Koi varieties - Kohaku

A Kohaku is a variety of white skinned Koi with bright red markings over their body. Most people who started the Koi hobby will have the most number of this Koi variety in their collection.

A Koi with a completely white body and only a red patch on its head is a Tancho Kohaku or Tancho for short. If the patch is round in shape, it is especially prized by the Japanese and collectors since such patterns are rare and it also resemble the Japanese national flag.

This is one of my favourite Koi in my pond.  This fish have a nice circular red patch on its head. I bought this Koi, when it was about 20 cm long, from Nippon Koi Farm which imports Koi bred in Japan. They also breed some locally. That was in Jan 2008 when I first moved into my current house and was stocking up my new pond.  This was one of the 2 Kohaku I bought that day, along with some varieties of Koi. This “Tancho” Kohaku is a female and has a nice bulky body shape. It is now about 50 cm long.

 

The photo below shows the other kohaku that I bought that day. Bought it for its colour and nice 2-step pattern. It is also about 50 cm now but, to my disappointment, its body shape is too slim.  Probably a male.

Lighting for Koi pond

One of the considerations when designing your pond is Pond Lighting: Should you include underwater lights, type of lights to use, locations of light points, is it good for the Koi? What about safety, since electricity and water should not mix?

I did not use any under-water lightings for my first 2 ponds. For my first pond, I did not think of lighting up the pond before it was built. When I tried shining a spotlight on my first pond, the occupants got a fright of their life. Some of my Koi though they were flying fish and 2 landed out of the pond. Fortunately, I have quite dense plantings around the pond and they were not badly injured.

This stopped me from shining any more light on them. It also stopped me from including underwater lighting or spot lights for my second pond.

Later I found out that using less powerful halogen lights and/or underwater lights could be done without panicking the Koi.  On advice from my pond builder, halogens lights were fitted just above the water for my third pond.

By positioning the lights just above the water, it created a very nice “dancing light” effect when the lights are reflected off the water surface and onto a wall. In addition, overhead halogen spot lights are used to light up key pond features, e.g. water plants and water features to give a very nice resort feel to the home.

The halogen lights (12V, 50W) come with step-down transformers, so there is no danger of high voltage electricity coming into contact with water.  Water-resistance casing are used to house these transformers and also the 230V AC electricity source.

However, there was one problem which I encountered. Since my lights are mounted just above the water surface, some even half-submerged and/or positioned outdoors, my builder recommended halogen lights designed for underwater use. The bulbs burned out within a few months due to overheating. So, I have to change the type of lights or use them fully submerged in the pond. I choose the latter for now.

 

For more information on pond lightings or to buy online, click here.

Submersible Pumps for Koi ponds

The pump is a key component in any Koi pond. In my first pond, I was using the following pumps, with the following ratings and specifications.

Nova 600, 800 W, 220V, 3.4 A, 16 cubic m/hr. Power consumption per month = 584 KWH

Nova 200, 350 W, 220V, 1.5 A, 12 cubic m/hr. Power consumption per month = 250 KWH.

Although my filter was fitted with 2 pumps, one with return to the waterfall and the other returning through the venturi pumps, I typically only turned on only one pump as it was enough to maintain a good circulation and provided enough aeration for my 7 cubic meter pond. Another Nova 200 serves as a drain pump.

For my second pond, I continued to use the Nova pumps but only using the Nova 200 as it was more efficient. Most of the time, two pumps are in operation for my 13 cubic meter pond. Another Nova 200, with an automatic cut-off feature, serves as a drain pump.  The automatic cut-off feature stops the pump once the chamber is empty of water.

The Nova pumps typically lasted about between 2 to 3 years, with almost non-stop operation. When the pump fails, my circuit breaker will trip.  Hence I suspect the failure is caused by a breach of the seal or gasket with moisture getting into the electrical motor and/or there is earth leakage current.

In my current pond, I am using the Tsurumi pumps with the following ratings and specifications. 

Tsurumi Model 40PUS1.5S, 150W, 220V, 1.6A, 11.4 cubic m/hr.

These Tsurumi pumps give better energy efficiency. Two pumps are running non-stop with one return through 3 venturi pipes and one return to a water feature and one venturi pipe. A third pump with auto cut-off feature serves as a drain pump for the waste chamber .  They are now about 2 years old, running since Jan 2008. I also have a spare pump in my house for rapid replacement should any of the above fails.

Plants for Koi Pond – Alocasia X Amazonica

As a marginal plant, the Alocasia X Amazonica can be grown in half-submerged pots at the sides of your pond or in a shallow part of your pond. I like the large, attractive and waxy looking leaves with clear, lighter colour veins and interesting leave shape. The leaves are not as large as the Elephant Ears (Alocasia Macrorrhiza) can be grown together or placed side by side with other marginal plants as shown in picture above.

Plants from the Alocasia family makes good specimen plants to make the pond more interesting. I also have another specimen of Alocasia  growing in my lily pond.

It looks like the Alocasia Macrorrhiza but the leaves has dark reddish veins.