Summer Care for our pond
When your pond has been successfully opened in spring, summer is a time of growing and enjoying your koi.
Useful tools to care for your pond
Water test kits are a must for a pond. Knowing your PH and Alkalinity level in normal running of the pond will give you a base line if problems begin to occur in the pond. Ammonia and Nitrite readings can tell you when the waste load is to much for the pond and adjustments need to be made. This early detection can save the health of your koi.
An important tool for your pond is a thermometer. Every pond will cool down and warm up at a different rate. The gallons of the pond, the surface area of the pond, the amount of shading around the pond are a few factors affect the ponds temperature.
Having a microscope and learning how to identify parasites is very useful tool for every koi keeper. Having this knowledge allows the koi keep to react quickly when a problem develops. When parasites are dealt with in a timely manner, the effect the parasite has on the koi can be minimal.
Care for the Pond
By summer time the bacteria in your filter should be at its full efficiency. Healthy water is very important to your koi's health. Just because your water looks "clean" doesn't mean it is. Use your test kits on a regular basis to assure the water quality is good.
Koi thrive when they are in a stable environment. Much of the dirt from the pond gets caught in the filter. Again, although the pond looks "clean" if the dirt is being held in the filter the water is continuously passes through it. By flushing the dirt out of your filter in between actual filter cleanings this will help keep you water quality stable. As well, this flushing will lead to adding small amounts of fresh water into the pond. By doing this same filter maintenance in between your filter cleanings, the time needed to clean the filter can also be decreased. Be sure if your water needs to be dechlorinated that it is done each and every time fresh water is added into the pond.
Koi Care #1 We always recommend quarantining any new koi you purchase. Even a dealer with the best intentions, may sell a koi with a parasite on it. It's the responsibility of the hobbyist to protect their own pond. Quarantine your new koi in a separate location from your main pond, with a functioning filter. Remember to keep an eye on the water quality in the quarantine system. A poor quarantine environment can lead to problems with the koi that the koi did not initially have.
#2 When your water reaches above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, our high protein koi food can be fed. Its good to feed your koi a high protein diet through the height of the summer. This diet will enhance your koi's growth and development. Its important for the koi to put on a good layer of fat over the summer months. This stored fat is what the koi will rely on during the winter when the koi goes into its dormant state.
Allowing your koi during these warm summer months to thrive in a healthy living environment and good diet will help ensure you have strong, healthy fish as they get ready to head into the cold of winter.
