Steps to introduce fish into your new Koi pond

After much time, money and effort spent building a new pond for your Koi keeping hobby, the next steps which is one of the most exciting. It is to introduce the fishes into the pond. Don’t make the mistake of buying and adding expensive and prized fish into your newly built pond.

There are some best practices to consider here.

The biological filter of your new pond will require time to cultivate the bacteria and function properly.  Bacteria cannot grow unless there is fish waste or ammonia to feed the bacteria.  A good practice is to add some cheap “sacrificial” fish to start the nitrogen cycle. Many beginning Koi keepers suffered the “New Pond Syndrome” where many fish got sick and died in the new pond even though they had build an great pond with excellent filter system, aeration and layout.

Start with a few cheap or pond quality koi in the new pond.

Here are the steps I would suggest:
1. Introduce fish gradually, starting with a few, say 3 to 4.

Buy “cheap” fish or Pond quality fish. Better still, start with Ogons or Chagoi  as these are relatively inexpensive as compared to Showa, Sanke or Kohaku or Shiro Utsuri.

Many Chagoi in this pond with crystal clear water.

It is good to have one Chagoi in your pond as Chagoi are more hardly and also tend to less fearful when it comes to feedings. Chagoi will tend to calm the rest of the Koi in your new pond. One-year old Ogons or Chagoi cost about $5 to $10 locally in Singapore. 

2. Monitor and test your water regularly.

3. Monitor your Koi and detect sudden behaviour changes. Do not overfeed (a common error for the new pondkeeper). Overfeeding fishes create extra waste which the immature biological filter may not be able to handle.

4. Increase the population slowly, allowing the biological filter to adjust. Normally, this will take about 2 months. Sudden increase in amount of fish, leading to sudden increase in amount of fish waste to process will lead to water quality problems such as spike in nitrite and nitrate levels. The symptoms are sick Koi and green water or excessive algae.

Take time to appreciate the latest addition to your Koi collection before the itch to buy one more new Koi comes. In any case, if you are keeping high-grade Koi, adding one Koi at a time slowly over a longer period of time is easier on your pocket.

5. Let your pond mature. Once the pond stabilises and you gain confidence in your Koi keeping and water maintenance skills, then go splurge on your expensive prized Koi!

Koi Selection Question

 

I received a email from a blog visitor who is deciding which Koi to buy.

Photo below shows a selection of Sakai tosai Sanke, size around 20~25cm.

He has shortlisted Koi 1 or Koi 2 in the photo above. All things being equal, which Koi would you take and why?

Is there any other that you think may be even better?  Comments and opinions appreciated.

New Shipment of Koi at Summer Koi farm, Singapore

 

For those interested to buy Koi to add to your collection, a new shipment of quality kois from Japan has arrived at Summer Koi farm (Singapore) on 10 Nov 2011.

You can view some of their best selection in their Facebook here :
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.302445706450258.85541.100000544935198&type=1&l=d6415be0d1

Summer Koi Farm
No. 11 Seletar West Farmway 4 (off Jalan Kayu), Singapore 797630.
Tel: +(65) 64833936

Enjoy your Koi hunting.

Koi eat aquatic snails

I was cleaning one of the filter chambers when I noticed many small aquatic snails living inside the filter. These are the size of a small pea and there are hundreds in my filter. Transparent, jelly-like stuff were sticking to the sides of the filter chamber and I suspect they were the eggs. None were found in the ponds, only in the filter. I suspected those who ventured into the main ponds were eaten.  So I gathered a few and tossed them into the Koi pond. They were eaten in a flash by the fish. I was expecting them to spit out the shells. But the big Koi seems to chew on these morsels and then swallow them whole. So, while maintaining the filter, it is also feeding time for the Koi.

Koi feeding

For anyone who has kept pets, you will understand the pleasure of feeding your pets or watching them eat.   Feeding time is a time where you get to interact with your Koi and it is a time where you forget about the day-to-day stress and somewhat just go into a relaxed mood.

I have many young nephews and nieces and whenever they pay me a visit, one of the first thing they would asked when they step into my house would be “Can I feed your fish?”.

A Koi is often judged by its size, body shape and coloration. Hence type of feed, quantity and frequency of feeding is essential for a Koi to develop to its full potential.

Best food for the Koi are commercially produced Koi pellets. The pellets typically comes with different grades: Economy, Staple, High Growth and Colour Enhancing. Economy and Staple typically contains less protein and are relatively cheaper compared to the High Growth and Colour Enhancing Feeds which are frequently used by koi keepers keeping show-grade Koi. High Growth Koi pellet contains wheat germ and higher protein content to make the younger Koi grow faster. Colour Enhancing feeds contains spirulina or carotene to enhance the RED in Kohaku, Showa and Sanke. Some koi keepers also feed their Koi with silk worm pupa but these are expensive.

Occasionally, I have fed them with other food such as boiled barley seeds and also over riped bananas. The fish don’t seem to like the bananas but they eventually got eaten.

Koi is greedy is greedy and will eat almost non-stop. Excess food that cannot be disgested and absorbed goes out as waste at the other end. To grow your Koi fast, it is best to feed them as often as possible, but restrict to small feeds. Give as much as they could eat in 2 to 3 minutes. Ideally two to three times a day. Once in morning, once in evening. Overfeeding will not make the Koi grow faster. Instead it will produce more waste, impose a heavier load on the filter system and impact the water quality. Uneaten food contaminate the pond water.

Using Pineapple to Run-In a Concrete Pond

This is an email i received recently from a blog visitor.

Hi Jeff,

I have just completed my koi pond. My contractor told me to "put in pineapple skins" into the koi pond for a few days to "clean the pond" and rid it of toxins from cement etc.  before cycling it and putting fishes.

Is this the right way to do it ?

I guess this could be a good practice to follow for concrete ponds. Since pineapple is acidic and should reacts and neutralise the cement (alkaline) which may leach into the water over time if there is no epoxy sealant used to coat the surface of the concrete pond.  In fact, on similar advice from my contractor who built my first 2 ponds, I did put in pineapple skins into my pond water for a week or more before cleaning the pond and doing a 100% water change. I bought half a dozen pineapples and used the skins and core while we ate the flesh. Pineapples are relatively cheap in South East Asia, but I guess other mild acids can probably do the job too.

For my third pond, I told my contractor to coat my concrete pond with epoxy sealant. That will prevent cement leaching alkaline into the water. Choose black colour sealant paint. Your Koi will stand out beautifully against the black background.  In any case, my filter compartments are not coated, so I may actually need to do the “pineapples treatment” but I did not.  Maybe that was the reason I lost some of my Koi in my new pond initially. But that could be due to other causes e.g. immature biological filter or excessive water changes. Steps to introduce fish to a new pond is a topic for my blog for another day.

So, to be on the safe side, just do the “pineapples treatment” and enjoy your pineapples.

Those babies are Koi

My koi actually did spawn in my lilies pond.  The parents are a Shiro Utsuri  (White koi with black markings) and a Platinum Ogon (Plain, metallic white colour koi). I have since removed them from my lily pond as it is rather overcrowded now.

There are 4 surviving baby koi, now measuring about 10 cm. There is a Shiro Muji (totally white, non metallic), a Gin-Rin orange Ogon (metallic orange colour Koi), Gin-Rin Platinum Ogon (metallic white colour) and a Platinum Ogon. Gin-Rin koi has some scales on the back that are shiny, like diamonds glittering in the sun. Here are some photos of the young koi among the comets goldfishes.

 

The comets are multiplying like crazy. There must be several generations of colourful comets in my lily pond now.  The original parents are just 4 plain-coloured, pink comets. It is amazing how the dormant colour genes in the parents show up in the off-springs. 

Koi Spawn in my pond?

The population of small fishes in my lily pond is increasing and increasing. I spotted some additional baby fishes amongst the comet goldfishes that spawn a few months back. This time, the new babies looks like Koi!

They are still quite small so it is high to tell. In terms of coloration, 2 of them shows signs of metallic ogon coloration, one even with slight gin-rin coloration. Also the body shape is slimmer, with larger head compared to body size and they swim faster. So I think they are not goldfishes.  I have only 2 Koi in my lily pond amongst the comets. One shiro utsuri and one platinum ogon. These are likely their off-springs. I will try to take some photos when I have some free time at home next week.

Good start in the Year of the Tiger

The weather was HOT HOT HOT in the last two weeks leading to the Lunar New Year in Singapore. In preparation for the new year, I did my usual pond filter maintenance, trim and re-potted some young water lilies and added fertilisers too.

My Koi looks great, the pond water is clear and my water lilies are blooming again! All ready for the festive occasion.

In the tradition of the Lunar New Year, the last weekend has been busy with the visits to relatives and vice versa. One good thing about having a Koi pond in the house is that my young nephews and nieces are actually looking forward to visiting Uncle Jeff so that they can feed his fishes.

A Koi pond or water in the house is good for feng shui and brings luck to the occupiers. Good Feng Shui or not, I made some money on the Gin Rummy table as well. Good start in the Year of the Tiger.

Anchor Worms

Salt is not effective against anchor worms. Anchor worms are visible to the naked eye and can be seen attached to the Koi. Adult anchor worms have to be removed by hand or a pair of tweezers but you got to net the Koi first. After removing all visible adult worms from the infected Koi, Dimilin powder is used to break the infestation cycle.

The Dimilin powder is supposed to sterilise the adults and larvae of the worm so that any eggs produced after addition of the powder will not hatch.  It is an insecticide and have to be used with care. Dosage level is 1 gram per ton (one cubic meter) of water.  One level teaspoon holds about 2 grams of powder. Mix with pond water and distribute over the pond, including the filter.

A second dosage of Dimilin is applied about one week later. This is to sterilised any newly hatched parasites that from eggs that were laid before the first treatment. All the Koi in the pond should be inspected and any remaining adult worms have to be removed by hand.

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.

Effects of using a polarising filter on your Koi pond photos

In one of my earlier post this year, I wrote about photographing your Koi.

If you are using a camera that allows you to fit a filter to your lens, a polarising filter is recommended. Unfortunately, almost all point-and-shoot cameras do not have such capability. For DSLR or SLR camera users, a circular polariser (PL-CIR filter) would do the job. The polariser filter comes with 2 pieces of glass, one fixed and one movable. Once you have decided on your camera angle to take your picture, you need to adjust the movable piece to reduce the glare from the water surface.

Here are the effects of using a polariser filter.  Both pictures were taken using a Nikon DSLR fitted with a PL-Circular polariser. The picture on the right was taken after adjusting the polariser filter to cut out the reflection from the water surface.

Those babies are Comets goldfish, not Koi

I was away for 2 weeks and how the babies have grown while I was away. They can now be positively identified as comets, not Koi.

It is interesting to see that the colour combination of the baby comets are so different from the parents. The 4 adult comets are all light pink and single colour (as shown above) while these babies come in various colours combinations – orange, black, pink, white and combination of these. They have “kohaku”, “sanke” and even “bekko”-like colour patterns.

The comet babies come in 3 sizes. I believe there had been  at least 3 spawning over the past month or so.  Now that the population of the lily pond have increased from 2 Koi and 4 comets to 2 Koi and countless number of comets, I doubt any new fries from any subsequent spawning from now on would survive.

Whose babies are these? Could my Comet goldfish in my lily pond have spawned?

I recently noticed many small baby fishes in my lily pond.  I am not sure if they are baby Koi or baby Comet Goldfishes as they are too small for me to determine the breed. My main Koi pond and lily pond are interconnected via a common filtration system. I did not notice any spawning or eggs in my pond as I have been busy and did not pay a lot of attention to the pond in the last few weeks, except the usual feeding routine.

Many months ago, one of my nephews released 4 comet goldfish into my lily pond. He won them at a fun-fair game stall but did not want to keep them at home. So into the lily pond they went, to join the 2 resident smaller Koi.

I believe this babies could be comet goldfish since they are only seen in the lily pond and not in the Koi pond. However, the adult comets are still relatively small (about 4 inch  or 10cm in length measured from nose to tip of tail). The 4 adult comets are all light pink and single colour (like an albino goldfish) but these babies come in all colours – orange, black, pink, white and combination of these.

Picture of the Comet goldfish with one of the larger babies

Or could these babies be Koi? I will probably be able to tell in a few weeks time when they grow bigger.

Using Salt as a medication in Koi pond

I learnt about using salt to combat against parasites in my Koi pond from the books I bought when I first started by hobby (Koi Kichi by Peter Waddington and Koi Health and Diseases by Dr Erik Johnson). Salt is effective against some parasites so I use it as my “first line of defence” when I suspect there are parasites affecting my Koi. Symptoms are Koi flashing or rubbing themselves on the bottom of the pond or in some cases, visible white spots caused by the Ich parasite). 

I have also used salt as a disinfectant to treat my Koi that was suffering from ulcers and external injuries suffered from knocks against the sides of pond or overhanging rocks. 

Advantage of using salt is that it is relatively cheap, does not kill the bacteria in the filter and somehow helps the Koi to recover faster. There are, however, side effects on some of the water plants. The leaves would turn yellow on prolonged exposure to the salt in the water.

The recommended concentration level is 0.3% salinity. 3 kg of salt for every 1000 kg of water. 1000 kg of water is the weight of 1 cubic metre of water. The Koi Kichi book actually suggests 0.5% for used in a special Koi treatment pond.

For my first and second ponds, which hold 7 tons and 13 tons of water respectively, I need about 21 kg and 39 kg of salt for each treatment. The books recommend to use special salt that are formulated for the pond and aquarium, but I just buy the coarse cooking salt (not the refined table salt) that comes in 3 kg bags from the neighbourhood grocery store. Cheap and good. There are occasions where I have to buy from a few stores as I would practically clear out their entire stock for the week or month, to the store owners’ amazement. They must be wondering what I am doing with all that salt!

I add the salt to my pond over a period of 3 days, starting with 1/3 of the salt on the first day, another 1/3 on the second day and the rest of the salt on the third day. I would normally pour the bags of salt into the first chamber of my filter, and allow the return pump in the last chamber to distribute them into the pond.  By doing so, I hope that the higher initial salt concentration in the filter would kill any parasites or larvae that are lurking in the filter media. Salt does not kill the useful bacteria in the filter, hence the advantage of using salt over other kinds of medication.

I would leave the salt in the pond for about a week or until the ulcers or wounds are healed or symptoms of parasites have disappeared.

How to remove salt? The only way is to remove salt from the pond water is by partial water changes. Unfortunately, this is a slow and gradual process carried out over a period of a few weeks as I would not change more than 20% of my water each time.

Note: Salt may not be able to treat all Koi ailments. For information on other Koi medications and pond treatments and/or to buy online, click here.

UV light filter for algae control in koi pond

I received a question recently from one of the visitors to my blog asking if I was using UV light filter since I did not write anything about it. He was wondering if UV light filter is good for preventing algae bloom.

I did not use UV filter for my first 2 ponds. A UV filter was installed in my current pond’s filter system in Jan 2008 when it was built by my pond builder. The water from the return pump was passed through it before being released back to the pond. I cannot really tell if it was effective or not. Right now, I am not sure if the bulb is still working since I can’t see the light. Any way to check without opening up the filter?

I have no problems with algae bloom in all my 3 ponds, with or without UV light filter. I don’t think a UV light filter is necessary as a means to control algae. Algae is caused by high nitrate levels in the pond. Once I feel the nitrate level is high (slight increase in algae seen or water tint) and confirmed through water testing, I would do partial water change to reduce the nitrate levels. Better to control nitrate (the cause) than algae (the effect).

Having said that, I think a UV light filter may be useful to as a means to control bacteria or parasites, kill germs and sterilised the pond water.

For more information on UV light filter or to buy UV light filter and accessories online, click here - ( US Customer, UK Customer)

Visit to a Koi Farm in Singapore

The Mainland Tropical Fish farm is located in the eastern side of Singapore. It is about 10 minutes by car from my home. Due to its proximity, this is the place where I buy my Koi supplies like Hikari Koi food and other pond accessories.

The farm has many ponds with young and medium sized koi. There are other aquarium fishes for sale in the rows and rows of fish tanks under the main shed. These include many varieties of goldfishes, Siamese fighting fish or bettas, guppies, tetras, barbs and even arowanas. There is a pond with some large arapaimas (a large carnivorous fish) on display and probably not for sale. The arapaimas pond is a must-see for me each time I visit the farm for my supplies.

A good place for families with young kids to visit during the weekends or for schools to hold excursions for the kids. The enterprising owner has set up a man-made streams for kids to catch small fishes (mostly guppies, mollies and swordtails and some discarded young koi) for a small fee. Small pails and fish nets are provided. The kids can bring their catch home as their new pets.

Fish food is also for sale to those who enjoys feeding the young fishes in the ponds. Sell fish food for a nice profit and get their fish stock fed as well. Brilliant! As long as everyone is happy, who is to complain.

Water Quality Testing in Koi or Fish Pond

Water quality testing is important, especially when you are starting a new fish pond or filter. This is the time when the bacteria in the biological filter is trying to grow and establish itself and ammonia, nitrite will be present in the initial stage of nitrogen cycle. During this time, risk of fish fatality is high and pond keepers will not risk putting in expensive, show grade Koi until there is no ammonia or nitrite present, as determined by the water quality testing. Instead, most pond keepers will put in small feeder fish or low grade Koi to produce the needed fish waste to feed and cultivate the bacteria in the filter. It normally takes a few weeks for the biological filter to establish itself. 

Other times when water testing should be done is when you have recently added more fish to your pond. This is the time when the water parameters will deviate from the norm as the filter adjust to the new load of waste matters coming from the increased population.

I am using the Tetrapond Laborett test kit. It tests pH, carbonate and general hardness, nitrite, ammonia and carbon dioxide. I also use the individual test kits for oxygen level and nitrate.

pH is a measure of the acidic or basic (alkaline) nature of a solution. Normal tap water or fresh water should have pH level of 7. Water with a lower pH level is deemed acidic while alkaline water would have higher pH. Chalk, limestone, coral or seashells dissolved in water will produce higher pH. pH level is usually determined by your water supply. Koi requires a pH slightly above 7. The best way to control pH is to include crushed coral ships or seashells as one of your filter media. The carbonate in them will acts as a buffer against sudden, sharp drop in pH level which kills fish swiftly.

Oxygen level testing is important to determine if you have enough aeration in your pond to support the fish and plant population in your pond. I do this at the onset of a new pond or when I add more fish to my pond. Once you have the right level of aeration, the oxygen level seldom fluctuates a lot unless you have a broken pump. I actually notice small bubbles forming at the sides of my pond when sunlight is shining on the algae that grows on the side. I think this is a good sign of oxygen level saturation and my aeration level is sufficient.

Nitrate is an output of your biological filter. Nitrate is harmless to fish in small quantities but as mentioned in my earlier post on the need for regular partial water change, nitrate level should be kept low. When the nitrate level goes beyond the level indicated in the test kit, it means it is time for partial water change. I actually stop doing my nitrate level testing and just do my regular partial water change as a routine. Other symptoms of excessive nitrates will be excessive algae growth (greenish water) or brownish tint in the water.

In the beginning of my Koi hobby, I used to test regularly and log down the readings in my excel spreadsheet. As I get more experience in pond and koi keeping, I actually stop performing water quality testing although I still have my water testing kit on standby. Maybe this is not a good trait of a good koi keeper but then, that’s me. I stick to my regular partial water change routine, regular filter maintenance and I know that my pond and filter is well designed to produce good water quality. I observe my Koi’s behaviour daily during feeding. My water test kits will be used immediately when I notice my Koi behaviour changes. So far, so good!

Trying New Feed for My Koi

I normally feed my Koi with Hikari Staple (easy on my wallet) and supplement with Hikari Spirulina for the Koi with Red markings. Spirulina is an algae and research has been found to have a high content of the carotenoid colour pigment, which is very effective on the colour of Koi when added to their diet. That is, food mixing to balance cost and benefits. Hikari actually recommends a mix that includes a color enhancing diet comprising no less than 35% of the total quantity being fed.

I am now trying Saki-Hikari Growth Diet for my Koi since most of my new Koi are about 2 years old and still in their growing stage.

According to the label, this diet is able to “Promotes unbelievable growth and championship form!”. The protein content is at least 40%, compared to 35% for the Hikari Staple. According to the test results published on the packaging, this food is supposed to help grow a Koi 1.6 times better compared to the Hikari Staple diet. I am giving this a try although the relative cost of this food is about 2 times compared to the Staple food but if you want your Koi to grow big to its fullest potential, the first few years are the most important. Besides, this new feed also includes a probiotic, Hikari Germ which has many benefits, according to the manufacturer.

“This unique, beneficial bacteria overpowers bad bacteria within the intestine reducing it's propagation and ability to lethally infect your fish. Additionally, the proprietary Hikari Germ accelerates the digestive process thereby improving absorption and thereby reducing waste output.”

“Expect improved water quality and reduced filter maintenance when used as a daily diet.”

“Expect improved luster, reduced fatalities and fat-deposit-free growth as a result of the perfect ingredient balance.”

Let’s see in a few months’ time whether my Koi achieves what is claimed about the growth rate. I will not be too scientific about this, e.g. doing a controlled experiment and feed two batches or Koi with different feeds). Instead, I will just based on gut-feel since 1.6x vs 1x should be noticeable.

Right now, the only thing I noticed about this Koi food are:

* the Koi seems to feed with a greater frenzy with this new diet. Maybe they like a change of diet sometimes, like humans.

* the food pellets leaves a slight trace of oil on the water surface compared to the Hikari Staple.

I am doing a little survey on the actual Koi feeding frequency in this website. I would appreciate your participation; even if you don’t own a Koi or keep a pond.

BTW, I feed my Koi twice a day. Sometimes more.

Koi Size Seems Smaller in Pond

Have you notice that your Koi appears to be smaller when they are viewed in the pond compared to when they are in a bowl? Or is it just me? 

I remember occasions when I put my Koi into the bowl and they wow me with their size although they don’t appear to be that big when they are in the pond. I also remember occasions when I added a new Koi that I bought from the local dealer and they appear to be smaller once they are released into the pond!

Maybe there is a logical explanation for this.

Have you experience or heard about the Moon Illusion? The Moon Illusion is that the Moon appears bigger when seen near the horizon than when it is high up in the sky. Actually, the angular size of the Moon is unchanged as the Moon moves across the sky. It is just an optical illusion or the brain playing tricks.

It could be that the Koi illusion is due to the same effect. A Koi in the pond is like the Moon high up in the sky. There is little reference in terms of scale to allow your brain to calculate the true size. A Koi in the bowl allows your eyes and brain to compute the size more realistically. Hence the optical illusion.

Maybe that’s why the local Koi dealer always offer to catch the few Koi of interest to put into bowls for me to inspect closely. Is this part of good service or something else? Hmmm…