Koi Fish for your pond

The common carp is a hardy fish, and koi retain that durability. Koi are cold-water fish, but benefit from being kept in the 15-25 degrees C range and do not react well to long cold winter temperatures, their immune system 'turning off' below 10 degrees C.

Koi ponds have a meter or more of depth in areas of the world that become warm during the summer. In areas that have harsh winters, ponds that are a minimum of 1.5 meters (4 1/2 feet) are most common.


Koi's bright colors put them at a severe disadvantage against predators; a white-skinned Kohaku is a visual dinner bell against the dark green of a pond. Herons, kingfishers, raccoons, cats, foxes, and badgers are all capable of emptying a pond of its fish.

A well-designed outdoor pond will have areas too deep for herons to stand in, overhangs high enough above the water that mammals can't reach in, and shade trees overhead to block the view of aerial passers-by. It may prove necessary to string nets or wires above the surface. A pond usually includes a pump and filtration system to keep the water clear.

Koi are an omnivorous fish and will often eat a wide variety of foods, including peas, lettuce, and watermelons. Koi food is designed not only to be nutritionally balanced, but also to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. When they are eating, it is possible to check koi for parasites and ulcers.

Koi will recognize the person feeding them and gather around him or her at feeding times. They can be trained to take food from one's hand. In the winter, their digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and they eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom.

Their appetite will not come back until the water becomes warm in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C), feeding, particularly with protein, is halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach, causing sickness.

If kept properly, koi can live about 30–40 years. Some have reportedly lived up to 200 years

We have a koi pond in our backyard I have spoken about in other posts. It is a a live pond with active insects and birds that use it for water and food. We live in the desert so it is very important to keep it healthy for all that use it.

Koi fish are incredibly smart, and they do recognize their people. They actually will come up to the surface and allow you to 'pet' the tops of their heads. They are very social, and do well in groups of 3 or more.

If you have a pond, it must be well placed, so that birds of prey cannot get the fish in a swoop dive or by standing in the pond itself. Ours has trees on one side to prevent the swooping. We do have to watch for egrets, that come over from one of the nearby lakes, but our dogs are alert for that.

Koi fish are a unique pet to raise. The bigger and deeper your pond, the larger they will grow as long as it is a healthy pond set up. We actually have a filtration system using a bog filtering system which is unique and totally natrual.

I will do a thread on bogs so you can see how simple it is to set up a home pond and keep it healthy.

I love Koi fish, but I can't keep them because I live in an apartment. Plus, my cats would probably eat them.

i love to see carps on parks and resorts. But i never wanted it on my backyard. Possible reasons why is that my parents told me they had a pond before but a storm wiped them all out.