Koi health is very important if you want to appreciate your fish for a long time. Koi fish are known to live for decades although the usual life span is 20 to 30 years. Koi are hardy and tough; however, they can get sick. Their longevity depends largely on genetics and living conditions.

The modern day koi are tough but they have lost much of the toughness of their ancestor, the magoi carp. They can flourish in the poorest water conditions and remain unaffected by the existence of parasites. This is because of the inbreeding process that started from way back when nishikigoi was first being developed. Breeders have had to pair koi with parents and siblings to get the perfect body shape, intense colors and beautiful patterns that make the present koi so admirable.

Nevertheless, the koi of today hardly ever get sick and if they get sick or die, you can find the underlying cause to water quality problems. Other threats to koi health are parasites, ulcer disease, predators, medicine overdose, leaping out of the water, virus infections, toxic pesticides, and tumor.

Water Quality

Poor water quality is the main cause of koi death. You will need to watch out for the pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate as well as oxygen levels in your pond. Even small changes in their levels can negatively affect koi health. PH pertains to the acid and alkaline content of your water. Koi need a pH of 7.0 through 9.0. Ammonia is produced by your koi in the form of waste. It can be extracted effectively by using biological filter system that makes use of the nitrification cycle.

Bacteria will transform ammonia into nitrites. Even so, nitrites are still toxic to the koi and must also be converted by other bacteria into nitrates that are comparably harmless to the koi. Nitrates, in turn, are consumed by the plants and also algae in the pond. You already know how oxygen is needed to support life. As your koi grow larger, they will need more dissolved oxygen. To ensure that there is a lot of oxygen in the pond water install a waterfall, jets or air pump, or place air stones to add oxygen to the water.

Parasites, Ulcer Disease and Bacterial Infections

If the koi fish perish or exhibit abnormal behavior regardless of the good quality of your water, you could expect the cause to be either parasites or bacterial infections. Parasites like anchor worms and fish lice can be harmful to your fish. The initial signs are red or white pimples that rapidly change into sores. The ulcer can reach into the muscles of the fish so you have to discover the disease during its early stages.

You will need to keep you koi clear of parasites. Hold the affected fish in salted water and supply with medicated food. You can swab the sores using betadine to help them heal. Talk to a veterinarian on how best to cure your koi.

Quarantine

You will need to quarantine any new fish for at least three weeks before introducing them to the pond. Throughout this period, you will have to treat the fish for parasites. If you do not have a different quarantine tank, be sure to purchase your koi only from reliable dealers that guarantee their fish to be parasite-free. Also carefully choose the plants for addition to the pond which also has to be parasite-free.

Overcrowding

If you continue having koi health troubles (such as stunted growth or erratic behavior) despite that your water is of top quality and you bought only parasite-free fish, you may want to check your koi population. Your fish may be suffering from stress due to overcrowding.

Building A Koi Garden
If you want to experience Mother Nature's beauty everyday right in your own backyard, you can do this by creating a koi garden. If there is already an existing pond in your property, why not add koi?

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Essential Facts Concerning Nitrogen Levels In Salt Water Aquariums
With salt water aquariums it is very important to keep the nitrogen levels down or else the fish will die. Fish are living creatures and like humans they will eat food and release waste.

The Best Way To Feed Koi Fish
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If you want to own salt water aquariums but fancy something different, have a think about Moray Eels. They do not appeal to everyone but those that love these creatures will talk for hours about how beautiful they are. They will study them at length too.

Would You Like To Include Vegetation To The Customized Aquariums
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