Koi watch: How Much Do You Know About Your Pets?
As a Koi owner, you get to enjoy taking care of them, feeding them and spending time with them. But how much do you know about your fish? As part of koi care, this article will share to you a complete profile and background of your fish .
The Koi ( “carp” in Japanese) are domesticated varieties of carp. Bred for the first time in Japan around the 1820’s, these fish come in a wide variety of colors and patterns which include red, orange, black, white, green, silver and blue. The habitat where they live and their diet affect their color, making it quite easy to understand the patience and skill it took for the first breeders in breeding such a magnificent fish.
The fish live in cold water temperature, which makes them perform best in temperatures falling around 61 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. As they live in cooler temperatures, they can be kept outside during the cooler seasons.
The Koi live in freshwater ponds, and they can be found in millions of outdoor ponds throughout the world. They are loved for their colors and lifespan (the oldest recorded Koi reached around 226 years!). These fish are naturally long, which requires them to be placed in ponds containing 500 gallons of water or more, and the pond should be no less than 3 feet deep.
You should build your pond in a way that it can hold your fish quite well. Keep in mind that the health of your fish will depend on the amount of space that you provide for them. Quality of the water is another thing that you need to think about, because it is another factor that will affect the health of your fish. They are quite expensive compared to the goldfish, making them harder to be replaced.
They don’t to those class of schooling fish, but this does not hinder them from mingling and socializing with other fish. Be sure not to place them next to bigger fish that might perceive them as prey. They school together in small ponds, but split up in smaller groups when placed in larger ones.
As winter is coming, they’ll begin their hibernation. In here, their digestive system will slow down, almost reaching to a halt. The food stored in their stomachs may become rancid, causing them to get ill. In koi care, this is the main reason why your fish should not be fed in temperatures lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Koi are gorgeous ornamental fish that can complete the relaxing sounds of rippling water flows of your pond. Owners of the fish truly consider themselves to be lucky as they take care of their pets that touch their lives in a very special way.
