balanced, and this leads us to overstocking our water gardens. Over stocking the water garden can actually lead to more work, and more problems in the long run. The fish and the plants alike struggle to find the space needed for their personal growth and living.

In this article I want to talk a little about over stocking koi fish. It is however, important to realize that every water garden is different. The depth of each pond can vary, the temperatures are different, and the size of the fish are different, but here are a few general considerations with the koi fish in the pond.

more of koi overstocking here

History of Koi

Koi are a very popular choice for backyard ponds but many don’t know where they originate from. Today there are many varieties of koi but in fact they all are descendants of the black fish known as Magoi. Even though early records of koi, or carp, date back to some 2,500 years ago, their cultivation started not too long ago. Color changes started showing some two hundred years ago. By the 19^th century, many of today’s koi varieties had been established. Even so, it wasn’t until the 20^th century that koi became a known fish and a popular choice for backyard ponds. Thanks to the development of railroads and air travel, the importing of koi became much more accommodating. Soon, the buying, selling, showing and owning of koi became a popular thing and caused a huge following, mostly in the

US

and

UK

. Since the popularity increase became apparent, farmers have spend much time and energy investing in koi – developing new varieties and showing their best picks. 

Japan

is still the lead producer of koi but lately other countries have caught on and are now growing koi for their own markets. Because the Nishikigoi is such a beautiful breed to begin with, it is likely that the best varieties of koi have yet to be seen. 

Humane options for terminally ill fish

As with any pet, it’s unfortunate for pond owners when the decision has to be made whether to keep treating the ill or put them out of misery, hopefully in a most humane way such as euthanasia. There are several methods of euthanasia but the most common among fish owners is overdosing and chilling. Chilling involves putting two dissolved tablespoons of salt in a bag containing pond water. The fish is then placed in the bag and left in a freezer overnight. Salt has an apparent calming effect on the fish, while their metabolism gradually slows as the water freezes until it eventually dies. Overdosing is another way to put down a sick fish. Any anesthetics used for the sedation of fish for treatment can be added to a bag at several times the recommended dose. After adding the sick fish, it will slowly slip into unconsciousness until it eventually dies. Although fish anesthetics can be obtained without a vet’s prescription, it is advisable to speak with an expert before putting down a fish by overdose.

 

Koi Classifications

You are heading off the fish breeder to find a few fish for your new water garden, are you buying Koi or Koi Carp fish? How are you going to tell the difference – that is what we are going to tackle in this article. The Koi fish is actually called Nishikigoi, but Koi for short sounds much easier to pronounce. The words Koi has changed over the years to become the Koi Carp.

The words the Koi Carp are really not a proper name for the Koi fish and many people are using the names improperly. Calling the Koi a Koi Carp is really being redundant as the Koi is a Carp fish. You would try calling a Nishikigoi fish a Nishikigoi Koi fish, so you get what I mean, you should only be saying Koi fish or a Nishikigoi fish in order to sound like you know what you are saying when talking to a fish breeder.

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Handling Fish

Creating a water garden that is going to hold fish requires you to learn how to handle fish. Moving fish from the hatchery, from the pet store, and from tank to tank when you are gardening, in the water garden will be ‘smoother’ and your fish will thrive longer when you handle them with care. Some fish are going to be more delicate than others, trickier to catch and will require special containers when you are moving them around. Here we are going to discuss some of the most asked questions about handling and moving fish for healthy and thriving fish.

When you have already stocked your water garden, sometimes you may be leery about adding fish and the water from the handler where you have obtained your new fish but you don’t have to worry. The majority of the time, when you have done your research, you are going to be purchasing fish from a reputable dealer who cleans his or her water and the water will pose no threat to your water garden or the fish that you already have in the water garden. If your water garden is established with a filtration system and the environment is already ‘balanced’ when you are adding new fish, any trace problems will easily and quickly be taken care of by your diligence and care.

complete handling fish article here

Goldfish, A brief look

Happy Valentines Day --- now back to the goldfish

One of the most popular water garden features that are known with all pond owners across the world is the goldfish. Gold fish are not just that orange colored fish that so many of us recognize and related to the word goldfish, but goldfish are found in just about every color of the rainbow and they are available in so many different sizes. There is sure to be a type of goldfish to please every owner of a water garden!

Historically, as children we are all taught to love fish through the use of aquariums and small fish bowls that we keep in our rooms. As we grow older, our love of plants and water come together with an enjoyable overall combination in the water garden. Most all of us can remember being at a fair at some point in out life and remember seeing the goldfish that were lined up in the little plastic bags that you could win. While these are all goldfish, your imagination and your adult taste in fish can run wild when you find just how many choices of goldfish that there really is out there. Owning a goldfish, a number of goldfish, is a life long dedication to a living creature that is both interesting and fascinating to watch that we can all love.

continue this goldfish article here