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The key to ensuring what type of food to feed
Why is my pond green and what is UV
Differences in Koi and Goldfish and which one is right for me
How do I know the size of my pond
A story of Koi to share during a backyard gathering
Worlds Oldest Koi
Cha-goi "brown" Koi and there purpose in your pond
 

The key to ensuring what type of food to feed

A fish is cold blooded which means its temperature is directly affected by its surroundings. All foods are given a recommended feeding temperature. You need to know the temperature of your water in order to ensure your using proper food since all ponds temperatures are different due to volume, amount of sun, and location its up to the you to know your water temperature. There are many floating thermometers that are pond recommended but you can use any kind of thermometer to test the temperature.

So once you know your temperature now you can look into what kind of foods are for what temperature. If the temperature is around or below 45 degrees you usually don’t feed your fish even when they appear active and hungry the issues is they will eat but can not digest which means the food will set in there intestinal track and depending on the amount of time can actually mold and cause the fish to become ill. A wheat germ based food is usually what’s recommended for spring and even up to early summer this is an easily digestible food for the fish and can be used up til pond temperatures reach about 60 degrees.

Once the pond reaches 60 degrees you can go ahead and switch them over to regular diet. This is also when you can start feeding a color enhancement formula or a variety diet formula. The main difference between wheat germ and regular staple diet is the addition of protein.

Once water temperature has reached 70 degrees a fish is at its optimum ability to digest this is when you can feed your growth formulas which are a high concentration of protein that will ensure maximum growth and weight gain. 

Keep in mind that a Koi does not have a stomach so the smaller quantities you feed and the more frequently the better.

Also treats are great for Koi and there are many greens and fruit based treats out there but these do not count as part or there complete diet. Also you want to avoid feeding household foods that contain preservatives, sugars, and other unnatural additives. 

Koi are extremely smart for a fish and will learn to eat out of your hand and can get to know you take the time to get to know them and they can be extremely entertaining around feeding times.

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How do I know the size of my pond

Square And Rectangle Ponds

Length x Width x Average Depth (in feet) = Volume of Pond

Top Diameter x Bottom Diameter x Height (in feet) x 7.85 = Volume of Pond

Cubic feet (ft-3) x 7.48 = Gallons

Multiply 108 (ft-3) x 7.48 = 807 Gallons

There are many good websites that have pond calculators such as
http://www.pondcare.com/en_us/pondCalculator.asp
http://www.savio.cc/build-a-pond/calculators/

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Why is my pond green and what is UV

If your pond is green you most likely are experiencing algae blooms. Which are single celled organisms that are small enough that majority of filters can not remove them from the water. Algae blooms are brought on by a combination of sun and nitrite forming in your pond. The most effective way of treating this depends on the size of the pond. Around the 300 gallon mark is where it is more cost effective to stop treating with chemicals and start treating with a UV sterilizer.

What is a UV sterilizer you might ask well UV stands for ultra violet and its basically a light that overdoses algae blooms with a spectrum clumping the dead algae together and then depositing it in your filter. If your pond is under 300 gallons you can get rid of green water using a chemical called algae fix or algae destroyer. The difference between these two chemicals are algae destroyer is a stronger concentrated dosage that will kill off algae but also plant matter as well. If you have plants in your pond you may want to consider a safer chemical alternative called algae fix. Now these are not means to solve the problem of green water but to clear up green water.

There is also the aspect of preventing green water which can be done most effectively through the reduction of the two factors that lead to algae growth. These factors are light and nitrite by providing shade or reducing sunlight and lowering the nitrite levels thru bacterial boosters barley straw or doing frequent water changes these methods can allow you to achieve lower nitrite levels which is less for the algae to feed off of. Now in a pond it can be hard to manage light. A few plants to use up nitrites and give shade helps but best preventive means for ponds is the UV Sterilizer or a chemical dosage to actually maintain it instead of getting rid of it. Around the 300 gallon mark is where I find it most cost effective to switch from a chemical means of algae prevention over to a mechanical means. 

Although the most cost effective way for smaller ponds is algae fix I still encourage people to look into the UV Sterilizer for 4 major reasons. First when dosing with chemicals you must be extraordinarily careful not to overdose the chemicals tend to deplete oxygen in the water thus causing your fish to suffer or even die if dosed incorrectly. Second because of the convince factor you have already invested quite a bit of money in a pond and the purpose of the pond is to sit out side and enjoy it not stand over it dumping chemical in your pond every week and third is even though algae fix is safe for plants it still uses the same means to kill algae that can kill plants. Plants tend to survive treatment simply cause they are much larger then the single celled algae blooms but over weeks of treatment a plants growth can be stunned or even have a lack of blooms . Fourth UV lights also kill of parasites and can protect fish from diseases which can save you money in treatments and medicines in the long run. Both are treatments of green water which will give you clear water results the factors are your time, plants, and cost.

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Differences in Koi and Goldfish and which one is right for me

Goldfish and Koi are both selections of carp, but from two different families. Goldfish are mutations from Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius) and Koi are from common carp (Cyprinus carpio). The main difference here is size while the largest goldfish known as the comet can get about 12" a Koi can grow up to 36". When buying koi and goldfish keep in mind that they wont out grow there surroundings but by being stunted in growth can lose years off there life. A goldfish's lifespan is around 20 years while a koi can live on average 100 years. Another  difference is Koi can be more sensitive to PH's and water conditions while goldfish are a bit hardier but Koi tend to have more coloration and show up better in a pond because they have been breed to be viewed from the top not from the side.

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A story of Koi to share during a backyard gathering

This is a story of Koi and while the origins of the Koi are a bit shaky its a great story to tell folks while sitting around the pond.

In oriental customs Koi were not only used as decoration and for viewing but also as a source of food grown in the rice patties like most of the foods they had to eat. It was said you could judge how welcome you were in a families home based on the type if Koi that was served for dinner. For example if you were visiting and a brown "mud Koi" was brought out you probably weren't very welcome or respected, but if you visited and they brought out a beautifully colored koi then you were very welcome and respected by the family.

Koi are handed down from generation to generation and a lot of times wealth of a family was displayed in the Koi it owned.

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World's Oldest Koi

One of the reasons that the Japanese people value an outstanding Koi is that they consider them to be living jewels.  When Koi are purchased, they are looked upon as long lived creatures to be passed down from generation to generation.  The story of the oldest recorded Koi is fascinating, and the information below is taken from June 1997 issue of  Koi USA magazine. 

Hanako is the name of this Koi that lived at the base of Mt. Ontake.  When Dr. Koshihara would call Hanako from across the pond, she would come to his feet to be petted on the head.  Occasionally he would take her out of the pond and embrace her.   This was his favorite spot at the side of the pond, and he went there often.

The pond is located deep in the mountains of the Mino Province.  The waters are pure that feed this pond which is less than 20 feet across.  Besides Hanako, there are five other fish that swim in this pond, and each is also old.  They are 170 years, 155, 151, 141, and another 141 years old.  The Koshihara family had been the village head for many generation from the time of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the house and pond had been with the family since the beginning.

Hanako died on July 17, 1977 at the age of 226 years.

How was Hanako's age determined?

Dr.Koshihara was often asked how he could tell the age of the fish, and he responded in the article as follows:

As a tree trunk has its annual rings, so a fish has its annual rings on its scales, and we have only to count them to know the age of a fish.  As a matter of course, we ourselves cannot do it. It requires a specialist's aid and the use of a light microscope.   Now, what was it that made me think of ascertaining the carp's age? 

My grandmother on maternal side, who left this world at the advanced age of 93 some eight years ago, is said to have been told by her mother-in-law.  "When I was married into this family, my mother-in-law said to me,  that carp has been handed down to us from olden times;  you must take good care of that.  When I was told this story I became very curious to know how long the carp had lived.  I found out Hanako's age by the aforesaid method, but you can easily imagine how greatly I grieved when I was forced to take a scale off  her beautiful body.  I caught her in a net very cautiously, and repeatedly saying.  Excuse me.  I took off two scales from different parts of her body by using a strong pincette.  The scales were examined by  Prof. Masayoshi Hiro, D. Sc. Laboratory of Domestic Science, Nagoya Women's College.  It took two months for him to acquire a satisfactory result.  By using a light microscope, he photographed every part of the scales.  It seems he took a great deal more trouble than that.  When it was ascertained beyond doubt that the carp was 215 years old, we two exchanged a look of delightful surprise.

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Cha-goi "brown" Koi and there purpose in your pond

Cha-goi are part of the Kawarimono class. "Cha" means brown, or tea-coloured. Cha-goi are single coloured, nonmetallic koi which is said to be extremely fast growing. It is said that this fish is calming to the other fish in your pond and can be considered one of the more laid back and extremely easy to hand tame. Although this variety seems quite plain at first glance, the reticulated scalation is quite attractive. There is also a Gin Rin variety which is appealing to most koi keepers.

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